# Chineese Tohatsu knockoff outboard motor...



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Has anyone messed with one of these. It looks as if its a Tohatsu, but its got to be knock off. The price isnt that bad on it. Im thinking of replacing my aged 3hp Johnson outboard with one of these.

Link to ebay auction eBay Motors: BRAND NEW 3.5HP 3.5 HP OUTBOARD BOAT ENGINE MOTOR 2.6kW (item 150132494002 end time Jul-13-07 19:41:20 PDT)


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

If it is truely Chineese, it will make a super anchor...;-)


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## rperret (Apr 11, 2003)

SVDistantStar said:


> Has anyone messed with one of these. It looks as if its a Tohatsu, but its got to be knock off. The price isnt that bad on it. Im thinking of replacing my aged 3hp Johnson outboard with one of these.
> 
> Link to ebay auction eBay Motors: BRAND NEW 3.5HP 3.5 HP OUTBOARD BOAT ENGINE MOTOR 2.6kW (item 150132494002 end time Jul-13-07 19:41:20 PDT)


Aren't most of the motors made today built in China? I though I read in practical sailor that the Johnson/Evinrudes are made in Chain, and thought the Tohatus's are made in China. I think the Honda's are still made in Japan.

But face it EVERYTHING is being made in China. Even our Ethan Allen dining room set - table was built in USA, chairs in China. In fact most of the big buck furniture in the store was made in China. So much for the US furntiure industry...


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## yotphix (Aug 18, 2006)

So much for industry in the Western hemisphere period. There really are very few things not made in china now. If not the whole item than a good portion of its parts. However, unless you can find a N.A. built outboard I would let its country of origin stop you from buying it.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Well its not the fact of it being built in China, its the fact that it looks to be a knock off of the Tohatsu. It doesnt look like that bad of a deal. I might give one a try, the only thing i worry about is getting parts should it die. I had a china made moped that needed a carbkit that i could never find for it, poor thing got junked at 600miles.


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## LaPlaya (Jun 12, 2007)

Get some warranty info cause I know that the briggs and stratton outboards are not warranted for salt water use.
AL


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*My new Tohatsu*

3.5 HP 4 stroke I recieved in Jan. Doesn't look like the one in the eBay ad. You can see it in the Photo Gallery.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The one in the eBay auction is like the older 2-stroke Tohatsu's. Ive got a 3.5 2-stroke Tohatsu on my workbench right now that im trying to find a carb kit for. 

Ive got a feeling that i wont retire my trusty old Johnson 3hp anytime soon, but still may get one from ebay as a back up motor.


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## rperret (Apr 11, 2003)

A new tohatsu 4 stroke is $900. I know the ebay price is cheaper - but you get what you pay for. Plus - you'll keep the motor for 10-15-20 years. I would rather pay for something good now - that you know is a good product. the extra $400 over 15-20 years is not much in the long run.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*I just got mine delivered yesterday....*

Hello everyone,

After seeing this thread I thought I would sign up for the Sailnet forum.

I will happily test another little Chinese outboard - and hopefully this weekend. It's not the one that was posted here earlier - rather it is on ebay australia (search for "3.5hp outboard motor" - sorry, cant post links yet on this forum....)
The only problem is that it will be hard for me to provide any comparison at all to other marine motors as I have little to no boating experience.

My background is that I own a 9ft inflatable and use it to do some fishing in the Sydney area. Originally I thought I was smart and bought a 54lbs electric trolling motor to keep things as basic as possible. However, with the heavy battery and low performance of the electric motor I soon started looking at petrol outboards.

I was surprised to find the ebay deal online and I got the motor for 300 AUD - I think that corresponds to about 240 USD. In saying that: I dont expect all too much of it ;-) . It's rated at 3.5hp and, after unpacking the carton, it looks pretty okay to a rookie like myself. However, and I dont know if this is normal for these little engines, two things strike me: there is a lot of plastic and the required fuel mix 25-30:1. As for the plastic, it extends all the way down the transom and up to to the exhaust. THe propeller is plastic as well. And as for the fuel mix: dont modern ouboard motors use a mix of 50:1 or even 100:1?!?

Well, as I said, I hopefully will get the chance to test the motor on my 9ft inflatable over the weekend. I am hoping for better performance mainly - especially against the current.

Anny recommendations for my endeauvour? As I said, I am quite a rookie at this. And, believe me, the manual is little more than a series of english words that dont make any sense at all in combination.

Cheers.


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## SimonV (Jul 6, 2006)

good luck, keep us posted. Oh and welcome to Sailnet.


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Perhaps you and the Sewing Machine guy can talk after you send this guy the money! Plus the previous post sounds awfully Phishy.....

My advice RUN don't walk!!!!! You can buy a brand new 30 lb. Suzuki DF2.5 for about $700.00 with a REAL warranty. $545.00 + shipping for a Chinese made knock off that is being sold in the US illegally???

The Tohautsu/Nissan/Mercury motors are still made in Japan NOT CHINA !!!!

_*"In January 2005, Tohatsu opened a new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in the mountainous area of central Japan that boasts over 34,000m2 of space and has a production capacity of over 200,000 units per year. Tohatsu's new plant uses technologically advanced machinery that is fully automated to produce reliable outboards with award winning reputations."

*_Please buy a real motor with a real warranty, from a real dealer and one that has PARTS availability!!

Wow the scammer's are out in full force these days but when it comes to a low price there is no shortage of US takers so why not!!!


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Unfortunately, there are too many people out there that don't seem to realize if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Thanks for the replies.

I wasnt trying to induce anyone to buy one of these motors - I simply got one for myself  . And it probably was a bit foolish to begin with. Still had no time to test the motor (I hope I dont blow up with it...)

However, in regard to some of the things that have been said here: As much as I am a rookie when it gets to boating I do have a general understanding of combustion motors. And there two things which I would like to remind you of: As for a motor as small as 3.5hp there is no need for rocket science applied to a marine engine. In fact the lawnmower you use at home probably gets quite close to that output, especially if it's a two-stroke engine (as in this case). And secondly, it is a fallacy to believe that Chinese goods are generally not good. In fact modern research is actually indicating that China is currently encouraging a highly skilled labor force to develop nationally. Trust me, the face of China is changing considerably and its reputation will change eventually. Yes, at the moment there's still heaps of inferior goods out there; however, this is not always the case anymore. And that is why I am giving this little motor a chance. It's not intended as an auxiliary motor for a luxury yacht or a water taxi - it's just for my little 9ft inflatable, which I use maybe once a month if I get a chance to. And I won this motor on an ebay auction (at no reserve price), so I may well have made a bargain. Or maybe not. But for the price I paid I am willing to take this risk.

Anyway, will let you guys know first thing when I try this dubious little motor out. If it's a blooper - oh well, I will get over it, save up for a quality product and write this off as a further experience


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I never bought the little motor. I ended up finding a deal on a 1992 Johnson 3hp with 5 hours on it. Since i posted the OP, ive bought and sold a 2001 Nissan 3hp motor. Didn't like it that much, single cylinders are a little too rough for me. I like my twin cylinder motors.

Pretty, isnt it?


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Congrats on your purchase, mate. That's a great find.

I was a bit late to revive this thread anyway....


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

*That!!*



SVDistantStar said:


> I never bought the little motor. I ended up finding a deal on a 1992 Johnson 3hp with 5 hours on it. Since i posted the OP, ive bought and sold a 2001 Nissan 3hp motor. Didn't like it that much, single cylinders are a little too rough for me. I like my twin cylinder motors.
> 
> Pretty, isnt it?


That motor pictured is the FINEST two stroke light weight motor ever produced! I have owned two and currently own a 2000 model and have been searching for a spare, for parts, since I bought it! Don't ever let that motor go!! 30lbs, two cylinders, smooth running, two stroke and RELIABLE!!

Do you want to sell it?????


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Not a chance. That motor is like brand new and hasn't been broken in yet. I know its pretty much the best of the small ones since its #5 in my collection of them. Its the newest and is a baby to work on with no points.


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## Davey1000 (Nov 19, 2008)

*Outboard Motor Durability*

Hi folks! I got my over-sixties bus pass a few years ago so I have seen a few things. Regarding outboard motors, some of the outboards built in Japan seem to be made from poor quality alloy which becomes porous and crumbly after about ten years. The other stunt that they do is they assemble the motor with low tensile bolts - after all the bolts are only going into aluminium! Actually the low tensile bolts are an extremely bad idea because when you try to unscrew them, the hexagons shear-off leaving your motor fastened together with rusty dowels. The old Yamaha 8HP two stroke is one such example. 
Beware of outboards that pack a lot of HP for their weight. Often these will be based on a lower HP model but the power-head will have been bored and stroked. I bought such a motor brand new many years ago, it was a 25HP motor that looked like a fifteen and its appetite for bevel gears was appalling. After one "professional repair" (which I had to pay for even though it was in guarantee as the importer claimed that I had abused the motor) the gearbox shredded again with just one weeks holiday use! (OK we were water-skiing but WTF) The failed motor was then sold cheaply as a non-runner and a complete new lower unit was fitted by the new owner but it failed again. It looked as if the ball races were flaking out after a weeks hard usage and once the gear mesh went awry the gearbox would fail. The motor was a Terhi made in Finland. Perhaps if the gearcase had been reverse-engineered with taper roller bearings it might have been OK. It might also have been OK with SKF or British Timken premium grade ball races instead of generics but its all history now. (the races on the failed gearboxes were so badly worn that the inners of the races could be moved through about 1/8 of an inch)
A Mercury 100HP straight six was excellent if a little thirsty but there were no bills for bevel gears!!!! It was a truly excellent ski motor that had a tremendous pull.
Johnson motors built in Belgium seem to be made from the correct grade of alloy as they last well. The problem as always when buying something new is how do you know whether the accountants have substituted a cheaper grade of alloy? (this trick has also been done on motorcycle engines where the prototypes used high strength magnesium alloy but production models used cheaper alloy and the head studs pulled - oh well this keeps the Helicoil company busy!) 
All one can really do is buy a tried and trusted brand and hope for the best. Good luck!

PS A blue-water yachtsman that I know has had a bit of trouble with his Mariner 3.3 (AKA Tohatsu 3.5) It has been getting clogged-up inside its water passages. Whilst he was it it he ported the motor and it now flies as before it was definitely slower than the Tohatsu version of the motor. (the motors were swapped over and the slowness also swapped over as the dinghy differences were eliminated - but its all right now!)


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