New 2 Cycle China Outboards

[Sailor_Hutch]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Exactly...They have the ability to rise to the occasion anytime. Chances are the will eventually be forced to fairly value their currency. When their items go up in price, most likely their quality will go up too.
What was so disturbing to me about NoTies "racist" comment is my prior wife is Asian as is my son.

Yes, in fairness I think we must differentiate between cultures and economies, and I think they are all on this forum referring to the economies. China is indeed a powerhouse now, and I have read somewhere recently where they really are edging to a point where they no longer need the U.S. We now buy less than fifty percent of their products, and sometime in 2014 we will slip to the number two economy in the world (behind them).
That's all interesting, but what is the problem (for us) is that their economy has/will-have number one status and be coupled with a running eco-engine while our number two status is coupled with a sputtering eco-engine. Not good long term situation (for U.S.) I agree that American manufacturers cut and run on the quality issue. Quality control departments were disbanded, based on the "just make more and sort out the bad" philosophy. The U.S. needs to get back to quality, like Lee Iacoka used to say. This is no longer just about four stroke boat engines. The chinese now have a microprocessor company poised to take on Intel.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

........... I blame the greed of individuals in the US for selling the country out. ........

You can blame the US consumers for looking for the best price but you have to blame labor unions and the government for the loss of manufacturing in this country.

With labor unions telling you who you can hire and promote and how much to pay them and threatening to go out on strike if their demands aren't met and the government throwing ten thousand pages of regulations and requirements at you, it's far more effective to just have your widgets made in China or some other country and just import and sell them here.

Get the government out of the way and get rid of mandatory union membership as a requirement of employment and manufacturing will return to the USA.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Old Snipe

.............. People keep talking about the power to weight ratio between 2 and 4 strokes, But that means nothing unless you are racing your sailboat with your engine/motor.

It's pretty important if you are putting the motor on and off the dinghy by hand from your swim platform every time you need to use it. So I have 27 pound 2HP 4 stroke that can only be stored on a certain side instead of a 27 pound 4HP 2 stroke that I can just lay down any which way.

[sy_gilana]

Parsun...Don't do it.

A cruisers dinghy outboard is not a luxury, its a matter of safety.
You need a reliable motor.

Buy cheap and pay the price.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by sy_gilana

Parsun...Don't do it.

A cruisers dinghy outboard is not a luxury, its a matter of safety.
You need a reliable motor.

Buy cheap and pay the price.

Care to expand on this? Personal experience?

Also I have trouble calling the dinghy engine a piece of safety equipment. Many people still row their dinghy's.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by NoTies

You said everything the Chinese make is crap. If that isn't racist and patently untrue I don't know how else to define it. Where is the device you used to make a post made? Where are the electronic components in your car made?

I said..."Most likely it's like everything else they make...tolerances all over the map, lousy warranty back up and an ever changing dealer network. They made a few (cheap) diesel engines and generators. I'd like to say the result was mixed but in reality they were flat bad".

I referred to their tolerances and so on. You seem to like to embellish what people say to play your race card and as I stated in a post a few back my former wife and son are Asian, so opps you missed that one. So again...it seems you have grown up (or not) in an era where good enough has become a virtue for you.

[NoTies]

Which is a long winded way of you saying everything they make is crap. Are you using all American made products like your computer electronics? Are they reliable?

[Seasiq]

Originally Posted by Sailor_Hutch

The chinese now have a microprocessor company poised to take on Intel.

No they don't.

For that matter, no one does.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by rwidman

You can blame the US consumers for looking for the best price but you have to blame labor unions and the government for the loss of manufacturing in this country.

With labor unions telling you who you can hire and promote and how much to pay them and threatening to go out on strike if their demands aren't met and the government throwing ten thousand pages of regulations and requirements at you, it's far more effective to just have your widgets made in China or some other country and just import and sell them here.

Get the government out of the way and get rid of mandatory union membership as a requirement of employment and manufacturing will return to the USA.

I certainly cannot argue with any of this. I am no economist and will not attempt to decipher the problem but yes, the blame can certainly go around. We did it to ourselves on all levels. I watched as a Mold Maker, plastic injection go to Hong Kong. Then as a Tool maker at Seagate tech., disk drives go to Malaysia. Then in the 90's, as an Engineer saw poorly trained Engineers from overseas scooping up high tech jobs. That was when we started scaling back incentives for our youth to attend higher education.\As far as Unions, it's a double edged sword...on one side you have non-union getting out of hand with constantly lowering wages to the cost of living, then with them, getting too greedy. What a mess.
But anyways, a solution to buying a cheap outboard alternative to an ill conceived Chinese outboard might be a used outboard. Although I bought my Tohatsu, new, I would not hesitate to buy a used one. Many cruisers I met in Mx. cruised for a few seasons then hung it up, occasionally selling what they can.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by NoTies

Which is a long winded way of you saying everything they make is crap. Are you using all American made products like your computer electronics? Are they reliable?

Ok fine...you obviously have a thorn in you sandal. Call me what you like if it makes you feel better or even self-righteous. Happy now?

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by dakno

Has anyone been brave enough to purchase one of these new China outboards (2 cycle) 3.5-4 hp models. Price range of 260 - 500 $. This would be a backup for a 2hp Honda for my 260 dink. These motors are all over Ebay...

I don't see quite what you gain having a second small engine as a back up. Either the honda is reliable in which case keep it, or sell it and put the cash you were going to use for a cheap Chinese engine into a newish Merc/Suzi/Tohatsu outboard.

Or for the alternative solution how about one if these. This engine is as old as me and still runs

[Old Snipe]

Originally Posted by rwidman

It's pretty important if you are putting the motor on and off the dinghy by hand from your swim platform every time you need to use it. So I have 27 pound 2HP 4 stroke that can only be stored on a certain side instead of a 27 pound 4HP 2 stroke that I can just lay down any which way.

In your case...yes! I was regarding the overall performance of the two, without considering a smaller boat situation where you would be removing the engine after use. Good point.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Pete7

I don't see quite what you gain having a second small engine as a back up. Either the honda is reliable in which case keep it, or sell it and put the cash you were going to use for a cheap Chinese engine into a newish Merc/Suzi/Tohatsu outboard..........

I wouldn't think any gasoline engine would make a good backup for a gasoline engine. None of them start and run well if they have been sitting unused for a long time. I suppose if you alternate them on a weekly or monthly basis it might work. Propane would be a better backup but I agree with you that the money would be better spent buying and maintaining a good, reliable engine in the first place.

A set of oars is my backup.

[Old Snipe]

The Tohatsu /Nissan motors seem to be pretty decent. I have a friend with a couple of young boys that dog the hell out of a 14' Carolina Skiff with a 9.9 hanging off of it. They have been beating on this boat/engine every day for the past 5 years on the ICW out in the Great Bridge area here in Hampton Roads.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by rwidman

I wouldn't think any gasoline engine would make a good backup for a gasoline engine. None of them start and run well if they have been sitting unused for a long time. I suppose if you alternate them on a weekly or monthly basis it might work. Propane would be a better backup but I agree with you that the money would be better spent buying and maintaining a good, reliable engine in the first place.



A set of oars is my backup.

Hmm. How about a 15hp 2 stroke Yamaha , unused sitting on a garage for 7 years , not fogged or anything , started first pull.


Accept no substitute.
Dave