What brand of outboard engines is most KNOWN to be poor quality?

[Lake-Effect]

Paint the engine fluorescent pink, and pound on the engine cover with a baseball bat a few times. Repair the cover cracks with lime green duct tape. Then smear dirty grease over the whole engine.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

.......... Will the people who are in this area know about the reputations of various outboards and will they care?
................

Exactly. Crackheads don't know anything about outboard motors except for where to find them and where to sell them.

[MicHughV]

here's my answer....

I installed a "secret switch" underneath the engine....simple to do, drill a hole and spice the switch into the kill switch wiring...use a waterproof switch, the type with the little rubber boot on it.

The engine is secured to the dink with a lock....so a thief, with a spare kill switch cord, might think he could run off with the dink...but unless that switch is activated..there will be no starting...

fool proof ??.....probably not, but enuff of a deterrent to make a thief go elsewhere..

[cottonsail]

Sears and row back.

[MultiCountryDon]

Originally Posted by cottonsail

Sears and row back.

+1

Best yet!

[P3sailor]

This question is like asking what motor vehicle is best! Everyone has their favorites and I wouldn't take any of these answers to the bank, if you don't take care of or abuse the motor it will treat you accordingly.

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by P3sailor

This question is like asking what motor vehicle is best! Everyone has their favorites and I wouldn't take any of these answers to the bank, if you don't take care of or abuse the motor it will treat you accordingly.

It can be embarrassing when you don't read the thread before posting and end up responding with something that is the opposite of what the entire thread is about. I highly suggest reading the first post at least!

[DelcaJourneys]

You could do a take on a classic that is no longer made, such as "Little Johnson"

[P3sailor]

I read the post and most, if not all, answers were from those with personal experiences, as I said, it's like asking what the best motor vehicle is...there is no correct answer.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by cottonsail

Sears and row back.

Didn't they sell Elgin at one time? I believe Force a cheap Mercury came years later.

[psahd]

Yep, It sounds like most of you come from a 1st world country. Any thief worth his salt would have less discerning tastes.. Thieves are not stupid.. If they want a motor and yours is available.... best you have your broker on speed dial! They will steal it regardless of how pretty or ugly. If they don't like yours, they will discard it AFTER stealing another one.

Unfortunately in a world of Have's and Have Not's, there will always be a migration of articles toward the Have Not's

[Nani Kai]

Originally Posted by cadmus

thanks for the response

Reflective bright spray paint was what i originally planned. bright pink. Or something else offensive to the eyes and hard to hide.

I have a close friend with a vinyl sticker maker so a cowling sticker disguise is not hard.
I COULD make up a fake brand or just copy one off alibaba or madeinchina[dot]com. I figured if people knew of an infamously bad Asian knockoff brand it would make the decision easy. I can cut a paste a few for shnits and giggles.

My take on this is that the thieves don't care about brand necessarily, although they may be informed enough to know the more desirable ones. I think they would choose more according to sale-ability due to condition and "newness". The idea of vinyl wraps for the cowling is clever. I suggest that making them ugly and worn looking might be more effective. If the colors were faded, the lettering of the unknown brand name scratched or abraded, possibly dripping rust lines down the sides from some hidden fasteners, maybe a realistic looking crack, etc would make your outboard undesirable.

An even simpler solution might be to remove the brand name entirely then spray paint the cowling poorly, complete with messy runs here and there. The idea is to make it look like an old, high mileage engine that you're trying to get one more season out of.

Lastly, as one poster above noted, you might consider making the dinghy look worn as well. It's possible that if your dinghy is bright and shiny but the engine looks worn a thief might steal the whole rig just for the dinghy.

If you do come up with an interesting wrap it would be fun to see it here.

[cadmus]

Thanks for the diversity of ideas, everyone. Sorry for the delay, I had no internet for a few weeks.

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

Where are you located or where will you be that you are concerned about this? Will the people who are in this area know about the reputations of various outboards and will they care?

Historically summers in PNW. But my job now only allows me to recreate during north america's winters. Likely moving through Sea of Cortez, Central America, Bahamas, Caribbean in the next few years. But i think it is a good question to archive for any part of the world.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by cadmus

Thanks for the diversity of ideas, everyone. Sorry for the delay, I had no internet for a few weeks.

Historically summers in PNW. But my job now only allows me to recreate during north america's winters. Likely moving through Sea of Cortez, Central America, Bahamas, Caribbean in the next few years. But i think it is a good question to archive for any part of the world.

I have several outboards. My favorite outboard is the Johnson 4 hp that was used by a duck hunter. It is in like new condition inside, but the exterior was painted a flat green. No one looks at it since it looks like an old, beat up outboard. Everyone asks about the other, shiny outboard!

[ixnax]

Nothing says keep your grubby paws off my dink and engine like 10MM chain and a proper lock attached to something solid. Someone careless will be tied up nearby as additional insurance, no worries.