Want To Buy: Two Stroke 4-6 hp, older twin cylinder or Used Yamaha?

[OsideIslander]

Looking for a used outboard for my new to me 10' porta bote.

Anyone know were to to look/have one lying in the garage?
Should I just keep an eye on craigslist?

the older Johnson and Evinrudes are appealing two cylinders, but I also hear that Yamahas are the gold standard for parts availability. Plan on cruising Sea of Cortez this next year.

looking for something that will get me and the girlfriend up on plane in calm conditions, but easy(<50lbs?) enough to lift to a mount on the stern pulpit of my 28 foot boat.

I know, compromises.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[BMD21]

I don't know what Oceanside you're in, but I have a 6 hp Johnson 2 stroke sitting in the garage. I'm in Valley Center, 30 miles inland from Oceanside, Ca. If you're interested tell me your e-mail address and we'll go from there.



Boris

[Jammer]

Older 5.5 hp Johnson/Evinrude motors, some recently serviced and sold by dealers, are a dime a dozen on Minneapolis Craigslist. There's one for $125 that's recently serviced and was in the water last year right now. Comes with a gas tank. There's a local repair shop that sells motors that has one for $400 (no tank). There are others in various states of repair, and never a shortage.

Parts availability on these is good as long as you don't go back too far. Anything after about 1965 that is marked for a 48:1 mixture is worth having (assuming you really want a two stroke) and has good parts availability. The older 24:1 babbit bearing motors tend to foul plugs with all the oil they require.


If not recently serviced, in most cases they'll need an impeller, gearcase seals, a carb kit, spark plugs, and some fuel line. Depending on age and history they may need points, condensers, and coils, which is another $100 of parts.

[Bill O]

A 5 hp Tohatsu/Nissan (2 stroke) would also be a good motor at ~44lb. In comparison to Johnson/Evinrude obs that I've owned, the Tohatsu had excellent trust, idled well/smoother, didn't foul plugs and the water pump impeller lasted a long time before changes.

If you needed parts (other than in the US), Tohatsu and Yamaha are generally available more than the J&E parts. Also thought the J&E parts were more expensive.

[OsideIslander]

Thanks everyone for the replies and PMs.

I have seen a few 5 hp Nissans for around $400. Seems reasonable to me.

Can any one attest to a two cylinder 2 stroke being smoother than a single banger? are they too much maintenance/less fuel efficient and that's why they seem to have been phased out?

I really want to spend the extra money on a quality Yamaha.

can anyone ID the outboard in this video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6uCv641OcM

is it the 6SG??

[Bill O]

I had the same idea a few years back and thought the small 2 cylinder outboards would be smoother. After running them, found out they were not smoother nor did they produce any better thrust out of the hole.

Never had a Yamaha, but plenty of Tohatsu/Nissan obs and they work well.

A Yamaha 6 exceeds your weight limit at ~61lb. The 6/8 are the same base motor and weigh the same. Yamaha did make a 5 and that was ~46-47lb.

Don't remember what the suggested ob weight limit is on a 10'pb, but would use that as a guide to size your ob to purchase.

Also would suggest to rig up a boom lift to safely raise your ob on deck. While 50lb doesn't seem like much, try putting it on the rail with the pb bouncing around.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by OsideIslander

Can any one attest to a two cylinder 2 stroke being smoother than a single banger? are they too much maintenance/less fuel efficient and that's why they seem to have been phased out?

I have made a side-by-side comparison between a 3 hp 2 cylinder 2 stroke and a new Suzuki DF2.5 one cylinder 4 stroke. There is considerably more vibration with the 4 stroke. The 4 stroke uses roughly half the fuel at WOT, and less than half the fuel at reduced throttle.


For you, the boat owner, the main advantage of a 4 stroke is that fuel logistics is radically simplified, because you're handling half as much fuel, and you don't need to mix oil into it. With a 6hp, the 4 strokes typically come with a fuel tank built into the power head, which gives you enough fuel for about an hour at WOT. With the 2 strokes you need a remote fuel tank.


But the main reason 2 strokes were phased out was because of emissions. That extra fuel they use is ejected unburned into the exhaust, and pollutes the air and the water.


For you, the boat owner, the main advantages of a 2 stroke are that it is typically going to be somewhat lighter since it does not have a camshaft, and you are not going to have to change the engine oil, and there is generally less vibration, and if you are in the Caribbean you will have better parts and service availability. The motor can also be stored in any orientation, while 4 strokes have to be either upright or on a particular side.


The weight advantage is mainly a factor in certain horsepower sizes. I don't think it's significant for 6hp.

[OsideIslander]

Hey Jammer,

I really appreciated the thoughtful reply.

I was more so wondering why twin cylinder two stroke don't seem to be plentiful in the 4-6 hp range, while there are plently of single cylinder two strokes. I am aware of the differences between 4 strokes and two strokes(fuel needs, general maintenance, storability)

I have my heart set on a two stroke, but the idea of two CYLINDERS is appealing to me. It seems that the two cylinders were more common in the previous decades and was wondering why. Is it more plugs, parts that can foul? too much added weight?

Thanks!

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by OsideIslander

Thanks everyone for the replies and PMs.

I have seen a few 5 hp Nissans for around $400. Seems reasonable to me.

Can any one attest to a two cylinder 2 stroke being smoother than a single banger? are they too much maintenance/less fuel efficient and that's why they seem to have been phased out?

I really want to spend the extra money on a quality Yamaha.

can anyone ID the outboard in this video?

is it the 6SG??

That appears to be a 90's Yamaha. Great engines.
Generally 2 cyl are a lot smoother than 1 cyl. But the 1 cyl can be fine engines.

Don't forget small Mercs (old US made ones) The last one I had was bulletproof, always started, always ran well.
The old Johnson/Evinrude 6 were good but beware they can have many frozen bolts making them almost unrepairable. Merc had a better system of coatings for bolts etc... I've heard anyway.
The perfect find is grampa's 'lake use only' fishing motor that has sat in the garage for a long time.

[Madehn]

Love the older twin 2 strokes myself. I have an old mercury 6 or 8 can’t remember which. It is smooth and quiet but much heavier than the other two. The other two are a 2 hp single evinrude (2 nd one of these for me) that is ALWAYS a PITA. It has always been loud and vibrates like an overboosted sex toy. I also have a 3.5 hp nissan that is relatively smooth and reliable. Also I can literally lift it with one finger. My vote would be for the Nissan for your type of use along with a spare carb or two. Side note. I was told that the lack of availability of small two strokes here in the south coastal regions is because they were all on the small boats sitting in peoples yards that were typically submerged in the hurricanes and then written off for insurance. You can’t find a small 2 stroke used down here for love nor money (tx coastal areas )

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by OsideIslander

I was more so wondering why twin cylinder two stroke don't seem to be plentiful in the 4-6 hp range, while there are plently of single cylinder two strokes. I am aware of the differences between 4 strokes and two strokes(fuel needs, general maintenance, storability)

I have my heart set on a two stroke, but the idea of two CYLINDERS is appealing to me. It seems that the two cylinders were more common in the previous decades and was wondering why. Is it more plugs, parts that can foul? too much added weight?

I didn't know that one cylinder two strokes were a thing, aside from British Seagull engines. I've never seen one. Even my 3hp is two cylinders.

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by Jammer

I didn't know that one cylinder two strokes were a thing, aside from British Seagull engines. I've never seen one. Even my 3hp is two cylinders.

What make is your 3hp and age? I've worked on plenty of 1 cylinder 2 strokes other than Seagulls.

[MicHughV]

I've owned two Yamaha 8 hp two strokes....probably the best little engine I've ever come across.
Lightweight, can pick it up with one hand, and runs like a swiss watch. Never, ever had a lick of problems with either.
First pull...zoom...of you go.
Hands down, those little Yamaha's are great.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Bill O

What make is your 3hp and age? I've worked on plenty of 1 cylinder 2 strokes other than Seagulls.

1966 Johnson. It replaced a 1955 Evinrude I had that worked fine and was almost identical but had babbit bearings and therefore needed 24:1 mix.


I've had 1950s/1960s/1970s Johnson and Evinrude motors from 3hp to 18 hp and they were all twins. My 8 hp Yamaha 4 stroke and 9.9 hp Nissan 2 stroke and 9.9 Honda 4 stroke were/are all twins.


My brother has the 2.5 Suzuki 4 stroke one-banger and I am quite frankly not sure what they were thinking though I suspect that cost and parts count had something to do with it.

[MicHughV]

My first ever outboard engine was a two stroke 2 hp Suzuki. Like the Yamaha's it ran like a champ, plus it's a fuel miser. It has a built in fuel tank. Can't remember the range, but around 4 hours per fill up. Light too, 20 lbs maybe.
Quite a few available online for next to nothing.
Might be the perfect engine for a porta bote.
I had mind strapped to the stern of a 10' fiberglass dink, even with two people on it, zipped right along.