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Alaskan Sea-Duction

Alaskan Sea-Duction

Guru
Joined
Jul 6, 2012
Messages
8,058
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Alaskan Sea-Duction
Vessel Make
1988 M/Y Camargue YachtFisher
Hey TF what are the opinion on the 30hp Tohatsu fuel injection dinghy engine?
 
If it was my $$$. Yamaha 2 stroke are very hard to beat and just about anything else after that.
 
Bought the 50 hp after lots of research. Purchased at Boaters Discount in LaConner. Very happy with it
 
Isn't every outboard smaller than a 30, except for Honda, made at a Tohatsu factory? Tohatsu makes lots of them and their T. branded motors are cheaper than the other-branded.
 
Xsbank said:
Isn't every outboard smaller than a 30, except for Honda, made at a Tohatsu factory? Tohatsu makes lots of them and their T. branded motors are cheaper than the other-branded.
Click to expand...

Yamaha makes their own engines, even in the smaller sizes. Honda and Suzuki build their own designs, I know that Evinrude and Johnson use Tohatsu for their smaller engines but I believe they also build engines of their own designs as little as about 20 hp???
Bruce
 
I had a new Tohatsu 25 on a 30' skiff that stayed in the water year round in Boston. Electric start . Fired up and ran with no issues for the 3 years I owned it. The reason I went with Tohatsu was many of the local clammers used and abused them and loved em. The next owner of my skiff used it for many hundreds of hours around south Florida including a trip to the Bahamas in it. He recently contacted me to see if I wanted to buy the boat back. I asked about the Tohatsu,he said he got 13 more years out of it before replacing. I would buy another one in a heart beat.
I agree if a NEW 2 stroke was available, that would be my first choice. Etecs are two stroke but no experience with them. My brother has one (his 2nd) and loves it.
 
Not long ago and probably still now small Evinrudes have been Suzuki.
 
All small Mercury engines are Tohatsu. Not sure at what hp they switch to built by Merc. I don't know about the 30 personally, but I have a 9.8 Tohatsu and it's a very nice engine.

Ken
 
gaston said:
If it was my $$$. Yamaha 2 stroke are very hard to beat and just about anything else after that.
Click to expand...

Would you please ship me one! I'll make it worth your trouble! Can't buy them in the States...maybe Trump will do away with the outboard emissions standards......
 
I bought a 30 hp Tohatsu 4-stroke in 2015, mounted to an aluminum hulled 12-foot AB RIB. I bought the package from NW Inflatables in Portland. The engine has run flawlessly since new, and I've run the tar out of it. I highly recommend the boat, the motor, and the dealer.

Regards,

Pete
 
My freind is a volume tahatsu and Yammaha dealer and does volume repair and he does not see a big difference and points me to the T brand which are slightly cheaper. I have owned both brands and they seem very similar in all ways.
 
jungpeter said:
I bought a 30 hp Tohatsu 4-stroke in 2015, mounted to an aluminum hulled 12-foot AB RIB. I bought the package from NW Inflatables in Portland. The engine has run flawlessly since new, and I've run the tar out of it. I highly recommend the boat, the motor, and the dealer.

Regards,

Pete
Click to expand...



30 hp Tohatsu 4-stroke is a Honda
 
Tohatsu makes all Mercury outboards 30 hp and less.

Tohatsu makes Evinrude outboards 15 hp and less.

Tohatsu did make all Nissan outboards.
 
I have the electric start 20 HP Tohatsu and love it.... with one exception. Although it states it has electric trim and tilt. it does not trim under power (when underway). A feature I find essential. I ended up having to install trim tabs.

I am about to buy the 40 HP, which does trim under power. I am not sure if the 30 HP does or not but it might be worth checking out.
 
I have a 30 hp injected electric start tohatsu on my rib for 4 years. It has worked fLawlessly and does power trim underway. For weight and price it was the best option. I would buy one again. Even if I haven't started in 3 months it starts immediately. Only problem is steering cable needs to be removed from engine mounting housing and bushings greased and cleaned every year or two.

I do have smart tabs and they really help. I can plane at 8 knots but the pistons that support the tabs need to be replaced every two years from salt water corrosion.

I have a 3 blade and 4 blade prop I carry. Always use 3 blade unless I am towing bigger wake board kids then 4 blade prop gets a 190 lb kid up
 
Last edited:
After a lot of comparison shopping I ordered a Grand 330 L with a 20 hp Tohatsu.
I have not taken delivery yet but saw it at the show and was impressed after inspecting the mercury for more money. Same engine with a different hood. They did tell me that it was tilt only when I bought it which is OK with me as most of my use is in a 10 MPH zone anyway. The whole package rigged is 340 pounds dry. Looking forward to spring.


 
Tohatsus' were originally commercial outboard engines in Japan, don't know if that is still a large part of their market or not.
 
Tohatsus' are the cheapest outboard there is in Australia and still have the lowest sales of any outboard here ??? Yamaha I No 1


Just saying :)
 
gaston said:
Tohatsus' are the cheapest outboard there is in Australia and still have the lowest sales of any outboard here ??? Yamaha I No 1


Just saying :)
Click to expand...

How things change. In 2000, OMC was the leading manufacturer with about a third of the outboard market. Mercury was number two. Now it's Yamaha with between 35 and 40% on dollar volume, somewhat less than that on unit volume. Tohatsu is number two in unit volume.
 
gaston said:
Tohatsus' are the cheapest outboard there is in Australia and still have the lowest sales of any outboard here ??? Yamaha I No 1


Just saying :)
Click to expand...
I don't know which is better. But sales # do not always reflect quality. When I was younger I had a friend who's family was in the cheese business. They made and imported the stuff. You could buy the same cheese wrapped in their label or the supermarkets label. You bet the markets brand sold ten to one. A lot of what people buy is based on perceptions not all scientifically verifiable a little like politics. Yamaha has great marketing and a big head start on Tahatsu.
 
I would also guess that Australia doesn't have the EPA nazis, like we do. No 2 stroke engines available for sale anymore in the states.
 
We can still purchase 2 strokes here buy why would you ? noisy smelly things they are The Johnston Etec was a disaster here it may not have needed a service before 200 hours if it lasted that long . Tohatsu was the poor mans Mercury they were shocking motors in the past I think the Toshatsu sold here were the cheap built Nissen and Mercury engines here didn't like salt water the heads blocked up and over heated and sized .Yamaha has always had good reputation and dealer back up. Suzuki 4 stroke are the new kid on the block but suffer from bad history with the 2 strokes . Honda has very little dealer margin so dealers are few and far between and if you sell Yamaha Honda wont allow joint dealership. Yamaha have always been the choice with government boats and commercial boats so there must be a reason
.
 
2 stroke outboards are significantly lighter than similar output 4 strokes. For me that balances the disadvantages of mixing fuel etc.
Plenty of Tohatsu motors around. My 10 year old 6hp dinghy motor has been trouble free.
 
Thanks everyone for the input I requested.


We settled on a Walker Bay Generation 340 with a 40hp Honda.
 

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BandB said:
How things change. In 2000, OMC was the leading manufacturer with about a third of the outboard market.
Click to expand...


Our 1998 Johnson 2-stroke was made by Suzuki... so outsourcing had already started by then...

-Chris
 
gaston said:
Some Suzuki 4 strokes were made by Honda
Click to expand...

That's interesting.

FWIW, our current Suzuki 4-stroke, relatively new design in their "portable" line-up, is obviously different from Hondas of equivalent HP...

-Chris
 
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