small outboard help

[mkrtrb]

Hello, im on the lookout for small outboard to power 4 adults on the river thames on a 3.2m jago sib and dont know what to go for

1. New and used, anything from year 2000-2008 10hp fourstroke is around 600-1200 quid, a brand new tohatsu 15hp 2 stroke is around 1600, a brand new tohatsu 20hp fourstroke is around 1900, would i be mad to buy used from unknown ebay when for double the money can get a brand new motor ?

2. 2stroke vs 4stroke, i knew that 2 stroke is lighter and better than 4 stroke in everyway besides fuel consumption, looking on the net it seems this is not the case anymore, any help on this ?

3.50kg 20hp tohatsu, is it really worth breaking my back for an extra 10 hp compared to the 2 strokes 36kg weight, i guess i know the answer to this question a positive yes, am i wrong on this ?

4. Leaning towards a tohatsu, is this a good decision ?

5.Any point in waiting to buy from the london boat show which is on in 20 days or so, ill probably not find a new 2 stroke there but there cou'd be discounts to be had ?

My budget is around £800 at the momemt, if i go new ill have to get a credit card

Thanks in advance, any sort of help is much appreciated especially on the 10hp vs 20hp outboards, in the past i always gone for lightness, with some success

Michael

[ShinyShoe]

4 adults... needs power.

2stroke noisy do the adults want to talk

[mkrtrb]

not necessarily but i guess need to be aware of the residents on the non tidal bits

[Fenlander]

Some quick random thoughts as still doing the Christmas thing!

What HP is your SIB rated to on the transom plate... I looked up an alloy floor Jago 3.2m and it said just 4hp... perhaps a mistake??

Many of us have mint condition reliable used outboards bought from Ebay... it's just a marketplace... judge on the outboard itself and the seller.

You do know new 2-strokes were banned in the UK from around 2007... so any new one has to come from a "fiddle" source... and I'm not sure even then a new 2-stroke 15hp Tohatsu would be as cheap as £1600... I thought the 9.8hp's were that money??

Some 4-strokes are lighter now than when they were first about 20yrs ago but in general the best power to weight ratio for SIBs is still the Tohatsu 9.8 2-stroke at 26kg or the 15hp Mariner/Mercury 2-stroke at 36kg.

Weight is up to you and your storage/travel/launch situation. For me with loads of SIB experience anything over 36kg is too awkward over uneven ground or on greasy slipways etc.

Tohatsu's are fine.

You might get a new deal if you wait until the boat show... if you have decided on new. But a £800-£1000 used 15hp 2-stroke is probably a better idea.

Must comment of the main busy bit of the Thames a 3.2m with 4 adults doesn't sound that safe.

[mkrtrb]

I was reffering to the 9.8hp stroke and 20hp stroke, found somehwere in the channel islands for 1600 inc vat but not delivery, the 20hp 4strokes seem to be somewhere from £1900 inc vat, some were a bit cheaper and vat exempt for some reason.
The transom says 15hp, cant remember being anything on the transom about the weight of the engine, just max 550 kg 4 adults 2 luggage.
Yes the busy bit around central london is not fun when the chop is on, i always drive to the conditions and not always 4 up, its still a bit of a squeeze in small sib.

Storage basically means up a flight of stairs from basement, into estate car etc

Not much on ebay at the moment without spending £ 1200 plus on 2003 outboard, think i rather buy new than spend that. I think the ones round 600-800 will need a service which is probably again £200-400 which brings it to £1200, but then i might as well buy from a dealer hopefully have bit of warranty and peace of mind. Properly confused on which way to go, cant afford new outright but spending a bit less and getting something 8 years old seems a bit odd

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

4 adults... needs power.

2stroke noisy do the adults want to talk

Yep on Both counts.
Four average size adults in a SIB that size (not to mention any of their Kit...and Boaty bits!) is pushing it in anything short of mirror calm conditions (even if only used exclusively on the Thames...except MAYBE the upper reaches) regardless of engine.

[spartacus]

2-stroke all the way if you're man-handling from house to estate car to river. If you exceed transom hp rating you'll invalidate any insurance, so that's worth remembering.

I wouldn't worry about the overall age of engine. It's all about condition, service history and previous hours. I'd always want to see an engine started and running, so unless local seller, I'd go main dealer for used example.

This short-shaft Yamaha 2-stroke looks sweet as a nut. 3-month warranty, and you could probably haggle on price. That said, even if you had it for a few years and decided to sell you could still command a King's ransom! Buy Used Outboards Yamaha 15 hp 2 stroke 15.0HP Outboard at Bill Higham Marine

2004 18hp Tohatsu, over transom rating but at least gives you indication of price and that these engines exist. Again via dealer.
http://www.willsmarine.co.uk/store-p...rd-engine-£995

[mkrtrb]

Problem with living in London is that you basically need to be a multi millionaire to afford anything that looks like a garage, I did used to own a fletcher and the costs of storage were around £1000 year, 4 years ago, which became very boring very quickly. Sadly I am forced to have something that I can keep in bag, the sib is new and i wouldnt dream of putting anyone in danger, I have experience in that domain and wouldnt wish it on anyone, plus cant really swim, but love water.

Ideally I would want an engine for a few years, dont really want to start trading in engines, need something like a jack of all trades, if i upgrade to something a little bit bigger in the future, wouldnt want to upgrade engine as well. I will be using in spain for fishing, greece\italy sun holidays, river pleasure use stuff like that

So, 10 hp 2stroke, 15hp 2stroke, 18hp 2stroke or equivalent 4 stroke, im leaning towards going for new i think, cant find anything decent, maybe its the wrong time of year to buy, as most i see are from dealers and for £600 extra can shiny new motor with get 5 year warranty

[Fenlander]

I think a fair price comparison is that...

A new 20hp Tohatsu/Mercury/Honda will be in the £2000-£2400 range from a UK dealer with a full 5yr warranty.

To keep this warranty up you will likely need many expensive services... for example Tohatsu dictate you have 5 dealer services in that time. One dealer quotes £168 per service. So over the 5yr period the servicing adds £840 to the £2000 cost. So £2840.

If you wait a while there *will* be a used 15hp 2-stroke in mint condition come for around £1000 this time of year. A service on one of those is simple and DIY-able at about £25 in parts and in truth with normal light leisure use will probably be fine every two years so service costs add around £100 so £1100 total over 5yrs.

If a warranty and shiny outboard is worth an extra £1740 over a 5yr term, and you can carry 52kg up a set of stairs OK then of course go for it... nothing wrong in putting a premium on new stuff even if it isn't 100% logical.