Outboard engine query Suzuki or Honda

[230K]

Hi

I have almost completed a deal on a new inflatable and Suzuki 4hp outboard but have still the option to change to a Honda 5 hp.

Has anyone any knowledge of Suzuki or should i pay the extra £140 and just get the Honda.

Both weigh approx the same, Suzuki has a has integral tank but Honda has a seperate one. Suzuki has 5 year warranty Honda 6.

Have read a couple of problems on a boating forum about the Suzuki but it could be isolated.

Inflatable is a Wetline 265 Airfloor and will be used as a tender to our 32 foot cruiser and for kids messing about in Marina.

I know it is an MB forum but i know that some of you have boats too, and you are a knowledale lot

Thanks,

230K

 

[Big_Jon]

Have a suziki 4hp engine that we run as an auxillary should the main 70hp yamaha fail.

Always been a very good and reliable engine so would choose the suzuki over the Honda.

 

[janner]

Personally I'd look at a used 2 stroke. Weight is very important if you have to lug it around the bathing platform and 2 strokes are quieter and easier to store. A 3.3hp would be plenty for chugging around, especially if the kids are young. There are loads of nice 3.3 and 4hp outboards on e-bay. Could save you a fair bit of money too.
Make sure you buy one with the right shaft length though.

 

[rag1873]

ive always run on suzukis and not had any real problems with them

 

[230K]

Hi

Thanks for the advice guys.

Update:::

I had a deal done on an ex display Wetline 2.65m Airkeel and a Suzuki 4hp 4 stroke. £1030

One side of the air keel was slightly deflated (the boat had come in from a stand on a trade show) and the guy in the shop wanted to pump it up and be sure that it wasnt leaking etc etc.

Two days later i got a phone call and sure enough the air keel deflated slightly over a day or so.

The search continues.........

All Ebay inflatables seem to be pick up only. Not great when your in Belfast

230K

 

[Piff]

Go for the extra horses if the hull can handle it. Always handy to get you out of trouble or to have a bit of extra fun!!
Personally I'd be looking at a larger hull & 30+hp!!!!!!!
But then my last boat was a 16' Sim Super V with 115hp merc & water skiing as the hobby. Until some low life nicked it & the wife decided that the insurance payout would be better invested in a new car for her!
18 years on I'd like to get back on the water.

 

[Howard]

If the keel has a puncture , negotiate a discount and order a new keel ( is it the sort of keel that clips in place under the boards and then you pump it up ? )

Or trace where the hole is and fix it yourself for about a tenner ...

 

[230K]

Hi

Contacted another seller today and he seems cheaper.

He can do a Honwave 2.7 IE Inflatable V keel with a 2.3 Honda for £950 or £1250 with the 5 hp.

Head is saying 2.3 heart is saying 5 hp

Apparently engines go up be £100 in April.

He said i could take the 2.3hp and if it wasnt powerful enough i could change it after a couple of days to the 5 hp as long as it wasnt damaged.

Seemed fair i thought.

Howard, this guy is doing a good deal on a new Honwave so i wouldnt consider the Wetline now at this stage although your suggestion is very valid.

230k

 

[Howard]

Got to be honest , spend the extra £300 and go for the 5hp , that will get the inflatable on the plane easily and you will have a lot more fun.

The 2.3 really is just for pottering around.

 

[230K]

Howard
Thats another "vote from the heart"

Only thing puts me off is the weight and the external tank. The 2.3 is so so much easier to handle and store etc.

Thanks,

230K

 

[Howard]

But you and your kids will have so much more fun with the 5 hp ...

When i was growing up i had an inflatable with a Mariner 4 on it , it would plane nicely with a tiller extension on it ( i used to get up the front to get it on the plane better ) ...

Then we had a RIB with first a 9.9 on it , then a 25 , as the kids grow up , they will seek their freedom with other kids in the marina as they all go out to play in the dinghies.

Don't worry about the weight and the tank , i'm sure you're big and strong , and your kids will thank you for it ...

 

[tim.100]

For what its worth.... get neither of those choices. They're both single-cylinder 4-strokes. Singles are inherently noisy, and 4-strokes inherently heavy for such a light boat.

Take the trouble to find a twin-cylinder 2-stroke, such as the Yamaha 6. I own the Yamaha 8, which has a different carb and manifold to the 6 but otherwise identical. Both 37kgs. It goes on the back of my 3.2 inflatable and gets me from Teddington to the Dome in xx minutes (Howard would have to arrest me if he knew how quick...)

I won a Honda 5 too, known to me as the lawnmower on a stick. Noisy, but won't ever break.

... and a Yam 100.
... and a Seagull.

Check out rib.net - they have a soft inflatable boat section and always recommend 2-strokes for SIB's.

 

[230K]

Hi

Update:

We went for a Honwave 2.7m air keel/floor and 5hp Honda outboard. Planes easily with adult and child. Great fun. £1250 all in was best i could get.

Here it is with young 230k getting her on the plane

230K

 

[Howard]

Nice ....

Get him a tiller extension so he can sit further forward so theres less danger of turning it over if he bangs the throttle open and the wind gets under the boat . Been there , done that .....

Force 4 Telescopic Outboard Tiller Extension - Only £29.95 - Force 4 Chandlery