Yamaha 4 or Tohatsu 6?

[CSY Man]

Never tried either, but that is what the choices are donw to...:

Just came back from a short 3 week trip in the Florida Keys.

My old 2 stroke Evinrude 4 craqqed out the last day.
Had it serviced before we left: Carb overhaul, new plugs, fresh fuel, the works..

It still put me down and it hurts.

With no davits or crane, we need a light but modern and reliable outboard.

Yamaha of course has a stellar and a bullet-proof reputation.

Did try a 2.5 Yamme 4 stroke on my dink, but not enough muscle.

The Yamaha 4 HP, four stroke weighs in at 48 lbs..22 Kgs and would probably do the job, but no planning or going fast..5 knots would be ok with 2 pax, 6.5 knots with single guy onboard. (That would be the target as previous 4 HP, 2 stroke would do 7.5 knots with just me onboard, BUT it was a 2 cylinder, 2 stroke, perhaps more muscle than the new 4 strokes...?)

I could get the Yammie 4 for $1,120.00 brand new in the box @ e-bay including sales tax and shipping.

Or the Tohatsu 6 HP, four stroke..(They are both single cylinder)
Weighs in @ 57 lbs and cost $1,239.00 on the internet, not tax and free shipping.

Anybody with personal experience on either of the above dink-pushers?

PS..Got a 4 HP Evinrude for sale, may need a tune-up, but price is right..

[David M]

I would go by reliability, reputation and parts availability. In that case, Yamaha. Honda would be my first choice if the engine is going to be used domestically.

[Randy]

I vote Yamaha it seems like they almost the worlwide standard & I think it's reliability.

[captain58sailin]

Do you know why your Evinrude died? It might be something as simple as the diaphragm on the fuel pump cracked, or the coil / transformer that makes the spark (sorry I'm having a senior moment, I can't remember the tech. term for it.) it's like a magneto. Anyway it might be something small, and you don't need to throw it out.

[pjop]

Hey CSY Man,

Folks swear by these little Tohatsu around here. So much so, the local boat builder, Stouter, is the local Tohatsu dealer. I jumped on board and bought the 6hp for my 11ft aluminum dink and she won't quite plane out, but it will for those who are less gravitationally afflicted. She has started on the first pull every time for the last 6 months, a few dozen times. I wouldn't think parts would be a problem since they are really nissans under a different name. I thought I saw an ad on the internet though around the same price but shipping was free. I purchased from the local dealer, just in case there was a problem. None so far. Oh, no doubt that Yamaha has a stellar reliability reputation worldwide. I sure like having that extra two hp though, esp. with the four stroke and all. Good luck.

[BlueSovereign]

I spent a considerable amount of time investigating and comparing the same models of both these companies. In my case a 15HP.

In the end I found the Yamaha was better engineered, with the finish on various parts and components more refined and better machined.

[CSY Man]

Honda would be my first choice if the engine is going to be used domestically.

Why Honda..? Yes, it will be used Domestically with some Bahamas cruising thrown in.

Do you know why your Evinrude died? It might be something as simple as the diaphragm on the fuel pump cracked, or the coil / transformer that makes the spark

Not spark related, it starts, run for a few minuttes, then die and stays dead. Same happens every day.
Tried to fix it many times, but life is too short. Thinking it may be ethanol fuel and the old engines not designed for it.

I assume the new four-strokes has no issues with the 10% ethanol mix we can't seem to escape....?

In the end I found the Yamaha was better engineered, with the finish on various parts and components more refined and better machined.

My feeling too, but the extra 2 HP would be nice to have..
The Yammie 6 is heavier than the Tohatsu 6, otherwise I could have gone that route, but weigth is a factor..My wife reminded me that I am not getting any younger and we are lifting the engine on and off the big boat to mount on the dink all the time. Easy enough with the 29 lbs old 2 stroke, a bit more challenging with the porky 4 stroke jobs.

I jumped on board and bought the 6hp for my 11ft aluminum dink

How does it run? Smooth or does it vibrate? Noisy....?

Tried to look around the internet for a review, or comparison test by the magazines or consumer organizations, but came up blank.

Thanks for the comments, still un-decided, but I have a feeling there is a 4 HP Yammie in my near future..

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by David M

I would go by reliability, reputation and parts availability. In that case, Yamaha. Honda would be my first choice if the engine is going to be used domestically.

Since Tohatsu makes ALL Nissan outboards and many smaller Mercury* outboards; parts and manuals etc., for the 3 brands, are universally* interchangeable.

You’ll pay a slightly higher premium for the Mercury or Nissan branding, but here is no difference in features, warranty, etc.

* At one time, a "detuned" Tohatsu 5HP was also marketed as a Mercury 4HP, so make certain you know what you’ve actually got, prior to exchanging parts.

[John Drake]

Hello

Hope this is not off topic, however, we are not far away and I have a late model Yamaha 2 stroke 8HP outboard I am interested in selling. It is in fine running condition, but is cosmetically looking quite used.

60lbs. I got tired of lifting it and so got a motor lift for the boat...glad I did.

I would ask $800 for it. Local pick up in Stuart, FL, about 1.5 hrs from you up RT95.

If you are interested, just shoot me an email: navigate40 at ..yahoo. dot...com.

Hope this helps

best

John

[CSY Man]

Hope this is not off topic, however, we are not far away and I have a late model Yamaha 2 stroke 8HP outboard I am interested in selling. It is in fine running condition, but is cosmetically looking quite used.

Yeah, I have considered that model as well. Will think about it and shoot you and e-mail.

[pjop]

I think my 6hp Tohatsu runs pretty smooth. Of course, she vibrates a bit wide open, but none more than expected. As you would expect from a four stroke the little motor is fairly quite, but I don't have much with which to compare.

[Maddog]

I have a Tohatsu 4hp and it does great for me. I belive the tohatsu line from 4 hp up to 6hp(?) all have the same motorhead, but tuned diffently with different carbs.

Gord is right about Tohatsu making the same engine for Nissan and Mercury, just for a few hundred dollares less.

[CSY Man]

I have a Tohatsu 4hp and it does great for me. I belive the tohatsu line from 4 hp up to 6hp(?) all have the same motorhead, but tuned diffently with different carbs.

Yeah, they are all the same and same weight: 55 to 57 lbs.

That is why I only considered the 6 and not the 4.

[CAELESTIS]

I own a Tohatsu, but I could not say if Yamaha is better or equal.

You should consider an inexpensive crane from Garhauer. It works great and removes in less than a minute.

[CSY Man]

You should consider an inexpensive crane from Garhauer. It works great and removes in less than a minute.

Yeah, either a crane or just davits...Have to look into both options.

I own a Tohatsu, but I could not say if Yamaha is better or equal.

Sooo, are you happy with the Tohatsu?

Starts every time, runs good and does not snore @ night.?