Best 15hp outboard these days?

[mvweebles]

How do I figure out who is making the best outboard motor in the 15hp range? I know Yamaha is legendary, but that was mostly 2 stroke and a long time ago. What about current US availability? Any decent/objective comparison tests out there?

Thanks in advance.

Peter

 

[syjos]

Tohatsu manufacturer the smaller 4 stroke outboards sold by Tohatsu, Mercury, Nissan and a couple others.

They are popular, reliable OB's seen on many tenders.

Ther 15 hp and 20 hp OB's have the same dimensions and weight.

I've had the 20 hp Tohatsu remote version on my tender for 12 years with no issues.

 

[mncruiser]

The biggest difference you will find with the Tohatsu vs. Mercury is the controls. I purchased a 2019 Mercury 20hp 4 stroke and while the engine internals were the same, at the time the controls were vastly different. The Mercury had a nice shifter on the tiller. Also you could angle the tiller left or right and up and down for comfort. The Tohatsu was a little less but not much. I really like the controls. The engine has been flawless, the fuel injection makes it super efficient.

I would also give the Suzuki line a hard look too. Again I went with the Merc here because I preferred the controls.

I was unimpressed with Honda and Yamaha outboards. A lot of “reputation” but when you really look at the underlying technology the smaller outboards are lagging with those brands.

 

[Caballero II]

Tohatsu manufacturer the smaller 4 stroke outboards sold by Tohatsu, Mercury, Nissan and a couple others.

They are popular, reliable OB's seen on many tenders.

Ther 15 hp and 20 hp OB's have the same dimensions and weight.

I've had the 20 hp Tohatsu remote version on my tender for 12 years with no issues.

In fact, the current Tohatsu 9.9, 15 and 20 hp version are exactly the same weight and dimension. They are apparently detuned to fit the demand. I love the fuel injection and electric start, but wished I had bought the 15 or 20 hp since I am using that weight and size anyway.

 

[murofrelwart]

One more vote for Tohatsu. We are very happy with our 20hp EFI model.

 

[psneeld]

"Best" is always a dangerous and often undefinable word.

I look to what the pros use....and have discussed it with many.

Yamaha

Everywhere I look Yamaha...unless force into a new boat/motor deal with brand X. And only till it wears out.

For a while Zukes were popular with charter guys because of the warranties....not so much any more.

When at may old marina last summer...all my friends with Yammies were out fishing, all my friends with Mercs (including one charter guy) were at the dock with the cowls off.

The local Florida FWC boat had twin Zukes on it for 1 week, switched to Yamahas.

I will be going with Yamaha too for my 9.9 soon despite lack of fuel injection and "other" tech.

I just haven't heard anything to change my mind. Big engines, I might do some more research.

 

[O C Diver]

I have a Suzuki 15 that's fuel injected with electric start. Absolutely love it! Best thing to happen to the sub 15 HP outboards is fuel injection. It works even without a battery (non electric start model).

Ted

 

[Datenight]

Another vote for Tohatsu. Only have one season on a 20 HP but no issues at all. I went with the advise from this forum and some independent research.

Wanted the 15 but went with the 20 since the weight is the same and the price difference is small.

Rob

 

[ranger58sb]

Our recent shopping ended up with a toss-up between the Tohatsu and Suzuki. Electric start, remote steering, power tilt, and short shaft in our case. 9.9/15/20-hp version all on the same platform. Similar weights, but IIRC the Tohatsu is very slightly lighter.

Suzuki is what our local dealer could make available; he was having issues with getting Tohatsu in stock. So we went with the Suzuki DF20T. Haven't taken delivery yet. Apparently Suzuki just increased their warranty...

Previous outboard was the Suzuki DF15A, electric start, tiller steer, no power tilt... worked pretty well... always started like a champ... ran quiet... and I especially appreciated the EFI... so that's why I ended up with Suzuki and Tohatsu this time.

Very coincidentally: We've had several other Suzuki products, and all worked well. One was an 850-hp shaft-driven bike back in the late '70s. Another was an SJ-410 "mini-jeep" when we lived in Germany in the early-'80s. Then we also had a Johnson-badged 2-stroke 5-hp outboard made by Suzuki; that was my least favorite but it was all about the tiny carb and the ethanol I think. Ran like a champ... when the fuel permitted.

Didn't find any change in Yamaha or Honda, still carbureted as of when I was shopping several months ago.

-Chris

 

[mncruiser]

A more specific call out for the controls. It wasn’t until I was sitting in a boat with one of these outboards that I realized why I cared about it. My specific call outs:

Shifter on the tiller handle- very convenient, but also at slow speeds you can steer and shift with one hand without turning back to reach or look at anything. You grab onto the shifter handle and can turn and shift with that one hand. Allows you to go in and out of gear(fwd and reverse)while close to docks for safe and controlled maneuvers much like you would with the big boat. No reaching back to shift.

Adjustment of tiller angle- left-right- with a straight tiller outboard, turning one way the tiller will be in your gut while turning. With the Merc controls you can adjust this so it minimizes that issue.

Video here shows it best: https://youtu.be/d5fMEghBY1s

Again I was on the Tohatsu Or Suzuki streak for basic features and price until I physically sat in a small boat and explored the controls features. Glad I spent a little more, I believe it’s worth it.

Also, every single Yamaha and Honda outboard in my marina, all the owners took the cowls off them and turned them into flower pots right on the dock. They never left the dock because of the flowers. Oh, one Nissan guy made his a trash can we all could use!

That’s sarcasm. I really don’t think you will go wrong with any new outboard purchase of any brand.

 

[jleonard]

My Yamaha never let me down.

 

[Andy G]

I agree, most new (4 stroke)outboards seem reliable. At least when they are newish. The trick is to get one that will be as reliable in 8 years time.

We chose a 2020 Suzuki 15hp (4 stroke) to replace my slightly less reliable 2016 15 Hp Mercury(2stroke) . The Suzuki is the better motor, though I had a soft spot for the Merc when it was running well. Not so much when it was temperamental.

 

[twistedtree]

I've had the best luck with Yamahas, but in a smaller engine I would heavily favor a model that has fuel injection. I think it largely solves the Ethanol fuel problem, and makes for a much more reliable engine.


I also really like electric start in anything over 6-9 hp, but I think that's only practical if the dinghy and motor remain assembled, and you load and carry he dinghy in it's normal position. I don't think it would work with something like hinged swim platform dinghy davits.



The alternative to EFI is to use the special fuel that comes in cans for chain saws and the like. But that's only practical for a very low use outboard. I had a Yamaha 4ph that I only used to get back and forth between a dock and a mooring. If I used 1/2 gal of fuel a year it was a lot, so it worked well in that instance.

 

[psneeld]

All small carbed engines have had problems with being finicky...well.... pretty much all sized outboard engines that got limited use.

After at least 15 years of running my small outboards with ethanol fuel with a few tricks and no different problems than any type of fuel.... I still think most ethanol problems are blamed on varnishing whish can happen anytime any gas evaporates in a carb and the rare occurrence of phase separation in not using the trick of managing gas so that it gets tossed or used within a month or two and NO liquid water gets in the system.

The biggest trick is running it totally out of fuel every time and then NOT letting in bad gas trying to get it started.

I admit I I wouldn't know how to trouble shoot of fix an injected outboard...but I know the 2X in 10 years my 8hp Yammie was a PIA, within an hour the first time and minutes the second time, had the carb off and cleaned and running great. A little carb cleaner and a good long needle worked wonders.

 

[rslifkin]

All small carbed engines have had problems with being finicky...well pretty much all sized outboard engines that got limited use.

After at least 15 years of running my small outboards with ethanol fuel with a few tricks and no different problems than any type of fuel.... I still think most ethanol problems are blamed on varnishing whish can happen anytime any gas evaporates in a carb and the rare occurrence of phase separation in not using the trick of managing gas so that it gets tossed or used within a month or two and NO liquid water gets in the system.

Agreed, keeping the system dry goes a long way. I generally run a light dose of Iso-Heet (not the full recommended bottle per 20 gallons) any time I'm using non-ethanol fuel to make sure the fuel system stays bone dry. Any fuel I'm not sure will be burned within a month gets stabilized right at purchase. And any carb that's going to sit for more than a few weeks gets drowned in fogging oil at shutdown, as oily carbs don't seem to gum up easily. Knock on wood, that's been enough to keep carbs behaving on both E0 and E10 fuel for me (both large and small engines).

 

[KnotYet]

Tohatsu, and I'd probably go for the 20 Hp if it is available.
I got my 18 Hp carb, electric start remote version around 16 years ago.
I managed to talk onlineoutboards.com into shipping it directly to my home
after explaining that I had the experience to install it correctly. That saved money.
Skip the tiller if you have a wheel on your dinghy. One less thing to maintain, IMO.

The newer ones are probably better but this one runs perfect with ordinary care.

It still looks good, too.

 

[Slowmo]

There are a lot of views out there but I suspect all of the majors make decent outboards, otherwise they'd be out of business. I believe the smaller Mercury 4T are actually Tohatsu, they have a JV. You see a LOT of Tohatsu in the far east.

One thing I'd look at is weight, there can be big differences and some of the modern outboards are really heavy. Since I don't store the OB on the boat over the winter that makes a difference to me. I also like electric start. That solves most 'tempermentalness'. Frankly most modern engines, especially with EFI, are really reliable and durable.

The one thing I wish we'd done differently, our skiff works well with 15hp but I wish we'd bought 20 so that we could lift a heavier load onto a plane.

 

[Osprey69]

15 HP Merc thread drift...

My throttle/shifter is stiff (probably from minimal use since new in 2015). No lube points in manual and internet search seems strictly cable oriented. Did the usual lube point but I think I need to get deeper.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Benthic2]

You gotta love the internet.....
As I read through the thread I saw all the usual names that I expected to see and then I tried googling "Best 15hp outboard motor"......and I get a top 5 list and I have NEVER EVEN HEARD OF THEM!!!! I don't claim to be an outboard expert but I've been around boats all my life....

BEST 15 HP OUTBOARD MOTORS (none of the motors are actually 15 hp despite the title)

1. LEADALLWAY FOUR-STROKE OUTBOARD MOTOR
2. HANGKAI 2-4 STROKE OUTBOARD MOTOR
3. SEA DOG WATER SPORTS OUTBOARD MOTOR 2 STROKE BOAT ENGINE
4. HANGKAI 2 STROKE HEAVY DUTY OUTBOARD MOTOR
5. COZYEL BOAT MOTOR OUTBOARD ENGINE

I thought maybe it was focused on an off-shore market but it seems to target a US based audience and only looks at products available on Amazon!!

https://www.solarsailor.com/best-15-hp-outboard-motor/

 

[markpj23]

I owned a small boat marina for the past 10 years - sold it in 2021. We had a mix of Mercury, Yamaha and Suzuki 4-strokes. All were reliable BUT the Suzukis never even burped during more than 3000 hrs of average service. Had one lower unit fail due to a 'valuable customer' drunkenly treating it like a stick shift car....

The Mercs all went through lp fuel pumps and starting solenoids like crazy. Had one throw a rod clear through the block at 1500 hours. Other Mercs in the fleet made it to our 3,000 hour threshold.

Yamahas are great but IMHO their parts are outrageously expensive. Irritating things like their ignition key blanks can be had only from a Yamaha dealer, etc etc. Had a lower unit seize up at 20 hours.

The small Yamaha 2-strokes of the mid 80s were bulletproof on our small fishing boats.

Just my experience with mostly larger engines than the OP asked about. Extrapolate what you will. A good place to compare parts pricing & availability is Boats.net

I'm partial to the Suzukis as they are usually cheaper initial cost and are at least as reliable as anything else, usually more so in my experience.

 

[kthoennes]

...The small Yamaha 2-strokes of the mid 80s were bulletproof on our small fishing boats. ...

Yep. Running a 1987 on our dinghy, can still get parts easily and I think that thing will run forever. I think if I ever had to replace it, I wouldn't shop new, I'd shop used. I'd try to find one stored in a barn somewhere covered with cobwebs. I just checked Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and Ebay. You can still find those things, and still running. What does that tell you.

On the other hand 2-strokes are environmentally evil now, so there's that.

 

[Osprey69]

Our 2 cycle 4hp (1994?) Yammy had a bunch of little issues. Brought it two mechanics and after $800 and no resolution almost tossed it. Outboards always scared me off to work on. Said screw and dove in. Fixed everything and damned thing runs like a champ for our dinghy for our sailboat up north.

 

[kthoennes]

I know we have lots of outboard threads so I don't want to get repetitive, but you're right. Same here, Yamaha 4HP 2-stroke. I had never taken apart an outboard before so when ours wouldn't start I initially took it to a boat service dealer here. Four weeks later I went back and they had forgotten about it, hadn't touched it so I got annoyed and brought it back home and dove in. Wasn't nearly as hard as I thought and I just needed to replace the rubber flapper gasket thing in the carb. They still sell carb kits for those ancient models. The more I played with it the more I appreciated the good design.

 

[cardude01]

I have a Suzuki 15 that's fuel injected with electric start. Absolutely love it! Best thing to happen to the sub 15 HP outboards is fuel injection. It works even without a battery (non electric start model).

Ted

I have this outboard as well and also very pleased. Have never had an outboard start so easily! I hate carburetors.

 

[syjos]

If we are discussing older 2 stroke outboards, the Evinrude/Johnson 6 and 8 hp and their 9.9 and 15 hp outboards were bulletproof and easy to work on, as long as they were flushed at the end of every season. Plus they were extremely light for hp.

But. . . . . I would not go back to a two stroke, oil injected or not. I don't think I could tolerate the exhaust odor, noise and sheen on the water now that I've owned 4 stroke OB's.

 

[AndrewAdams]

Don't forget the Prop!

One more vote for Tohatsu. I've had a 20HP electric start with power tilt for two years. It's exceeded my expectations, especially in efficiency.

I did the research, read that the 20 weighed the same as the others, and bought it.

BUT! If you're putting a 20HP on a light dingy, make sure you buy the pitchiest prop you can get, or you'll hit the max RPM at too low a speed and won't be able to take advantage of the HP you've bought.

Even with the pitchiest prop I could get, mine redlines at 27mph with one person and no gear in my homebuilt Garvey 11. With two people I don't hit the redline.

Andrew

 

[Nomad Willy]

Good point Andrew,
Outboards in general have too much pitch for a specific application. They are designed for being “usable” in almost any app. From small barges to canoes.

But what you can do about it is very limited re prop swinging room. And that is especially true of the 6hp OMC 2 cyl 2 stroke engines. Tuned right they are the sweetest running OB of the type .. even at idle.
I like the early engines w two (high and low speed) adjustable mixture screws. The advantage (other than the obvious) is to adjust lean at cruising speeds on the high speed needle. Fuel consumption will probably be comparable to 4 strokes of 5-6hp. Be informed though that if you adjust this way and go to idle the mixture will be way too lean and the engine will immediately quit. But of course you’ve left a mark on the panel for the normal (richer) adjustment.
This mixture adjust above works even better on the OMC “Big Twin” .. 30-35hp.

I have both a 6 hp OMC and an 8 hp 2cyl Yamaha. And Ive’ had them both on my 18’ freight canoe and I can’t tell the difference in performance. One’s grey and one’s tan in color.

 

[drewc]

In fact, the current Tohatsu 9.9, 15 and 20 hp version are exactly the same weight and dimension. They are apparently detuned to fit the demand. I love the fuel injection and electric start, but wished I had bought the 15 or 20 hp since I am using that weight and size anyway.

Hi..I have a GB Classic as well...wondering what type/size tender you carry aboard? I used to have an AVON 280 and I was HP-limited to 9 HP. Can you fit a larger RIB (say 320) aboard your GB? Thanks!

 

[Jmarsh203]

I’m not going to debate on what is the best, I’ve had great experiences with Yamaha 2 & 4 strokes , tohatsu 4 stroke carbureted & fuel injected engines as well as the newer Suzukis. I’d absolutely consider all three for a boat only being used here in the United States. But if I were taking my boat anywhere outside of the continental United States yamaha is really your best option hands down. Yamaha has been selling to the third world LONG before any of the others were even considering it and in virtually every port in the world you will be able to get the Yamaha worked on and get parts for it and yes that includes the newer fuel injected models. Isn’t your boat down in Mexico right now? If I were you I’d be picking up a new Yamaha 15 enduro 2 stroke (or 3 to sell and it will pay for yours) to bring back. If you don’t like it sell it when you get back stateside but that motor has absolutely stood the test of time and is prob more reliable than any of its modern counterparts. It will also be lighter but not as fuel efficient. Even if you want the 4 stroke get it in Mexico should be 20% cheaper at least, you won’t have a warranty here in the us though so that would be the downside to buying new.

 

[Jmarsh203]

You also won’t have to pay to ship your new engine to your boat if you buy it there, or the dreaded checked baggage outboard lol