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Old 01-04-2012, 09:37   #1
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Any Girls Start and Operate the 4 Cycle Honda 2hp Outboard?

We have a 6hp Nissan outboard on the tender and my girls have a hard time pulling the starter rope to start it.

Very close to downsizing to the Honda 2 HP for several good reasons,, the most being it may be easier for the girls to start.

Any girls on here use the Honda 2 HP 4 cycle/stroke and do you have any takes?

Easy to start?
Is it noisy because it's air cooled?
Encountered any demons?

Thank you for your takes.
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Old 01-04-2012, 09:43   #2
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Re: Any girls start and operate the 4 cycle Honda 2HP outboard?

I'm sorry, but I have yet to encounter any pull start engine that was "easy" to start by an adult woman, let alone a small one. From my 1/2HP weedeater on up.

Look into either a key start, or an electric motor. Much easier to use. NO yanking.
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Old 01-04-2012, 09:46   #3
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Re: Any girls start and operate the 4 cycle Honda 2HP outboard?

How old are the girls? My daughter has been able to start and run our 8 HP Johnson 2-stroke since she was about 9 years old. There is a certain technique to it, bracing with your left hand, pulling with your right, etc. that I'm sure you've tried. When my daughter was 9 she had to do it standing up to get better leverage. But, our motor has always started on one or two pulls, so it is exceptionally easy.
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Old 01-04-2012, 09:48   #4
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Re: Any girls start and operate the 4 cycle Honda 2HP outboard?

we have a 25 hp on our rib,which is very hard to start if you dont use this technique due to the comperssion.

the trick is to stand up,with feet apart on the stb side of the dinghy,in your left hand grasp the pull grip,then with your right hand grasp your left as you would a golf club or pistol,pull using your hips and upperbody,as you would swinging a golf club.

my petite 54 kilo wife has no problems starting our engine with this technique
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Old 01-04-2012, 09:56   #5
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Re: Any girls start and operate the 4 cycle Honda 2HP outboard?

Our girls could start a 15 horse merc at 8 and 9, biggest problem was having a dink when ya need it LOL don't push your luck stay with what ya got till they get the muscle to start it then they old enough to run it ! just the 2 cents of a couple who raised 3 girls on a boat !!!
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Old 01-04-2012, 10:16   #6
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Re: Any girls start and operate the 4 cycle Honda 2HP outboard?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kettlewell View Post
How old are the girls? My daughter has been able to start and run our 8 HP Johnson 2-stroke since she was about 9 years old. There is a certain technique to it, bracing with your left hand, pulling with your right, etc. that I'm sure you've tried. When my daughter was 9 she had to do it standing up to get better leverage. But, our motor has always started on one or two pulls, so it is exceptionally easy.
Two stroke Johnsons are ideal and easy.
The 4 stroke Nissan is a hell of a yank.
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Old 01-04-2012, 10:17   #7
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Re: Any girls start and operate the 4 cycle Honda 2HP outboard?

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Originally Posted by atoll View Post
we have a 25 hp on our rib,which is very hard to start if you dont use this technique due to the comperssion.

the trick is to stand up,with feet apart on the stb side of the dinghy,in your left hand grasp the pull grip,then with your right hand grasp your left as you would a golf club or pistol,pull using your hips and upperbody,as you would swinging a golf club.

my petite 54 kilo wife has no problems starting our engine with this technique
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Old 01-04-2012, 10:33   #8
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Re: Any girls start and operate the 4 cycle Honda 2HP outboard?

my MO is to comparatively gently pull the starter cord until the engine is on the compression stroke and then do a hard pull to start.
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Old 01-04-2012, 10:38   #9
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Pulling a 4 stroke is a bitch. My 40yr old wife has issues with ours. But then again she lost an arm wrestling matxh with her 10yr old niece so maybe not a good comparison.

Worth looking at two strokes. We have a 10hp yamaha two stroke and as outboards go it is a breeze....my wife can almost start it on good mornings...seems to depend on how badly she wants to go ashore
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Old 01-04-2012, 11:00   #10
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Re: Any girls start and operate the 4 cycle Honda 2HP outboard?

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Pulling a 4 stroke is a bitch. My 40yr old wife has issues with ours.

....

Worth looking at two strokes. We have a 10hp yamaha two stroke and as outboards go it is a breeze....my wife can almost start it on good mornings...seems to depend on how badly she wants to go ashore
+1

Especially a one cylinder 4 stroke is hard to start. I find the 15 HP Tohatsu/Nissan easier to start than the 6/8/9.8 HP single cylinder.

Depending on your future cruising grounds, wait with your purchase and get a 2 cylinder - 2 stroke, somewhere abroad: Tohatsu/Nissan 6-9.8HP or a Yamaha, or even a Suzuki. Easy to start!

Dirk
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Old 01-04-2012, 12:07   #11
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Re: Any girls start and operate the 4 cycle Honda 2HP outboard?

AHH ya don't need to go out of the country to buy small 2 strokes ! at least they are in all the marine dealers down here in Louisiana! Now I don't know about West Marine ? we have one in town but never go there ! I shop in local stores, and get great service that way !
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Old 01-04-2012, 12:13   #12
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Re: Any girls start and operate the 4 cycle Honda 2HP outboard?

You can still find lots of used small 2-strokes on inland waters where they have only seen fresh water and have been mostly used for fishing in an aluminum skiff five or six times each summer. Check out the local want ads and marinas on freshwater lakes. A lot of two-strokes get sold cheap because someone put it away in the shed one fall and couldn't get it started the next year or a couple of years later because the gas went bad and the carb got gunked up. Easy fix.

Having said that, anyone know of an easy starting 4-stroker? Not sure why they should be harder to pull start as I don't think they have higher compression than the old 2-strokes. I used to have a 9.9 HP Yamaha 4-stroke that started as easy as anything that size I've owned. It would fire right up on one pull.
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Old 01-04-2012, 12:26   #13
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Y'know part of the difficulty is technique.

2 strokes are totally different mechanically to 4 strokes and this is reflected in starting technique.

2 strokes need short sharp, ie fast pulls. 4 strokes ned long sustained pulls. This is due to many reasons but the main one is that 4 strokes get half as many ignition cycles as a two stroke due to the differences between the two engines...
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Old 01-04-2012, 14:40   #14
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Re: Any girls start and operate the 4 cycle Honda 2HP outboard?

Honda 2 HP are hard to start for their size, also they corrode badly, my honda's tappet cover rusted out in 2 years and they cost more to buy. I replaced it with a tohatsu 3.5 HP two stroke. I like Honda motors except the 2 HP outboard.
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Old 01-04-2012, 16:24   #15
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Re: Any girls start and operate the 4 cycle Honda 2HP outboard?

I had a beautiful 9Hp twin cylinder 2-stroke Johnson , when the girls were small, it was a condition that they could start it to use it, 8 year olds can be very determined . Anyway they never had a problem with that engine. I can bought a new 4hp honda 4 stroke, absolute dog to start. Wouldn't have a honda if you gave it to me. Only Yams now.


Mind you to amuse myself recently I attempted to pull start using th emergency setup Yam give you on a 40HP 4-stroke. What a waste of time, I think it pulled me. It could never be started that way.

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