Dinghy Motor Honda 2hp or Merc 2.5hp

[gotago]

I'm in the market for a dinghy motor and have a choice between the Honda 2hp 4stroke and the Mercury 2.5 2 stroke

- I don't feel i can go wrong with the Honda it's 5 years old, said to have light hours and the price is "fair" at $500.

- The Mercury is a 2002 and its hrs are said to be in the teens. For a hair under $400 it looks new.

Am i wrong to lean more towards the Honda ?

[westsail42]

You cant go wrong with the Honda.

We have a 20 year old BF20 (2 hp). The new models are based on this original design.

We practically abuse it: ran an entire season with little oil, overheated it a number of
times (mud clogged coolant path), yet it runs like a top.

Always starts on the first or second pull.

[DaveOnCudjoe]

the Honda 2 is the motor of choice for the Sea Pearl 21 and is beloved by all but me. It has a centrifugal clutch and an air cooled engine with wet exhaust. On the other hand I have no use for anything 2 cycle. The Yamaha 2.5 is my choice because it is water cooled and has a clutch. Dave

[motion30]

The honda being aircooled we be louder

[Tiki 38']

I have the honda, its ok. Prone to flooding when tipped up. Prone to leak oil when travelling in the back of the car. Can run nice and slow, which is handy sometimes. I would get whichever one is newer/lower hours use. Dinghy motors are just that. Mostly, I would prefer oars!

[Maggie-K]

Hated my Honda , Got a 3.5 Nissan 4 stroke , same thing as the merc , more power same weight and way more dependable . No more flooding and oil leaks. Got it for the the trade in price of my Honda 2.

[Laidback]

Honda made in Japan - Mercury outsourced to China?

[r.furborough]

Mercury is actually Tohatsu / Nissan (japanese) up to about 40HP.

[gotago]

I should have my girlfriend call as see if the guy with the merc will lower his price to $300. I don't like the idea of it not having any use, it is something like 7 years old and has only had a few hrs on it. I'm mostly concerned with the carb and it gumming up or something, i know how many problems i have ran across with weed wackers and chain saws. Not directly related to bad gas, but a few other things i couldn't diagnose. It can be a headache. But if i can get it for $200 less than the Honda i might aim in that direction. Either way i have to wait a week for my taxes to come back....