32 replies to this topic

[Heavy Metal]

Im in the market for a little 2-3hp motor for the dinghy, and a 15hp or so for the inflatable if i can stretch the budget.
Whilst ive had great experiences with Yamahas, i cant get my head past the price difference between name brands and the chinese units that are available (often less than half the price?!?!) however its hard to get any unbiased feedback/reviews on them.

Has anyone got any experiences with any of the "cheap" chinese brands?

Brands that pop up are
Sail,
Parsuns
Hufong
Yamabisi
Hidea

My head wants a decent, reliable motor, but my scotish ancestory doesnt want to pay for it when there is much cheaper alternatives

[Trovão]

you get what you pay for.

go with a mercury 3.3

[Heavy Metal]

you get what you pay for.

go with a mercury 3.3

I get what your saying, however i have paid big money for "quality" items before, only to find out it was rebadged cheap stuff, or not great quality at all - hence im a tad cynical of the old "you get what you pay for" mantra

A case in point was a $350 dual bank, solar controller. It was identical internally and externally to a chinese unit except for the brand name on the outside, and dont get me started on some "high end" tapware i bought for a new house! The crome started peeling after 2 years of use, while the cheap chinese stuff i put in a well used holiday house is still going strong after 7 years.

[williwaw]

I have experience with those engines in my profession, you really get what you pay for.
Better buy a young used one then that Chinese crap.

[narecet]

The answer with Chinese manufacturers really comes down to:

• They can make genuinely good stuff, if that's what you're willing to pay for and either the company has been around a long time and earned a reputation, or the importer in your country is doing their homework and is effective in demanding the quality.
• They can also make really cheap stuff, that is cheap in all ways not just the price tag.

Which do you want from them? You pays your money, you takes your choice!

Sometimes only option 2 is available from them, at a given point in time.

[Team WIld]

I brought a parsun (15HP) as a cheapy. It was never supposed to last!! I needed a motor to fit to our tender (big tender) that I used for deliveries when my Yammie died and Parsun was all that was within walking distance!! When I got home I purchased a 8HP Mercury and it has never been in the water, that was 3 years ago with plenty of use (250 hours abouts). The issues I found were the metal bits outside the engine itself weer prone to rust so I put vas on them...no probs.



PPL are right you do get what you pay for but so far Ive been lucky!!

[baird]

I brought a parsun (15HP) as a cheapy. It was never supposed to last!! I needed a motor to fit to our tender (big tender) that I used for deliveries when my Yammie died and Parsun was all that was within walking distance!! When I got home I purchased a 8HP Mercury and it has never been in the water, that was 3 years ago with plenty of use (250 hours abouts). The issues I found were the metal bits outside the engine itself weer prone to rust so I put vas on them...no probs.



PPL are right you do get what you pay for but so far Ive been lucky!!

you get what you pay for.you%20get%20what%20you%20pay%20for.

[Bow Monkey]

you get what you pay for.

go with a mercury 3.3

Or you can save a few bucks and buy the same engine from Tohatsu.

All the four strokes up to 40HP are made in Japan as a joint venture between Mercury/Tohatsu.

[Icedtea]

I know a guy who bought a russian 8hp "Wind" outboard, apparently it only had a reverse gear, which explained alot, The Russian army never retreats!

[Bow Monkey]

Forgot to mention, in regards to the little motor you're looking for, I'm a huge fan of the Honda 2HP. We've had one for about five years now on one of the boats I race on. Fantastic little engine that weighs about as much as a tennis ball. It was honestly worth the price. We abuse and neglect that thing far beyond what most reasonable adults would. It doesn't care.

And just to clarify why that's a pretty honest review, I work for Mercury and take a lot of pride in our engines.

[atoyot]

+1 on the little Honda BF-2A 4-stroke. A little loud on full tilt but torquey and light. And being air-cooled, there's no pump to fail or cooling passages to rot out.

[DoRag]

What a crock - you need to buy American!

[Sailabout]

who makes american outboards under 25hp?

[AliciaBurney]

I get what your saying, however i have paid big money for "quality" items before

[auscat]

What a crock - you need to buy American!

Does Merica aksually make anthing ?

[Sailabout]

What a crock - you need to buy American!

Does Merica aksually make anthing ?

guns and Toyotas

[auscat]

What a crock - you need to buy American!

Does Merica aksually make anthing ?

guns and Toyotas

and dorags....unfortunately:lol: your loss not ours.
Yeh this random shit slinging IS fun:P .

Are you enjoying this as much as me ?

Ask dorag hes tha king of merican fun.

[Benoz]

The mercury 3.3 has been sold as 3 or 4 different brands. My candidate for the best outboard ever built. Spend $900 and get one...

[sailSAK]

The mercury 3.3 has been sold as 3 or 4 different brands. My candidate for the best outboard ever built. Spend $900 and get one...

Have you every seen an Evinrude "Lightwin" 3horse ? Think giant gas powered pocket watch. Made in Belgium. All aluminum including fuel in fuel tank. 2 Cylinders in a package they weighs a hair over 30 pounds. No way manufacturing something like that could ever be economical again if it ever was. I have one, although not all original and has some slight cosmetic damage. Great runner. Sounds like a much larger engine and virtually no vibration. Only problem with it is I don't have the heart to run it in salt water.
\

[Bow Monkey]

The mercury 3.3 has been sold as 3 or 4 different brands. My candidate for the best outboard ever built. Spend $900 and get one...

I certainly wouldn't disagree. Regardless of whether it's branded as a Mercury, Nissan, or Tohatsu, it's in a completely different class than the Chinese knock-offs.

[MisterMoon]

The mercury 3.3 has been sold as 3 or 4 different brands. My candidate for the best outboard ever built. Spend $900 and get one...

Have you every seen an Evinrude "Lightwin" 3horse ? Think giant gas powered pocket watch. Made in Belgium. All aluminum including fuel in fuel tank. 2 Cylinders in a package they weighs a hair over 30 pounds. No way manufacturing something like that could ever be economical again if it ever was. I have one, although not all original and has some slight cosmetic damage. Great runner. Sounds like a much larger engine and virtually no vibration. Only problem with it is I don't have the heart to run it in salt water.
\

+1

[blackjenner]

It's really easy to just say, "buy american" but that would require a manufacturer of that product here, in America.

The problem is American CEOs, and American Corporations, *offshore* so many manufacturing and service jobs in the name of the short term quarterly report bottom line. Many "American" products are actually made somewhere else for exactly this reason.

I have no problem buying *local* (that's different from American) whenever I can and will continue to do so when it's possible.

However, just parroting, "buy American," means absolutely nothing.

[Bow Monkey]

who makes american outboards under 25hp?

Merc does, but it's a 2 stroke.

[Sailabout]

who makes american outboards under 25hp?

Merc does, but it's a 2 stroke.

not for a few years they are all 4 stokes now

[Bow Monkey]

who makes american outboards under 25hp?

Merc does, but it's a 2 stroke.

not for a few years they are all 4 stokes now

Care to place a bet on that? The short cut I take to get from the inboards over to the Verado assembly line takes me right through where the little two strokes are made. Just because we can't sell 'em in the US doesn't mean other countries don't want them.

And FWIW, we build a LOT of 2 strokes in the higher HP outboards. I don't try to figure that one out.

[Sailabout]

who makes american outboards under 25hp?

Merc does, but it's a 2 stroke.

not for a few years they are all 4 stokes now

Care to place a bet on that? The short cut I take to get from the inboards over to the Verado assembly line takes me right through where the little two strokes are made. Just because we can't sell 'em in the US doesn't mean other countries don't want them.

And FWIW, we build a LOT of 2 strokes in the higher HP outboards. I don't try to figure that one out.

make them or bolt tohatsu powerheads onto US made mid and lowers which couldnt possible compete with a jap built and assembled one overseas so how is that a business model?
My 4hp 09696933 which is a Merc ( possibly Yamaha built powerhead) is getting old, so where do I go for a Merc us made 2 stroke?
Found it all other web sites except the US but cant find in SE asia and not legal in the EU so whay gives there?

[Bow Monkey]

who makes american outboards under 25hp?

Merc does, but it's a 2 stroke.

not for a few years they are all 4 stokes now

Care to place a bet on that? The short cut I take to get from the inboards over to the Verado assembly line takes me right through where the little two strokes are made. Just because we can't sell 'em in the US doesn't mean other countries don't want them.

And FWIW, we build a LOT of 2 strokes in the higher HP outboards. I don't try to figure that one out.

make them or bolt tohatsu powerheads onto US made mid and lowers which couldnt possible compete with a jap built and assembled one overseas so how is that a business model?
My 4hp 09696933 which is a Merc ( possibly Yamaha built powerhead) is getting old, so where do I go for a Merc us made 2 stroke?
Found it Latin America web site!!

I'd say the business model is doing just fine. And I'll have to double check, but I doubt the 2 strokes are Tohatsu power heads. That wouldn't make any sense logistically.

[Bow Monkey]

Not legal because of environmental regulations. 4 strokes pollute less.

[DoRag]

It's really easy to just say, "buy american" but that would require a manufacturer of that product here, in America.

The problem is American CEOs, and American Corporations, *offshore* so many manufacturing and service jobs in the name of the short term quarterly report bottom line. Many "American" products are actually made somewhere else for exactly this reason.

I have no problem buying *local* (that's different from American) whenever I can and will continue to do so when it's possible.

However, just parroting, "buy American," means absolutely nothing.

You need to look a tad deeper and ask why American companies migrated offshore for their manufacturing. The answers include increasingly onerous government regulations, dealing with unions, the US tax code, and certain aspects of the US legal system related to employee rights.

Having said that, Americans should look first at products made domestically (not just assembled from the higher value added companents made elsewhere, as is the case with autos). That is the answer to fixing our economy. The other answer is to out BHO, which will be accomplished in Nov.

[rustylaru]

It's really easy to just say, "buy american" but that would require a manufacturer of that product here, in America.

The problem is American CEOs, and American Corporations, *offshore* so many manufacturing and service jobs in the name of the short term quarterly report bottom line. Many "American" products are actually made somewhere else for exactly this reason.

I have no problem buying *local* (that's different from American) whenever I can and will continue to do so when it's possible.

However, just parroting, "buy American," means absolutely nothing.
[/quote]

You need to look a tad deeper and ask why American companies migrated offshore for their manufacturing. The answers include increasingly onerous government regulations, dealing with unions, the US tax code, and certain aspects of the US legal system related to employee rights.


You mean laws like RCRA PL 94-580. You know that one right. The law that actually makes it possible to sail on Lake Erie again without your boat melting from the solvents in the water. Lets see how much you enjoy sailing on the Yangtze River, China's 1000mile long love canal.

[tommays]

There are no rules on strokes ONLY emissions

And like cars it is confusing and a bit like CAFE in that it looks at product lines overall emissions

The clean two strokes have worked there way down 15HP as that is as small as they can go NOW due to the weight and cost of CLEAN

Tohatsu makes the small Tohatsu so a Tohatsu, Nissan, Mercury, and Evinrude are all the same engine NOW and made in Japan with very minor tweaks between them Like some having a 25" shaft

The BIG Mercury and Evinrude motors are made in North America

Mercury also makes a BUNCH of mid-size stuff in there CHINA plant

At various times Yamaha and Mercury have shared powerheads

They have pretty much finished on SI motors with the new inboards having EFI and Catalytic Converters BUT fear NOT small Diesel is ON the agenda

[gui]

The mercury 3.3 has been sold as 3 or 4 different brands. My candidate for the best outboard ever built. Spend $900 and get one...

I certainly wouldn't disagree. Regardless of whether it's branded as a Mercury, Nissan, or Tohatsu, it's in a completely different class than the Chinese knock-offs.

I have a 2011 merc 3.5hp that has never worked properly. An expensive pos if you ask me.

[Benoz]

I'd agree with that, the 3.5 is a pos. The 3.3 is a far better motor