Two stroke or four stroke

[Souzag818]

I've got an 8 1/2' inflatable that I use an older Johnson 4HP two stroke on. Uses a 100/1 mix, two cylinders... Gets me anywhere I want to go, albeit, not on a plane, and always starts on the second pull.. As long as I can get back to my boat, I'm good

[arsenelupiga]

stupid discussion. we all know that 2 cylinder will be outlawed. Not because of pollution but to make you throw away your 2 cylinder and buy 4 so consumption increases.

just the nature of the beast.

[sv Stella Maris]

Arsenel, so angry, hehehe.

I hope ‘2 cylinders’ aren’t outlawed...Harley Davidson owners everywhere will be quite upset ;-)

I hear ya, but no, the manufacturer of 2 strokes aren’t going anywhere...even some of the largest engines made are 2 stroke turbo diesels.

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by Souzag818

I've got an 8 1/2' inflatable that I use an older Johnson 4HP two stroke on. Uses a 100/1 mix, two cylinders... Gets me anywhere I want to go, albeit, not on a plane, and always starts on the second pull.. As long as I can get back to my boat, I'm good

Why can't 4hp get you on the plane? My Marinier 2.5 (with 3.5 carb) can in good conditions. It has topped out at 8knts in my 2.6m air deck dinghy, but ventilates often at around 7knts.

[Souzag818]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

Why can't 4hp get you on the plane? My Marinier 2.5 (with 3.5 carb) can in good conditions. It has topped out at 8knts in my 2.6m air deck dinghy, but ventilates often at around 7knts.

Perhaps you misunderstood, or I wasn't clear enough. It has gotten on a plane under perfect conditions, but when it does it ventilates also. So I just use it to get back and forth, at about 3/4 throttle so I don't have to worry about having to slow down to stop ventilating. Plus I have a slat floor dinghy so it's not quite a planning machine. Wish I had an air floor...

[colinalleck]

Great advise from all

Suggest you get comparative price of servicing 2/4 stroke you may find $100+ difference

I have to make the same choice for my archilles 2.1m

Col

[gulfislandfred]

For your purpose, I'm with the majority: Get a 2 stroke. Check the emissions data. I think the newer 2 strokes are burning cleaner. I have heard of lakes that don't allow 2 strokes, but, so far, in Washington State, and BC, there are no bans on 2 strokes.



I am a big fan of four strokes for main propulsion on sailboats up to 30 feet. The 9.9 Yamaha high thrusts being, in my opinion, the best of the bunch.


I had a 9.9 Nissan two stroke, an older motor, on a Catalina 27. It was a great motor! Didn't burn much more gas than a 4 stroke. Not enough to notice, and we motor a LOT in BC. It was a bit louder, a bit lighter.


I would recommend Nissan or Tohatsu 2 stroke. Tohatsus are less expensive (in Canada) maybe lighter, and people who have them love them. I have a 6hp Tohatsu 4 stroke for main propulsion on my Sirius 21. It charges the batteries, and starts first pull.

[KD on Tropic]

Hi...I have had both... and by far the best is the four stroke... in the beginning.. it was hard to get parts if you were in Asia.. now getting a bit easier in Thailand... Indo still awkward... not hard.
I have a DF20 Suzuki... hard to get parts in Indo... so look where you are going to go... then look at the harnd they are typically using... Honda is making a splash in Indo at the moment... Suzuki easy to get in Thailand etc.

No more 2 stroke oil to keep.... I can only say this from my experiences.... What is a 2 STROKE???

Stick with the better brands.... they are all much of a muchness these days

best of luck

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

They’re not “illegal” to own and use anywhere, they’re just not available to be sold new due to the EPA emissions requirements.

They actually are in some locations, and if you bring that two stroke back to the US, your importing it illegally, and can be subject to some serious fines.
I wanted to bring a couple of very nice bikes back from Central America and even Indonesia, but couldn’t of course as it’s illegal.
Private cruising boats, I’m sure they just don’t look or care, until you get a CBP Officer with a bug up his butt.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t have a good time with those guys.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Pete7

What's wrong with the little 2.3hp Honda? The carb looks and works in a very similar manner to the little OMC 2.3 and 3.5hp engines.



Not having a water pump is one less item to worry about.



Pete

I think he meant all Honda’s, and I agree.
However what’s wrong with the little 2.3 Honda is it’s noisy as all hell, and has no reverse, and has a centrifugal clutch for drive, so you have to race it up to even move.
Whole time I was at a mooring in Vero Beach, every day about twice a day this guy would go by with one of those on his dinghy taking his dog to the dog park, his dinghy was usually the only one I would ever hear, and you could hear it coming and going for a couple of minutes.
Sounds a lot like a weed eater.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by Luc bulterys

Normally I keep low profile and rarely react on posts, but some of the above advices really chocked me:
Isn’t it the ultimate experience for us cruisers spending quality time in beautiful places on the water, as far away as possible from exhausts and pollution of all kind … One of the horrific moments in the anchorage you share, is such a two stroke passing by, leaving his toxic fumes behind, all because this offers a few practical advantages.
And stop thinking that it won’t make a difference, or because others pollute even more. So please, at least consider it in your choice, if not for your own peace of mind, do it for your fellow cruisers who do care and just want to fully enjoy the beautiful environment.
And, as some have suggested already, if you’re willing to invest in a better environment and really ease of use, look also for electric. Lots of choices these days.

This is the opinion of a fellow cruiser who’s hoping more and more people will make eventually the changes we need.

YES, well written. On a practical note, when I had a 2 stroke 10hp and needed more fuel, I seemed to always forget to bring oil with me in the dink. Now there's a compartment on my boat that is filled with little cans of 2 stroke oil that I had to buy at each gas fill up. Total waste, since I now have a 15 hp 4 stroke that works great and only a 2.5HP 2 stroke Nissan that doesn't ever work right.

What I really want is a diesel outboard