A few folks have emailed me to say that nearly all new outboards (major
brands)
are pretty good. I was hoping for some info beyond that. Most people
around
City Island suggest the new Nissan's, but without much techie stuff to
back it
up.

If you look close at the Nissan, Tohatsu, and Mercury, they are all the same
engine except for the paint. I am thinking there are one or two more that
should be in that list also. We bought the Nissan 2 stroke 3.5 a few years
ago as it was a bit lighter to handle off the stern rail and down into the
inflatable than the 4 stroke.. It was also the smallest with the
neutral/forward on it. It has been as good as our previous motor was a 10
year old 2.5 Nissan, that when it started, you had better be pointed in the
right direction as it was in gear all the time.


Leanne
s/v Fundy

"Leanne" wrote in message ...

If you look close at the Nissan, Tohatsu, and Mercury, they are all the same
engine except for the paint. I am thinking there are one or two more that
should be in that list also. We bought the Nissan 2 stroke 3.5 a few years
ago as it was a bit lighter to handle off the stern rail and down into the
inflatable than the 4 stroke.. It was also the smallest with the
neutral/forward on it. It has been as good as our previous motor was a 10
year old 2.5 Nissan, that when it started, you had better be pointed in the
right direction as it was in gear all the time.

It gets even better: the usual 2hp Nissan (or other name/same) is the
same motor as the 3.5 - if you can live without the neutral & are on
short money, yank the little aluminum restrictor plate out of its carb
& you have an instant 3.5 HP. My little 7-1/2' inflatable dinghy gets
up on plane with one & goes like a raped ape, maybe 18-20 mph (with a
2-bladed alum prop subbed & only me aboard). It always starts by the
3rd pull on last year's gas with no stabilizer. I've had it for 12
years. The slightly lower weight of the shiftless motor is a Godsend
for getting it off the sternrail & onto the dingy in unfriendly seas.

These are also very reliable little motors. Mine gets a lot of
neglect & is almost never laid up properly, though somehow I take care
of everything else I own. A weak point is their plastic fuel tank
tends to crack/leak below the filler fitting & costs $$ for what it
is.

There is, or was, an accessory alternator (lighting coil) available
that bolts right up to the flywheel - I have one that took somedoing
to find in the US.