Reliable and Light Outboard

[Scout 30]

I've got a 2002 Honda 2 hp. They are a pain in the ass to keep running. I bought a 30 hp Honda at the same time. Same problem. I've got a friend with a Honda 40. Same problem. The carburetors are impossible to keep clean enough for them to run right & you cannot clean them well enough to fix the problem. I was at the dealer Monday & he told me they don't even try to clean them any more because it ends up costing more than replacing them & it won't work anyway. My buddy has replaced the 3 carburetors on his Honda 40 four times.

I replaced my Honda 30 with a 2 stroke 25hp Yamaha about 6 years ago & have never had a single problem with it.

There are only 2 kinds of carbureted Honda owners, those that have had problems & those that will.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

I've got a 2002 Honda 2 hp. They are a pain in the ass to keep running. I bought a 30 hp Honda at the same time. Same problem. I've got a friend with a Honda 40. Same problem. The carburetors are impossible to keep clean enough for them to run right & you cannot clean them well enough to fix the problem. I was at the dealer Monday & he told me they don't even try to clean them any more because it ends up costing more than replacing them & it won't work anyway. My buddy has replaced the 3 carburetors on his Honda 40 four times.

I replaced my Honda 30 with a 2 stroke 25hp Yamaha about 6 years ago & have never had a single problem with it.

There are only 2 kinds of carbureted Honda owners, those that have had problems & those that will.

I suspect you are using dirty or old fuel. My Honda works just fine. I've had it about four years and usually forget to run the gas out before storage because I think I'll be using it one more time. I use non-ethanol gas in it.

[a64pilot]

RE plastic prop, usually they are fiber reinforced nylon or something and are actually much tougher than a metal prop, I assume though on big motors they would flex too much or something, or why wouldn't we see them on big motors?
Are all these little motors centrifugal clutch? I hate those, you can't just putt putt idle around if you have a clutch

[a64pilot]

Out of curiosity why does everyone seem to think two stroke carbs are impervious to ethanol fuel and junk?
Carbs are essentially the same, but the oil in the fuel with a two stroke and ethanol do not get along well is my understanding, but so far I have always been able to find ethanol free fuel.
I've been running this for a couple of years with no issues, originally with Avgas, but now gasoline, and I can't imagine a smaller four stroke than this thing.

[Scout 30]

Wouldn't it be great if it was that simple.

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

RE plastic prop, usually they are fiber reinforced nylon or something and are actually much tougher than a metal prop, I assume though on big motors they would flex too much or something, or why wouldn't we see them on big motors?
Are all these little motors centrifugal clutch? I hate those, you can't just putt putt idle around if you have a clutch

Yes, centrifugal clutch just like your weedwhacker.

Non-ethanol fuel is required by our local Honda dealer. He says he won't honor the warranty on either the Honda or Mercury four stroke if ethanol fuel is used. I always use non-ethanol and run the carb dry after each use.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

I've got a 2002 Honda 2 hp. They are a pain in the ass to keep running. I bought a 30 hp Honda at the same time. Same problem. I've got a friend with a Honda 40. Same problem. The carburetors are impossible to keep clean enough for them to run right & you cannot clean them well enough to fix the problem. I was at the dealer Monday & he told me they don't even try to clean them any more because it ends up costing more than replacing them & it won't work anyway. My buddy has replaced the 3 carburetors on his Honda 40 four times.

I replaced my Honda 30 with a 2 stroke 25hp Yamaha about 6 years ago & have never had a single problem with it.

There are only 2 kinds of carbureted Honda owners, those that have had problems & those that will.

We have owned three Honda 2hp, one Honda 8hp and one Honda 50hp and only had a problem with the Honda 8hp carburetor, and that was self inflicted! The key is to run them often, or as someone else stated, run them out of gas when not running them often. Now that I think of it, we have also owned two Honda 2000 generators with no problems.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

RE plastic prop, usually they are fiber reinforced nylon or something and are actually much tougher than a metal prop, I assume though on big motors they would flex too much or something, or why wouldn't we see them on big motors?.........

You can buy "composite" props for IOs up to about 125 horse power. Some have replaceable blades

[Cheechako]

If you don't mind older, the old Johnson/Evinrude 4hp or the older Mercury USA (80s-90's) 4 HP were simple and great. Find a "Garage Queen" used for lake fishing.... I favor the Merc in the 4hp.
I've never heard of an air cooled one that was really any good.

[NewMoon]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Are all these little motors centrifugal clutch? I hate those, you can't just putt putt idle around if you have a clutch

The 2hp Honda is centrifugal clutch, but the 2hp Yamaha has no clutch - it's always in gear. You swing it around backwards if you wish to go in reverse. Pros and cons: It's remarkably light and simple, but you have to stop the motor if you don't want to be moving. At only 22 lb, we bought it originally to mount on the side of our canoe. Now it's mostly our dinghy motor. 26 years old and runs like a top.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by NewMoon

The 2hp Honda is centrifugal clutch, but the 2hp Yamaha has no clutch - it's always in gear. You swing it around backwards if you wish to go in reverse. Pros and cons: It's remarkably light and simple, but you have to stop the motor if you don't want to be moving. At only 22 lb, we bought it originally to mount on the side of our canoe. Now it's mostly our dinghy motor. 26 years old and runs like a top.

The problem with no clutch or even the centrifugal clutch is starting the motor in the first place. On my Honda, the throttle has to be advanced to start the motor so when it starts, it wants to go pretty fast.

[Cheechako]

The 4 hp merc has fwd, neutral, reverse gears. Cant remember about the Evinrude/Johnson... The Merc pictured above is a 94 I think. A super clean version sells for about $400-450 on craig's list..

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by rwidman

The problem with no clutch or even the centrifugal clutch is starting the motor in the first place. On my Honda, the throttle has to be advanced to start the motor so when it starts, it wants to go pretty fast.

Same problem with both of my forward only nissans - a 2.5 and a 3.5. Takes some getting used to and always a bit worrisome in a small hard dinghy.

I borrowed a friends walker bay 8 and put my 2.5 on it. Started it up and next thing I knew it was upside down with the engine securely clamped to it and me in the water.

But my yammie 3 has a neutral.

[ErikFinn]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

The Merc pictured above is a 94 I think. A super clean version sells for about $400-450 on craig's list..

Just for the sake of educated discussion I'd like us to evaluate the economics a bit regarding buying an old outboard in this class, say 2 to 5 hp pre-owned.

I'm tempted to think that it would be more economical and intelligent to buy a new one instead of having anything more than minor service done on an old outboard. Provided a new one can be bought for around 800 - 900 USD? (that's 870 Australian, maybe 800 USD?)



Consider some of the the spare part prices for my Yamaha 3HP "Malta":

-Propeller shaft ~ 100 USD (old hardened oil seals leaked, pitted shaft)
-Propeller ~ 150 USD
-Carburator service kit & diaphgrams ~ 100 USD (Always issues with old fuel)

Mine is at a repair shop now for changing the prop shaft & oil seals, carb overhaul, bill will be around 400 USD. I'm thinking I should have gone for a new one instead...

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by ErikFinn

Just for the sake of educated discussion I'd like us to evaluate the economics a bit regarding buying an old outboard in this class, say 2 to 5 hp pre-owned.

I'm tempted to think that it would be more economical and intelligent to buy a new one instead of having anything more than minor service done on an old outboard. Provided a new one can be bought for around 800 - 900 USD? (that's 870 Australian, maybe 800 USD?)



Consider some of the the spare part prices for my Yamaha 3HP "Malta":

-Propeller shaft ~ 100 USD (old hardened oil seals leaked, pitted shaft)
-Propeller ~ 150 USD
-Carburator service kit & diaphgrams ~ 100 USD (Always issues with old fuel)

Mine is at a repair shop now for changing the prop shaft & oil seals, carb overhaul, bill will be around 400 USD. I'm thinking I should have gone for a new one instead...

Yeah... it's a good point for sure... but it sounds like the newer models are problematic some too.. so hard to say. Best probably to buy a new 2 stroke outside the US! It also helps if you do your own OB work....