9.9HP dinghy motor question

I am going to buy a new 9.9 HP 4 stroke for my RIB.
My RIB is 10' and I believe the 9.9 will serve me just fine.
I want pull start and no fancy features.
I have only owned Johnson and Evinrude O/B's in the past and was very happy with them.
Is there another manufacturer that can give me a better deal for the price or should I stick with Johnson/Evinrude?
Thanks in advance.

My 2010 Yamaha 9.9 on an older boat was a good little engine and although you dont want any fancy features the ability to have a direct fresh water flush by attaching a fresh water hose to the direct connect is sure nice for you and the engine.

Bigger than a 9.9 and you may want to shop both Honda and Yamaha. My current Honda 50 is super quiet I have to look for the water stream to make sure she is still running.

Check out www.OnlineOutboards.com and look at the Tohatsu. I bought a 9.9 online and it was delivered to my door by FEDX. It is so quiet at idle you just about can't hear it. I'm still in the break in period and can't go above half speed but at half speed we are well on a plane moving my 10 ft Walker Bay rib.

Ron

I second the Tohatsu! They make tough outboards with 5 year warranty. Tohatsu also makes the 30Hp and under motors for Mercury and all the Nissan motors.
My last Tohatsu was a 25 and sat year round on a mooring in Boston. Shoveled the snow off the boat and the engine fired up every time.

Thanks guys
One more question.....
Is there any reason that I would want electric start in a dinghy?
I cant think of any but I may be overlooking something. After all, RIBs don't have that much interior space and the thought of a battery
in there don't sound appealing. I have no plans for the new O/B other than a dinghy.
Also, do I want the 20" shaft for a 10' RIB?

Tony B said:

Thanks guys
One more question.....
Is there any reason that I would want electric start in a dinghy?

No. We have a 9.8 and 15 hp and Lena has no problem starting them by hand with out the additional weight, storage issues or electrical connections.

Also, do I want the 20" shaft for a 10' RIB?

Get the short shaft. If you like exploring, you'll have easier access to the shallows. There's no reason for the long shaft for the dinghy you mentioned.

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Your dinghy is your car/pick-up.

Battery/electric start if you want a bilge pump. No problem if it lives out of the water.

Yes I second the short shaft and manual start. My 15 hp Yamaha (2 cycle) starts very easily on the first pull.

There seems to be a lot of Tohatsu fans on here and a few other forums I asked this same question.

I have been told that Mercury is made by Tohatsu but that does not make it the same engine because it would be made to Mercury's specs.

Over all, is there much of a diff between a mercury 9.9 and a Tohatsu 9.8?

The reason I ask is because there is a Tohatsu dealer in my town and also West Marine. I have a West Marine - Port Supply account and will price both. I'm thinking that if it's just a few hundred more for the Tohatsu, I will go that direction.
Thanks in advance

I don't know if there is a difference between the Merc tohatsu and the "Tohatsu. Just because a merc is built to there own specs, doesn't make it "better". Keep in mind that national branding has a financial price (advertising) that must be passed on to the end user.
No matter which brand you choose, nobody makes a "bad" engine today. You probably will be happy with your choice.

Tony: I would go with a Tohatsu over Mercury. We have 2 friends that we cruise with and both have the Mercury 9.9 4 strokes and they would not buy another one. The common problem seems to be the carburetors. Design, bad fuel, I don't know. Both friends are mechanical. Other cruisers we know who have Tohatsu, Yamaha or Honda don't seem to have the same level of problems. Just my observation.

You might want to think about a smaller engine to save on your back, and wear/tear in the RIB. To save room/space maybe on with an internal gas tank. Also look at two strokes as they are lighter and have more power because of the oil in the gas. I had a 9 hp but its was to darn heavy and need only ½ the HP. The most common damage to a RIB is to big and powerful an engine which causes the transom to twist, and the tubes to leak. I would NOT have another RIB as they are to high maintenance!

For 50+ years, I have Mercury OB. Presently have a 4 hp, and a 140 HP that is a 1970 as still going strong. The reason I have stayed with Mercury is the parts and service is available almost any wear in the PNW. Also many Mercury can be rebuilt. The 140 HP, I had rebuilt 2 times for ½ the cost of new.

Larry M said:

Tony: I would go with a Tohatsu over Mercury. We have 2 friends that we cruise with and both have the Mercury 9.9 4 strokes and they would not buy another one. The common problem seems to be the carburetors. Design, bad fuel, I don't know. Both friends are mechanical. Other cruisers we know who have Tohatsu, Yamaha or Honda don't seem to have the same level of problems. Just my observation.

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I have to concur with Larry on this one. I can't say why or how, but the Merc version doesn't seem to behave as the Tohatsu, and a friend of mine spent mucho bucks on trying to make his 9.9 Merc 4 stroke dependable. Finally, after taking the advice of the most experienced Merc mechanic I know, he dumped it in favor of a 9.9 two stroke. According to the Merc mechanic, it just couldn't be made reliable. That's a pretty incredible statement from a mechanic.

In the islands 90% of the motors you see are Yamaha for some reason. If getting parts/service there is a factor then consider Yamaha.

To those of you advocating a 2 stroke. Where do you buy one in today's green environment? Before I bought my new Tohutsu 9.9 I looked all over trying to find a 2 stroke as light weight was a main criteria for me.

I kept my eye on Craigslist for a long time and seldom saw a 2 stroke for sale that wasn't older than me. I eventually discovered that the Tohatsu 9.9 was only about 5 lbs heavier than a 2 stroke so I said to myself, why put up with a noisy 2 stroke and the oil in gas mess to save 5 lbs.

Correct if I am wrong, but I don't think you can buy a new 2 stroke in this country.

Ron

True, no new two-strokes, but at least here in the Southeast, finding used two-strokes in good or rebuilt condition is not so much of a challenge. In the Islands, service for four-strokes is a lot more difficult to get, hence, the choice for the lighter two-strokes for cruisers. About the weight difference, well, I don't know for sure, but I can tell you that getting that four-stroke Merc 9.9 off this guy's boat was a trial for this old body. I can carry my 9.9 two-stroke Merc like a suit case in one hand. I think there is more than 5 lbs. difference and I was told by the mechanic that the 9.9 Merc four-stroke is the same wt. as the 15. It felt like around 100 lbs. vs. about 65 or so for the two-stroke. My opinion, all of which could be audited on-line from other info sources.

They still make them. I would still take a 2 stroke over a 4 stroke any day. Lighter smaller and more power. I tend to mix the oil on the heavy side which has increase the engine live, but fowls the spark plugs so they have to be change every year.

Mercury Outboard 2 Stroke - Mercury Outboard Forums

Mercury Marine

What ever you get be sure to check parts and service.

healhustler said:

True, no new two-strokes, but at least here in the Southeast, finding used two-strokes in good or rebuilt condition is not so much of a challenge. In the Islands, service for four-strokes is a lot more difficult to get, hence, the choice for the lighter two-strokes for cruisers. About the weight difference, well, I don't know for sure, but I can tell you that getting that four-stroke Merc 9.9 off this guy's boat was a trial for this old body. I can carry my 9.9 two-stroke Merc like a suit case in one hand. I think there is more than 5 lbs. difference and I was told by the mechanic that the 9.9 Merc four-stroke is the same wt. as the 15. It felt like around 100 lbs. vs. about 65 or so for the two-stroke. My opinion, all of which could be audited on-line from other info sources.

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I'm talking specifically about the Tohatsu 9.8 HP short shaft plain jane motor which comes in at 81 lbs. As I recall a few of the used 2 strokes I found weighed 75 lbs. Tohatsu claims they have the lightest motors on the market.

Ron

windmist said:

I'm talking specifically about the Tohatsu 9.8 HP short shaft plain jane motor which comes in at 81 lbs. As I recall a few of the used 2 strokes I found weighed 75 lbs. Tohatsu claims they have the lightest motors on the market.

Ron

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Well, when you throw your back out because of the weight and the over extension getting on/off the transom, and you have to take the RIB in to have the leaks fixed, remember, “I TOLD YOU SO!”

Thanks for all the replies
I am on 3 boating forums and asked the same questions in all of them.
Tohatsu seemed to be the most popular and the 5 year warranty is nothing to sneeze at.
They just happened to be on sale till Wednesday for $1899 on the internet.
There is a local dealer that is selling them for $2050. For the $150 difference I would rather support someone local.
He had to order one and it should be here by Wednesday or Thurs.
Weight of 81 lbs, I can deal with but not much more. besides, my dighy davits or crane can be used to put the motor on or off the dinghy.
Now to buy a cover and lifting sling at Worst Marine.
Thanks again to all

I second getting it locally.

It's not just less hassle getting it locally, it also supports the local shops that we depend on at times.
I think of when Home Depot moves into a small town. First thing - no more hardware stores. Now of we need a small part, the inferior stuff comes in a bubble pack. And that's only if we are lucky. Otherwise we get to hunt it down on the internet and get to pay shipping and wait several days to 2 weeks for delivery.
Internet buying has a long term down side that we don't realize until we need stuff. "Sending Away" takes us back to the 1950's and I don't like to backslide.

Tony B said:

Thanks for all the replies
For the $150 difference I would rather support someone local.

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Excellent idea. I'd do the 150 bucks too, especially if the dealer was a good one.

We think alike Tony. Your Home Depot example applies to WalMart equally.

Stop allowing the local guy a fair margin, don't be surprised when he's no longer in business.

windmist said:

To those of you advocating a 2 stroke. Where do you buy one in today's green environment? Before I bought my new Tohutsu 9.9 I looked all over trying to find a 2 stroke as light weight was a main criteria for me.

I kept my eye on Craigslist for a long time and seldom saw a 2 stroke for sale that wasn't older than me. I eventually discovered that the Tohatsu 9.9 was only about 5 lbs heavier than a 2 stroke so I said to myself, why put up with a noisy 2 stroke and the oil in gas mess to save 5 lbs.

Correct if I am wrong, but I don't think you can buy a new 2 stroke in this country.

Ron

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I shopped hard on Craig's list and finally found a almost zero hour 2 stroke. But I think I was lucky at the time. It's much more than a 5 lb savings, and the Yamaha is very quiet. To each his own.

For the specifications of both 2 and 4 stroke outboards check the Tohatsu NZ site. Comparing the 9.8 hp models I see that the 2 stroke is about 57 lb while the 4 stroke is 81.8 in weight.

We went with the electric start for the Admiral. The battery goes under one of the seats and is not in the way. Also a nice benefit is we installed a bilge pump with a manual switch so no more bailing after a windstorm. We used the smallest 12 volt battery we could find.

I find this engine info interesting as we just acquired a Walker Bay 11ft RIB with our recent boat purchase but no motor. I was going to put 15 Yamaha 4 stroke W/ elec start as the dingy is equipped with pivoting motor mount and hyd. pivot on the transom. What kind of performance can I expect? I want to run against a 4 knot currant, or into a 20mph headwind and still plane,,,wife 150lb,,,me 210lb. As a pickup truck it will haul groceries,ice and beer. Also this dingy is 2006 and in good shape, just dirty.,what/how can I clean it up? I don't know if it's hypolon or not but it has a 'pebble texture' surface. As you can tell, I'm new at this dingy business so I wanted some advice from you 'veterans'.

bravo6 said:

I find this engine info interesting as we just acquired a Walker Bay 11ft RIB with our recent boat purchase but no motor. I was going to put 15 Yamaha 4 stroke W/ elec start as the dingy is equipped with pivoting motor mount and hyd. pivot on the transom. What kind of performance can I expect? I want to run against a 4 knot currant, or into a 20mph headwind and still plane,,,wife 150lb,,,me 210lb. As a pickup truck it will haul groceries,ice and beer. Also this dingy is 2006 and in good shape, just dirty.,what/how can I clean it up? I don't know if it's hypolon or not but it has a 'pebble texture' surface. As you can tell, I'm new at this dingy business so I wanted some advice from you 'veterans'.

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Your combination should plane. We have a 15 hp 2 stroke Yamaha on 10.5 foot RIB. It has no problem planning with 3 adults. With one person you will be stern heavy until you get it up on a plane with the 4 stroke and battery though. We cruised with someone that put 40 lbs of lead in the bow to help level it off and also to get on a plane sooner.

It will be a bumpy ride if you are going into 20 knots of wind but your wife will let you know that.

There are commercial cleaners for dinghies that work pretty well. We tried one this spring for the first time and was surprised how well it worked. Ask at a marine store.

Get you model number and go online or email Walker Bay to find out if it's hypalon or not.

Enjoy the new ride.

Try oven cleaner, easyoff.

Oven cleaner, lye is effective on hypalon and polyvinyl if used carefully.
I have a 20hp Yamaha 4cycle pull start and a Mercury 15hp 2cycle on 10' ribs. The Merc feels half as heavy as the Yamaha, starts easier and out performs the Yamaha. The Yamaha's only upside is a quiet idle and less fumes at idle. My 20hp Yamaha just barely planes three adults or two adults and two medium sized dogs, 'the Mercury has no problem planing with four adults and has at least a couple of miles per hour over the Yamaha at top end.
The Yamaha has one really annoying feature with their tilt latch, it has to operated to either allow automatic kick back for beaching or to return from a tilted position to full down. This operates automatically on the Mercury. The throttle on the Mercury twists for forward or reverse with a handy kill switch on the the end of the handle. Yamaha has a separate forward and reverse lever which requires using a second hand to operate or letting go of the tiller to use. The kill switch is also a second hand reach similar to the shift lever.
At full throttle the sound level is probably at the same level.
I believe Evinrude has just started production on small direct injected pull start outboards that don't require a battery. These motors if the perform like the larger direct injected two stroke engines would be fuel efficient and top performers.