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 Post subject: Dinghy Engines
PostPosted: 31 May 2016 15:35 
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Skipper

Joined: 29 Dec 2006 09:38
Posts: 656
I just want to vent about how much I hate my Honda 5 hp outboard. I am a very competent shade tree mechanic and I have never owned any piece of mechanical equipment I hate so much as this this POS. I bought it with the idea that Honda is a great name and would create something mechanical that was worthy of the reputation. This outboard is a nightmare that looks to have been created by a committee of idiot engineeers. I have three other outboards and this one is the most unreliable, ridiculously complex, and failure prone of them all. It has always been a bear to shift from day one, but the complexity of repairing and replacing anything on it is insane and horribly expensive. I strongly suggest that you look at Tohatsu (they make Nissan and Mercury) as alternatives (yes I own one and it is much more reliable and sensibly constructed) before spending a lot of money on a Honda.


 
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 Post subject: Re: Dinghy Engines
PostPosted: 01 Jun 2016 05:24 
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Skipper

Joined: 21 Oct 2006 15:36
Posts: 268
Ray-

Don't hold back. Tell me how you really feel.

_________________
Jim Voelxen
Odyssey #191
Home Port: Osterville, MA


 
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 Post subject: Re: Dinghy Engines
PostPosted: 21 Jun 2016 12:44 
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Midshipman

Joined: 24 Feb 2014 00:12
Posts: 51
Any input good/bad on a Yamaha 2.5 HP? I have one on order.

Thank you,

John
Erewhon
#486


 
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 Post subject: Re: Dinghy Engines
PostPosted: 22 Jun 2016 06:28 
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Skipper

Joined: 29 Dec 2006 09:38
Posts: 656
I have a friend with a Yamaha 6 I have been using while my Honda is being repaired and it starts and runs nice, but he complains about the same problem i have with my Honda; hard shifting. And he had his into a mechanic who said that there is nothing that can be done about it because the shift mechanism is enclosed under the power head on both the Honda and Yamaha and is inaccessible for repair. I am not sure my Honda will be able to be fixed, either--it has been in the shopp for a couple weeks. His Yamaha may not be the same as your model, maybe the shift mechanism is different. I am thinking that maybe Honda and Yamaha may have tried this design for some limited period. His unit shifts hard, mine had become almost impossible to shift--I had to put a pipe on the lever to shift it at the end. In the Caribbean you mostly see Yamahas and the charter boats generally use stuff that stands up.
On the gas cap thing: I have found a solution to the EPA (which is IMHO accountable for substantial increases in fuel spills due to their crappy designs) required gas caps on new tanks. You can buy a replacement gas cap for tanks made before 2014 from Hamilton Marine (made by Sceptre) that have the old venting system that allows some pressure to escape the tank when they heat up. I had the experience of spraying gas all over the dock when my new tank pressurized on a particularly hot day and ruptured the hose. It was a mess--filled my dinghy with gas. I do not understand why somone has not taken on the EPA on these designs that increase spillage. I agree with trying to limit pollution, but these gas caps and spouts have greatly increased pollution because of their design. I would like to see the executives of the EPA trying to fill a tank with the required spouts without spilling in a congressional hearing room. Or have them become financially responsible for the damage and spillage caused by the new design of tank caps. I am a supporter of tough pollution laws, I have little tolerance for bad engineering.

Ray Durkee
Velera


 
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 Post subject: Re: Dinghy Engines
PostPosted: 07 Jul 2016 14:43 
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Skipper

Joined: 21 Jan 2010 12:57
Posts: 168
Do any of you sea dogs have experience with the teeny tiny Honda air cooled (2 - 2 1/2 horsepower) engine? I know that it's a bit noisy, but perhaps that aspect of its' performance is justified by the simplicity?
Thanks


 
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 Post subject: Re: Dinghy Engines
PostPosted: 11 Jul 2016 20:08 
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Skipper

Joined: 29 Dec 2006 09:38
Posts: 656
I had one of those for a brief period on my Folkboat but did not keep it for a number of reasons. They are noisy like a lawnmower and the other thing is that they have no gears, but a centrifugal clutch which some folks do not like. I did not have it long enough to have an opinion about the clutch--but I understand it takes some winding up to engage it. I have a 3.5 Mercury (also known as a Nissan, also known as a Tohatsu---all the same engine) on that boat (I think they have rerated this engine as a 4hp now, but it is the same engine) and I like it. Starts right up mostly on the first pull has a positive gear shift with N and F, but no reverse--you spin it around and that is a PIA.---and has a fuel shut off on the side which is good if you want to run it out of gas to carry or store---the ethanol gums up the carbs on these four strokes if leave the same gas in the carb for any length of time--that may be the reason my Honda has become such a wretch. The Mercury shifts well and seems to be designed to be more serviceable than my Honda 5. It has a tiny fuel tank that holds about a quart and will run the thing for about 40 minutes. That is a limitation of all these small outboards with integral tanks--you are always filling them at inopportune times. And the EPA has not made that process easy or safe for the environment as many of you know.

Got my Honda 5 back from the shop (it has been there regularly) for the sticky shift; $250 to get at the top of the shifting mechanism required major disassembly of the power head, but the shift mechanism is exposed to salt up there. It still takes several pulls to start after the professional tune up. The stock prop is so highly pitched that it I have to shut it down or take it out of gear well short of my destination so that I do not go crashing into things. I might be able to fix that with a lesser pitched prop, but I am not sure.
FWIW


 
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 Post subject: Re: Dinghy Engines
PostPosted: 03 Dec 2020 12:30 
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Rail Meat

Joined: 23 Nov 2020 08:00
Posts: 17
When it comes to outboards
YAMAHA for best and most trusted
Dependability and Reliability.
15hp 2 stroke short shaft so you can store in lazerette in any angle or on its side . Enduros available in other countries are a great choice as well.
Fast and efficient for 9ft ACHILLES RIB.
for farther adventures
2hp stroke short shaft 21lbs for short close runs very light for mounting very efficient also . Matches well to my fatty knees hard dinghy.


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