best outboard to buy to replace a honda 135????

I'll echo the sentiment of buying a motor that you can conveniently and confidently buy parts and service for.

In my area we have two Suzuki dealers, one of which sucks and the other is in Everett. Suzuki's are great motors but if you have to go to Everett for service you can trust, you might want to consider one of the other brands.

jd
 
I don't want to run this in the ground but I might be spending a lot of money so the more info I can get the better. What about the E-Tech?
Who sells and services them in the Pacific Northwest?
Thanks everybody for your in-put it really helps
bill

also another option would be twin Tohatsu 90"s. I've had Nissan small engines in the past and they were bullet-proof. I believe Tohatsu and Nissan are the same.
 
Bill
I do know that Auburn sports and marine sells the E-Tec, but I will tell you this, they are real proud of their stuff. I belive Kitsap marine handles them also, but not certain.
 
One advantage of the Etec is not having to change oil. This isn't a big deal for most people, but if you run your boat a lot of hours (which you do) it saves the hassle of changing the oil, especially if you have to do it in the water. I doubt there's much cost savings since you're still burning oil. They also have longer service intervals than most outboards, though I don't know if this effects long-term reliability. I once ran a 26 Cape Cruiser with a 150 or 200 Etec. The boat performed very well, but the engine seemed a little less refined than modern four strokes.

Of the four strokes, my priorities would be:

1. Access to good service
2. Weight
3. Cost
4. Toys...NMEA integration, electronic throttle/shift, etc.

For your use, I'd put the max horsepower available on the boat.
 
Seriously looking at putting twin Tohatsu 90's on.
Will talk to Les tomorrow at E.Q as they sell and service them. I couldn't find one negative thing about these engines and I spent two hours on-line looking.
anybody have experience with these larger Nissan/Tohatsu engines? We had a 9.9 Nissan years ago and it was bullet proof.
I've had my share of Honda problems, value job at 1200 hours, blown lower unit, and now this...............
 
Our neighbor back home is a Tohatsu dealer (also Suzuki, formerly Honda), and he has only good stuff to say about that motor. While you might expect that from a dealer, he is not shy about telling the good and bad. His favorite plus about the Tohatsu: WAY less warranty work than Suzuki or Honda.

I don't see a lot of Tohatsu motors out there, but I know they are big in the rest of the world. We had a smaller Nissan on our previous trimaran, and it was bulletproof.

Good luck with the decisions.

Jim
 
Who would you buy a Suzuki outboard from in the Pacific Northwest? What about service?
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Closest to us is Performance Marine in Everett. Also, Kitsap Marina, in Port Orchard (Matt Gurnsey). There is a dealer in Mt Vernon but....

according to Suzuki's website:

Clearwater Marine
4041 Home Rd, Ste C
Bellingham, WA 98226-9158
360-647-5117

Rasmussen's Marine Electric Inc
909 Squalicum Way Ste 104B
Bellingham, WA 98225-2076
360-671-2992

Anacortes Custom Boats
8327 Summit Park Rd
Anacortes, WA 98221-9324
360-588-8104

Roche Harbor Marine
9711 Roche Harbor Rd. Suite#101
Roche Harbor, WA 98250
360-378-6510
 
We have a Tohatsu kicker. No problems but it's very low hours.
 
bcarli":3rosexie said:
Seriously looking at putting twin Tohatsu 90's on.
Will talk to Les tomorrow at E.Q as they sell and service them. I couldn't find one negative thing about these engines and I spent two hours on-line looking.
anybody have experience with these larger Nissan/Tohatsu engines? We had a 9.9 Nissan years ago and it was bullet proof.
I've had my share of Honda problems, value job at 1200 hours, blown lower unit, and now this...............
Click to expand...

Those Tohatsu TLDI 90s have a great reputation. The issue always becomes dealer proximity. I too searched high and low for complaints about them and couldn't find anything online except positive comments. Being 2 stroke they are definitely lighter on the transom than a 4 stroke, although compared to the Suzuki it is a wash. The downside naturally is the necessity to carry 2 stroke oil with you. I have seen this motor up close and been on a boat running them. The tank is internal under the cowl and very easy to fill up and the motor will shut itself down and give audible warnings if it gets low on oil. I know that the motors as of mid 2006 were still completely made in Japan. If you do get twin 90s, please PM me. I would be very curious to know what your cost was to convert from a single to twins and what the cost and rigging was for the motors installed.

If you go Suzuki, the nice thing about them, at least from my understanding, is that everything is timing chain instead of belt, which is really nice. Not sure about the Tohatsu in that regard.

The Tohatsu and Suzuki are similar with alternator output, but the Honda crushes them.
 
Although i've been waving the Suzuki and e-tech flags, I'm also very fond of the two different lower hp Tohatsu's that I've bought. They are extremely popular in Asia, not because of the manufacturer, but because of reliability. My motors were both masterworks on the inside and totally serviceable under the shade of a tree.

Right on about the ease of the e-tech service and winterizing, lower parts count and all the rest. I also see that the e-tech can actually safely run out of the injector oil for several hours.

Regarding the Suzi twin 50's on Still Crazy, they are smooth and gas friendly and they do have that timing chain instead of the belts. That said, I'd been equally happy when I bought my boat used if it had come with hondas, mercs, e-techs, yamis etc. All good engines.

I love twins and they are heavier at the transom, so transom weight may help you sort out the big 5 motor manufacturers. I think CD's are better off with less weight than more because if you have guests, they are most likely in the cockpit along with coolers etc. etc.

My twin set up trims out nicely in any case because of the trim tilt and the hydraulic trim tabs.

Fun, fun. New motors are like buying you boat brand new.
 
An engine mounted two stroke oil tank would be OK on a trailered boat but there would be no joy refilling it on the water.
 
Just curious. The Tohatsu 90 is a direct injection 2-stroke, similar (I guess) to the e-tec. Has anybody had experience with it, or any TLDI Tohatsu?

Boris
 
journey on":3f4qptkp said:
Just curious. The Tohatsu 90 is a direct injection 2-stroke, similar (I guess) to the e-tec. Has anybody had experience with it, or any TLDI Tohatsu?

Boris
Click to expand...

I've been on a boat with twin 90s. Started up fine, were quiet at idle, ran great... no complaints. That being said, the motors were low hours. Not exactly a wealth of information by any means, sorry.
 
I have direct experience with Yamaha (150), Honda (90 and 150), and ETEC (90, 150, 200). I would not buy an ETEC for any boat that is run more than occasionally. In 5 years of running ETECs in charter, I cannot count the number of injectors, plugs, and power heads (2 at least) we have consumed. This is not to mention the quantity of very expensive oil. In that same period two Honda 150s required only routine maintenance and one warranty repair (shift linkage). I put nearly 900 hours on a Yamaha 150 same year as Hondas and the inside of that motor looked new. The Hondas looked like they had been used but were still excellent mechanically. After that experience, my choice is Yamaha. Oil changes aren't that difficult or expensive and the engineering and design of the Yamahas and Hondas is much better.

Tom
 
In process of purchasing an 1986 Angler that has been sitting a few years outside. Mostly cosmetic work from what I can see. Looking for a good shop to bring the boat to have a once over and the motor overhauled if necessary. The boat is Shelton, Wa., but I live in Seattle. Probably best to have someone nearby in Shelton. Any recommendations? Thanks, Paul
 
In process of purchasing an 1986 Angler that has been sitting a few years outside. Mostly cosmetic work from what I can see. Looking for a good shop to bring the boat to have a once over and the motor overhauled if necessary. The boat is Shelton, Wa., but I live in Seattle. Probably best to have someone nearby in Shelton. Any recommendations? Thanks, Paul
 
For a c-dory specifically, I would go to Kitsap Marina in Port Orchard. Matt is always on this site.
 
Lots of opinions.......And that is all you're going to get. Honda is as good and any of them, why spend the bucks to change?
 
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