Anyone be using one of these unconventional looking cheap outboards?

[Emouchet]

You could try to locate a British Seagull 1931 engine. Those are infatigable work horse:
https://www.britishseagull.com/

[Boatwright]

Check out the Suzuki 2.5hp 4 cycle. We love ours. Cost ~$700 US. Weighs less than 40#.

We retired a cheap 30 year old Johnson Colt 2 cycle last year after it became too much trouble. It never was reliable and required constant fiddling. All smiles now. The Suzuki starts every time, is quiet, and runs clean. Several other club members have the same engine and also love it.

The first time you end up rowing from a distant mooring you will wish you had spent the small amount extra for a reliable kicker.

[Mango51]

. Have you considered a British seagull ?

[Sailorman Ed]

I picked up a new in box cheap China outboard, the starter mechanism self destructed, everything corroded. Save your money. Also loud.

[Franziska]

As further up, we went for a hardly used second hand freshwater 4hp 2stroke Suzuki instead...

Thanks anyway.

[Emouchet]

2.5 Suzuki all the way for me.
Only 1 complain: consider cleaning the carburettor from time to time as they are pretty sensitive to dust and makes idling difficult. There is a great article about this there:
How to clean an outboard motor carburettor step-by-step - Practical Boat Owner

[DMCantor]

Even if you can find a used 2-stroke, in Europe I doubt very much that the authorities will let you use it. In Switzerland, which generally follows EU regulations, you have to have your engine emissions tested every three years, and 2-strokes are absolutely forbidden.

[Franziska]

Luckily thats not an issue at the ocean shores in small dinghies with the "Tender to" marking.
With this tender we will not be on inshore lakes or rivers ever.

[Franziska]

In general you are still allowed to use existing 2strokes in Europe, as long you are not using them on inland waterways.
Inland waterways have more stringent rules.

You are not allowed to sell and import new two strokes anymore though.
It's a kind of grandfathering rule.

To my knowledge there are no small outboard engine émission tests required in Germany unless you want to use them on inland waterways.

[Compass790]

Originally Posted by Franziska

By the way, we are buying a hardly, and only in freshwater, used 4hp 2stroke Suzuki now.

I was trying to write my recommendations but 'puter crashed & lost whole diatribe
Anyway, think you made a much better choice. Had a lot of experience with many types of used outboard over the years & would never buy anything but Japanese now. Brother bought a new chinese Parsun, many problems with it, total junk IMHO. My favourite is Yamaha. What Scout 30 says, much better a used Japanese than a new Chinese IMHO. Tip for you, always use a filter funnel when filling the tank, small outboards have tiny jets & easy to clog carbuerettor. We just use a filter out of a coffee machine in a funnel for our fuels ( diesel too)& it's amazing what comes in yr fuel.
I prefer 2 stroke to 4 stroke as they cope with sitting unused better but if you use yours regularly it wont be an issue. 4 stroke uses less fuel. Other thing to watch is small outboards have small cooling small cooling water passages which can get clogged with marine life so keep an eye out for cooling water flow.
Let us know how u like the Suzuki

[Outlaw7]

The cruise and carry resurfaces as a 4 stroke!

[Franziska]

Hey, thanks to everybody.
The Suzuki looks great (actually almost brand new under the hood).
Starts with one pull, runs very smooth.
More once I have put it through its paces, which will happen in 4 weeks latest.

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Hi,

As my Spindrift 10 is completed I am looking into a lightweight 3-5hp outboard.

Ideally a used 2 stroke of a known brand, unfortunately the well known brands do not sell new two strokes anymore in Europe.

We have a Spindrift 10 (nesting) and have tried many different 2 stroke motors on it. The size of motor you select should be more towards your usage

Not familiar with the linked motor but we did have an air cooled 3 hp on it for a long time and worked fine. It was a 3 hp Tanaka, which was very light weight (~11kg) and dependable (easy to start/maintain). Good to get you in/out of an anchorage and no one would steal it. Downside it was bit loud, had a top load fuel tank (1.3L) not a good long distance motor w/2 people w/gear in the dink.

A water cooled 2.3 -3.3hp was similar to the air cooled w/about same power, a bit heavier and a little quieter. Downside, most here in the US didn't have a fwd/neutral so it stated in gear and still wasn't enough to go to far w/o trying to refill the top load tank in open water.

Also tried an Evinrude 4 hp 2 stroke. This is one of the lightest "bigger" motors @~15kg (34lb.), twin cylinders, neutral/fwd, and an external fuel tank. Worked very well and could travel at 7kts (topped out) with 2 people and gear for extended periods. The 2 cylinders made the motor run very smoothly and quietly. Overall good marks for our explorer dinghy.

Our current motor is a 5hp Tohatsu 2 stroke. Again a bit heavier @~19 kg, but much lighter than the 5 hp Tohatsu 4 stroke @~25 kg. The 19kg motor is IMO the heaviest motor one should put on the Spinfdrift 10. With 2 people/gear we can run at 11kts (if needed) and is an excellent long distance explorer motor. We added a "whale tail" to the lower unit of the OB (which helped a lot) and added a longer fuel hose to be able to move the remote tank forward to help get the Spindrift to plane out better.

Bottom line pick a motor that works for your intended use Also if you want a used 2 stroke motor expect to work on them since they are older motors. That said, IMO are less finicky and easier to work on than newer 4 strokes.


Bill O.

[Xwiredtva]

I've used a Chinese brand 2 stroke 3.5hp motor I bought for $300. Used it for 2 years without an issue. It was a yamaha/tohatsu clone engine. Used the same parts. It was a water cooled unit and the top cover was swapable with Tohatsu's 3.5hp unit.

Bought a Suzuki 2.5hp 2015 model 4 stroke because it weighed the same as the air cooled but was 100x's quieter. Literally. Added a few strips of dynomat to the inside of the cover and at idle from 20' you can't hear it running.

I run a Yamaha 1000w generator on board as well which is why I ditched the 2 stroke. Only need 1 jerry can onboard with 93 octane unleaded. Easier to manage, less storage needs.

Most of the 2 stroke outboard engines you see on ebay and google searches that are aircooled are basically the same mass produced engines you'll find in yard equipment. I did not encounter any rust issues but I did tighten bolts. Also Hangkai makes decent water cooled units, the 2 stroke air cooled are general engines adapted to a marine shaft setup. The clutched units fail often, get one with a gear lever.

If you go with these units, water cooled, 3.5hp or more (the Suzuki 2.5hp is about 2kts faster in the same dingy then the 3.5hp 2 stroke - iSailor tested speed - I'm sure it's because the prop pitch - the Suzuki takes off once in gear and the Hangkai needed some throttle to start moving in gear).

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Hey, thanks to everybody.
The Suzuki looks great (actually almost brand new under the hood).
Starts with one pull, runs very smooth.
More once I have put it through its paces, which will happen in 4 weeks latest.

Assuming it has an external tank, put an inline filter of some sort on it, they will often prevent a LOT of issues.