FW: [Rhodes22-list] dinghy motors

[Mark Kaynor]

Tom,

Sorry it took me a bit longer than I expected - better late than never, I
hope.

The December 2003 issue of Practical Sailor contains a review of 3 4hp
4-stroke engines. By reviewing these three engines, they actually reviewed
6, since two of these three are also marketed as other brands. Here's the
breakdown:

Suzuki is also Johnson - Bombardier makes it's own 6 and 8 hp engines, but
uses the Suzuki as it's 4 hp.

Mercury is built by Tohatsu, and is also sold as Nissan.

Yahama is only Yamaha.

They gave the top ranking to the Suzuki/Johnson, primarily because it has "a
little more kick, a long and easy-to-operate tiller, and one-pull starting".
They're all about equal in the noise department, since they all had about
the same decibel levels at various operating speeds.

Here's the ratings chart (M=Mercury, S=Suzuki, Y=Yahama, E=Excellent,
G=Good, F=Fair):

Portability
M-G, S-F, Y-E

Install on and off the boat
M-G, S-G, Y-E

Starting
M-E, S-E, Y-F

Idle operation
M-F, S-E, Y-E

Oil fill access
M-G, S-G, Y-G

Storage
M-E, S-G, Y-F

Spark plug access
M-E, S-E, Y-F

Oil drain access
M-F, S-F, Y-F

Raising and lowering
M-G, S-G, Y-F

Bottom line:
Mercury/Tohatsu/Nissan - 57 lbs., strong performance, easy starting, clunky
shifting, short tiller.

Suzuki/Johnson - 58 lbs., strong, easy starting, strong performance, needs
second lifting handle, plastic steering lock hard to turn.

Yahama - 50 lbs., lightest, most portable, harder starting, less power,
finicky tilt lever.

The only significant drawback they found with the Suzuki was that it didn't
have a front handle, making it a bit of a pain to carry. The Yahama has the
best carrying configuration, but doesn't lie flat on it's side.

Hope this helps.


Mark Kaynor


-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Kaynor [mailto:mark at kaynor.org]
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 2:17 PM
To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] dinghy motors


Tom,

Practical Sailor just did a review of small 4-cycle motors recently, but I
don't recall the results off hand. I'll try to remember to check this
evening.

Mark




-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org]On Behalf Of SVTRITON at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 2:13 PM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] dinghy motors
hi all
im looking at inflatables and motors and have a question...since ill be
carrying the motor a lot, weight is a big factor...i want a four stroke and
found
the two lightest are the nissan and the suzuki..both the same weight...55
lbs
for the 6 horsepower...does anybody know how good these engines are...i have
a
yamaha 8 on my rhodes which has been bulletproof but the 6 is over 75
lbs...comments are welcome
bets
tom
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