tophatyachts.com

Hi All,

I am looking for a small outboard, 2 to 5 hp, secondhand.

Also asking for info on what not to buy and what I should or have to spend!

Phillip.

Hey Philip. We have a 3hp Mercury two stroke with a full 360 tiller and no reverse, as well as an integrated fuel tank. It's fantastic for getting to the mooring, although heavy to tow whilst sailing. (Yes, I could remove it and stow it below, but....) No, it's not for sale....

In looking on ebay, you should expect to pay somewhere around the $200 - $400 mark for something similar. Or, you could go electric, but they're a little more expensive.

Happy hunting!
Michael

Hi Phillip
I’ll put my two-bobs worth in as I’ve had a fair bit to do with outboards for the local sailing club.
First and foremost you always take a gamble with a second hand outboard no matter how genuine the seller is; that being said, we bought a second hand Honda 15hp for the tinny and it was very reliable ($600); previous to this was a Yamaha 8hp, again very reliable ($580)– both were purchased from a marine retailer and had been serviced regularly.

If you want something ‘old’, then the Johnsons have a good reputation. However, in the smaller HP range you may not get any gears, or, just forward and neutral, the engine is swiveled around for reverse, and the fuel tank is built in (under the cowl.) For the 2.3mtr inflatable, we looked at a second hand 5hp Johnson($450), a Susuki 5hp ($580), a Yamaha 4hp ($650), and Honda 2hp air cooled ($850).
We liked the Yamaha, so we got the mechanic to put it in their water tank, it started ok, good compression, impeller fine (ie water coming from cooling hose,) and looked free of leaks or signs of corrosion inside. But we ended up buying a new 3.3hp Mercury which had been old stock and paid $850! The Mercury runs on the smell of an oily rag and has a surprising amount of oomph when the duckie is fully loaded. The engine is quite light, so we have bolted an outboard plate to the stern rail and mount the outboard on this when sailing.

Hope this helps
Timothy
(Leoden, Mooney Mooney)

I am going to have to change from Marinka as that is now Waynes' boat - but I have a Parsun 3.6 - built in China of Coke cans and it works just fine - is the biggest selling outboard brand in Canada and is half the price of others - a take off from yamahas so their parts apparently work and I think it is just fine - I got 2nd hand from a mate for $300 and cost $750 new - worth giving it a go. As far a singlys go - the best one is the Mongomery 6-8 as fits nicely onte foredeck, rows well and tows well and is very stable. But not many around. Have fun Cheers!

Hi Phillip,

Did you end up with an outboard motor?

I have a Suzuki 4.4hp I used to use on Tales until I got the big 6 hp unit.

It is elderly but sitll good if you are interested - always flushed out after use during my ownership and will fit in the cockpit locker.

Would be prepared to part with it for $250.

All the best,

Tom

Hi Tom,

Yes I picked up a Tohatsu 2.5hp for $220 week before last. Was a good deal too .

Your 4.4 is .4 over the rating on my small inflatable, so it would have been to big.

Thanks for the post, I'm sure somebody else would love it .

Phillip.