outboards: 2 stoke or 4 stroke

[AdamLein]

Originally Posted by sck5

I have a 2 stroke mercury 8hp that I have had for a long time and it still works great. Very hard to mess up that motor and very easy to do maintenance. 4 strokes are more complicated machines. But by far the biggest plus of a 2 stroke is that they are way lighter for a given horse power than 4 strokes are.

I have had one of each; my 2-stroke is 20 years old and still runs quite well. In addition to weight the related advantage is size: my 2-stroke is the only motor over 4hp that I can fit in the annoying transom hole on my C27, and still have it tilt out of the water. But if I get around to glassing over that hole some day, I will replace it with a 4-stroke.

[southshoreS24]

tohatsu and Mercury small 4stroke engines are basically the same. the are even built in the same plant. the only main difference is the throttle is on the handle on a mercury and on the side on the tohatsu. I have a 5hp tohatsu and its great! a little strange to hear at low idle with only one cylinder, you keep thinking its going to die but that's just because its a 4 stroke. super quiet and runs like a champ.

[sailingdog]

Actually, the small (<10 HP) outboards by Mercury, Nissan and Tohatsu are all made by Tohatsu. Also, the throttle on the tohatsu is the handle, just like on the Mercury or Nissan.... I don't know WTH Southshore is talking about.

Originally Posted by southshoreS24

tohatsu and Mercury small 4stroke engines are basically the same. the are even built in the same plant. the only main difference is the throttle is on the handle on a mercury and on the side on the tohatsu. I have a 5hp tohatsu and its great! a little strange to hear at low idle with only one cylinder, you keep thinking its going to die but that's just because its a 4 stroke. super quiet and runs like a champ.

[2Gringos]

four strokes are pure marketing hype. They have one advantage over 2 strokes, and that is because they are quieter. they are quieter because they are only firing half as many times as a 2 stroke.

2 strokes have an advantage in weight, initial cost, maintenance, parts cost, and simplicity.

As for "two combustibles on board" Four strokes need two combustibles, too. oil is oil. 10w-40 burns just about as good as 2 stroke oil.

As for a slight fuel efficiency gain...take the added cost of the initial purchase, the added cost of maintenance, the added costs of replacement parts and spares, and total that up. Then see how many gallons of fuel you can buy for that.

Then look at how much longer you can run a two stroke for the same money you spent on the heavier four stroke.

and if the marketing people at the outboard companies can figure out a way to make you think inverted three cylinder doo dads with a reverse thrust anti-cavitation widget is better than the four strokes they sold you last.....A bunch of people would all go buy those, too, and swear up and down how superior the new motors are and how smart THEY were to buy them.

[MARC2012]

Yamaha 4hp have internal external tank hookup.They are heavy though.marc

[Lostmt]

I've got a 8 hp 2 stroke Suzuki and hate the darn thing. It's hard to start, drinks fuel like a drunk, can't carry on a conversation because of the noise, can't get the part I need to lock the throttle. Buy the gas @ $2.69 per gallon then add another $5.00 for the oil now you are close to $3.69 per gallon. I could go on and on about the darn sorry piece of crap.

If I can find some other dummy to take mine off my hands I'll get a 4 stroke.

[svHyLyte]

The 2 verses 4-stroke debate will be influenced based upon one's intended cruising ground. In the Bahamas, much of the Caribbean and Central America, it can be difficult to find someone qualified to work on 4-stroke motors and parts may prove difficult to obtain, while 2-strokes are ubiquitous and easily repaired and serviced. For the last several years the 2-stroke motors really are no louder than their 4-stroke cousins, about as fuel efficient and certainly more powerful for a given size. We have several friends that switched to 4-stroke motors and all save one were disappointed with the results. On the other hand, we bought a 2-stroke Mercury 15hp new from West Marine several years ago that has proven completely unreliable, having spent more time at the local Mercury dealer than on the back of our dinghy. Fortunately we bought the 5 year extended warranty ($180 at the time) but that is coming to an end... Oh how I regret having given up our 1962 Evenrude Angler. It started every time no matter how much abuse to suffered and purred away faithfully. It's only drawback was it's weight (64 Lbs) for the horse power. Getting more horses for the same weight was a good argument but has proven chimerical.

N'any case, FWIW...

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by Lostmt

I've got a 8 hp 2 stroke Suzuki and hate the darn thing. It's hard to start, drinks fuel like a drunk, can't carry on a conversation because of the noise, can't get the part I need to lock the throttle. Buy the gas @ $2.69 per gallon then add another $5.00 for the oil now you are close to $3.69 per gallon. I could go on and on about the darn sorry piece of crap.

If I can find some other dummy to take mine off my hands I'll get a 4 stroke.

Ask 2Gringos...he seems to like two-stroke outboards...

[mstern]

Some very practical observations above here, but your choices are this: new or used four stroke or used two stroke. You may get lucky and find a dealer that has unsold new two strokes in their inventory, but no one makes new two strokes at that size anymore. I ran into an outboard dealer at a boat show recently, and he was patting himself on the back that a couple of years ago, he bought several dozen small (<15 hp) Mercury two strokes in the last year they made them. He says they sell for more than their list price now. Unfortunately, you will be looking for an even rarer bird: the small two stroke long shaft.

If you go with a used two stroke, I have had nothing but good experience with my 8 hp Nissan two stroke. Starts with the first or second jolt (I have electric start) every time, and is very good on gas. It also tolerates "old" fuel very well. I have used stablized fuel that is up to a year old with no problems.

If you do go with the four stroke, make sure the mounting bracket on your transom is rated to handle it. Older brackets have weight ratings, but the four stroke engines generate more torque than their two stroke cousins, putting more stress on the bracket. There have been a lot of threads on this site with this discussion about weight vs. torque capacities of outboard brackets; you might want to review them. I don't feel qualified to estimate if its ok to mount a 80 lb four stroke engine on a bracket that is designed to handle a two stroke engine weighing up to 120 lbs. Others on this site have expressed their learned opinions.

[southshoreS24]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Actually, the small (<10 HP) outboards by Mercury, Nissan and Tohatsu are all made by Tohatsu. Also, the throttle on the tohatsu is the handle, just like on the Mercury or Nissan.... I don't know WTH Southshore is talking about.

oops, my mistake, the throttle is on the tiller but I meant to say that the shift is not on the tohatsu.