New Outboard Motor

[Black-Smoker]

I want to get dad a new outboard motor for christmas. He has a 12-14 foot inflatable with a fiberglass bottom and transom. He currently has a 15 hp Mariner that is not cutting the mustard. I need some help on what to look for as far as brand goes and what horspower the boat can handle. I know the boat should have a plate on it stating max hp of the engine but my dad lives 140 miles away from me and I wanted to start looking now. Or mabye someone out there has a newer used engine they want to sell me.



Thanks for the help guys. Oo. Oo. Oo.

 

[Bertram65]

Nissan or Tohatsu, they are the same. The 4 strokes have a very good reputation, my dad has a 5HP on his inflatable. They are heavier than compareable 2 strokes but no smoke, which to me is key as alot of times when in the inflatable you are going slow around the marina and the smoke always seems to blow back over the transom. They are super quiet as well, Honda is top motch also but you will pay a real premium for it. There are a number of online places that will ship them right to you in the crate, this is one that has been around for a while, http://www.nissan-outboards.com/ my dad bought his at West Marine and they just gave it to him in the crate.

 

[LandShark]

I had a Avon 340 hard bottom for about 10 years. Boat was in use over 300 days per year, in salt water. Started out with a Yamaha 15, which seized after only 2 years. The 15 was fine with one or two persons in the boat but struggled with a bigger load. I switched to a Johnson 25 and was very happy with it. It spent 5 days under water at one point (thieves), and started right up after a quick flush and a half can of WD40. On another occasion, the boat was flipped in a hurricane and dragged thru the mud, which tore off the cover. I had to remove the pull start because one of the supports broke, but once again it started right up. This was in the first year that I owned the motor. About 6 years later the boat flipped while being towed off shore and spent about 90 minutes inverted. This time it wouldn't start so I replaced the ignition wires and coils and it started right up. The Johnson 25 is over 16 years old now and the last I heard it was still going strong.



The Johnson 25 would plane the boat with 5 persons aboard and was scary fast with just me aboard.



This summer I bought a new 1999 Johnson 35 military surplus outboard for a 14' aluminum boat. Motor starts on the first pull. This motor has a neat feature which allows it to be submerged to 400' for extended periods of time. It has a 'dewatering valve' which drains water from the carb and motor and allows a flooded engine to be started after a dozen pulls on the starter rope.



The only negative comment on these motors is that they are a bit loud. The 4 strokes are much quieter, but much more heavy and expensive.

 

[JLEONARD]

You can go to www.defender.com/inflatables and find specs for many different boat brands.

See what the "typical" 12-14 ft hardbottom can handle for hp... probably 20 or 25.

A friend I boat with has been using Merc 25 hps (on an old 11 Whaler) for quite a few years and is very pleased. They are nice with the shift in the handle and perform well.

Good luck.

Jay