Which brand for a brand new 6HP?

[SpecFisher]

So I'm in the market for a brand new outboard to put on my 12' jon boat. I'm trying to decide between Yamaha, Mercury and Tohatsu. I'm really interested in the Tohatsu because of the price but is there anything I should know about each brand before choosing one?

Edit - Btw, it will be in saltwater for flats fishing on the weekends.

 

[ggoldy]

I'm not trying to sell these and I won't even put up the link. Lehr markets a line of small, propane fueled outboards.The idea is very interesting to me. They can't be economical using 1# cans, but may be if used with a larger, remote tank. No winterizing needed other than fogger, maybe. Not an issue in Orlando, anyway. They have a very short track record. 3 or 4 years. And a short warranty as well. 3 years, I think. I just think it's a very cool idea....And, I'd love to talk to someone who's had one for a while.

 

[stevesecotec02]

The tohatsu and mercury are the same motor as are the nissans. Are you ordering online or at a local dealer? Since you mention saltwater I would say go yamaha but only because I see alot more yamahas in the salt than merc/tohatsu/nissan.

 

[TNtroller]

Like said the Merc and hatsu are the same except for the badging, I have a 5hp Merc 4stroke and like it, mine has the internal .3g tank and the connector for external hose and tank, some 6's come that way and some don't I think. I've got my 5 on a small 13 glass boat and it pushes it along at ~10mph. The hatsu's are a bit cheaper due to name recognition, but not sure a Merc dealer would be able to work on it under warranty claims if they arose. Something to consider is your access to dealers.

 

[SpecFisher]

Thanks for the info guys. I was going to buy the outboard off the online outboards website since they have the Tohatsu for $1299 shipped. I'm a little concerned if it will be enough power for my boat. It's a 12 footer Sears Gamefisher and it weighs about 120 lbs. empty.

 

[TNtroller]

Should do ok, but don't expect to win any races. My 13' glass boat weighs about 110# bare bone hull, 3 FG benches, a TM and size 27 battery up front, the 5hp and me at 205. I get 10-11 mph per gps, so depending on your load, maybe 15 on a good day. What is the max rating for your boat, if 10, might consider the 9.9 especially since you will be in SW, current and all, might come in handy to have the extra ponies.

 

[back4more]

SpecFisher, I've bought two tohatsu motors from outlineoutboards.com in the last 13 months, a 6hp and a 15hp. the 6hp pushed my 1436 13.4 mph with myself, wife and daughter in it (total weight 480lbs). we had no gear in the boat. with just myself and no gear the 6hp got the 1436 up to 17.3mph. the 6hp I had came with the integrated tank, held about 1/3 gal of gas, and I could get about 40 minutes of good riding per fill up. overall the 6hp tohatsu was great. I only got rid of it because I upgraded to the 15hp tohatsu.

onlineoutboards.com has fantastic prices, and no worries with shipping. my 6hp was delivered by FedEx Ground, and my 15hp was delivered by freight truck. each time the box showed up in great shape, not abused at all. came in quick to, I think 3-4 business days.

and another thing thats pretty impressive about tohatsu is that they give you a 5 year warranty.

 

[ccm]

The Merc and the Tohatsu are exactly the same ( made by Tohatsu for Mercury ), the only thing is if they are left on their side with out the tiller handle laying down they will leak oil. Yamahas don't do this. I currently have a 2011 4hp 4 stroke Tohatsu. It is an excellent motor and pushes my 14ft v bottom about 10mph. The only thing is these small motors have weak pinion gears in the lower units. My prop is factory aluminum with the rubber core and after hitting a stump with no visible damage to the prop; I had to spend $350 to get my lower unit rebuilt. Also it took 3 months to get the parts in from japan. I still believe these motors are excellent just low water and a need for speed got me. #-o I believe if you plan to portage your motor where it might be on it's side for awhile go with Yamaha if not go with Tohatsu because why pay more for the same thing.

 

[SpecFisher]

The ratings on the boat are up to 10hp but I went to a dealer today to look at the Tohatsu outboards and those 9.8s and very heavy. If I went with a 10hp it would have to be a two stroke. I may just purchase the 6hp from the dealer since it's only $88 more than online outboards and they are only a few miles from me and will do any repairs under warranty.