Who uses a Honda 2.3 hp tender motor?

psneeld said:

Try asking if the dealer can have what you want shipped from another dealership.


Small engines might be like parts and they get shuffled around when need be...so might not incur additional shipping.

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I've called all most of the dealerships within a 100 mile radius and nobody seems to have one (Suzuki). They all seem to think they can have one shipped in about a week. I screwed up by waiting until the last minute even though I knew better. I suppose it's going to be the Honda. They seem to be in stock.

It seems that ,with the Honda owners on here, the general consensus it that mostly they're decent motors, just a little loud at higher RPM's. That shouldn't be an issue with us. I suppose I'll head out tomorrow and pick one up. I'm sure we'll be happy with it.

One interesting thing a Honda dealer told me was that they were reliable motors and the centrifugal clutch was reliable as well, as long as they didn't get wet. Apparently they are sensitive to water but he didn't elaborate. He just said the powerhead had to come off to service the clutch. I'm not going to rule out me dropping the thing over the side at some point but knowing what he told be , I'll be extra cautious. In the old days, when a 2 stroke fell overboard in salt water, you would give it a good dousing with fresh water ,dry it off and you were on your way again!

Honda centrifugal clutch

I owned a Honda 2.5 for a couple years, but got rid of it because I often fish from the dinghy, and the centrifugal clutch would go into neutral when trolling slow. It was also noisy.

I bought instead a Suzuki 2.5, with Forward/Neutral shift. Same weight as Honda and much quieter.

Ron

Suzuki 2.5

I did extensive research last year and narrowed it down to the Honda and Suzuki most because of weight. I bought the Suzuki 2.5 over the Honda because it was quieter and has a N-F instead of just a centrifugal clutch.
Couldn't be happier. Started on the first pull this spring, even with last year's gas still in it. Wanted to buy local, but no one stocked it and the list price was much higher anyway. I would recommend this online outfit:

https://www.porta-bote.com/suzuki/

I was impressed - they had a real contact with a name, an email and a direct line instead of a boilerplate reply form. I paid $769.00, no tax and free shipping. Pretty sure I ordered on Monday and had it for the weekend.

Surprised no one mentioned Torqeedo. After years of gasoline (and oil) outboards for the dink (yes, even starting with the devil itself, the Seagull!), we realized we were limited in most harbors and anchorages to "no wake," or about 3-5 mph. The Torqeedo easily pushed a 10' HBI Caribe for as long as we needed for as far as we ever were going, needed no re-build or winterizing every haul-out season, was very light and dismantleable, no storage issues for gasoline aboard (and spilling while filling) and had its own GPS installed in the control handle. It does not need a generator or shore power to charge, only an inverter which handles it easily while under (main) power and you have a fully charged battery when you get to where you're going. They also offer a very simple solar charger for the "greenies" in the group! What more could you ask for?

I have a 5 h p on an 9 foot Hypalon, hard bottom dinghy. The motor runs great, just not enough power.

I have the 3.5HP Merc, 1 year old. These small 4 stroke outboards are heavier than the 2 strokes they replaced and are notorious for having carb problems. If I had to do it again, I'd spend the money for an electric like the Torqueedo. Lighter, quieter, more reliable.

For a typical smaller dink, you either need something about 2-3hp or about 8hp. 2-3hp will get you around at hull speed. If you want to plane out it's going to take at least 8, and that won't be enough if crew is heavy. A 4-5-6hp is pretty pointless. Won't plane unless light as heck. But you do get F-N-R!!!

Ski in NC said:

For a typical smaller dink, you either need something about 2-3hp or about 8hp. 2-3hp will get you around at hull speed. If you want to plane out it's going to take at least 8, and that won't be enough if crew is heavy. A 4-5-6hp is pretty pointless. Won't plane unless light as heck. But you do get F-N-R!!!

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Big difference in motor weight when you go from 2-3 HP to 4-5 HP. That was the decision maker for me in how much I wanted to be lifting. Whether you need 8 HP or more to plane is totally dependent on the dink and the crew weight. With a small inflatable and only myself (180lb), I can plane with 3.5 HP. I still think that if all you need is a means of getting to shore and don't need to go fast, electric is the was to go. No starting problems, very light weight, quiet, and you get reverse.

Yea, I'm considering electric. Even a decent trolling motor and a grp 24 batt would probably do. Seems silly as in my shop I have fully functional 2, 3.5, 4 and 8hp OB's!!!

Ski in NC said:

Yea, I'm considering electric. Even a decent trolling motor and a grp 24 batt would probably do. Seems silly as in my shop I have fully functional 2, 3.5, 4 and 8hp OB's!!!

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The new rechargeable electrics are expensive but much better than a trolling motor and a big heavy battery. Considering how much we all normally spend on boating, we shouldn't skimp on a dinghy motor. But if you already have motors, it's a matter of how much can you easily lift and how much power can your dinghy handle.

My little lehr 2hp has been fine so far. I do think it needs a shutoff valve between 1lb canister and the motor. It seems like it’s leaking through the carburetor a little.

Well I was committed to the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to find a new motor locally. We were tempted to order one online but figured this close to the holiday the chance of us getting it in time to do the break-in and test it out at home was cutting it too close. Just as I was going to drive 1 1/2 to buy a new Honda the local dealer found a used one he had previously sold to one of his customers. It’s a 2012 I think but has about 3 hours on it. That’s about how many hours we’ll put on it in a year *maybe!* so I was happy with the $550 we paid for it.
As others have said, it takes a little getting used to but it seems to fit our needs. I’ve been boating literally since I was big enough to row a wooden rowing skiff and am adept at handling canoes ,kayaks, sailing prams etc but I just can’t get real comfortable with this damn thing. 2 people and the lightest 4-stroke motor I could find and there ain’t much freeboard left. Oh well, it ticks up behind our transom really well and I am happy about that.

I've decided to go electric for my inflatable. Rather expensive I know, but I like the light weight, quiet, reliable operation. I have a 1 year old barely used Merc 3.5 if anyone is interested.