# outboard without reverse gear



## P435 (Dec 3, 2015)

Hi,

I was about buying a Tohatsu outborder with 3.5 HP when I recognized that this motor has no revers gear but the entire motor needs to be rotated.

I would appreciate to get opinions on how good such motor is to be handled and how cumbersome it is to always rotated the entire motor.


Thanks in advance!


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## danvon (Dec 10, 2012)

I have the same motor (this is the one without a neutral I assume?)
The reverse is really easy to deal with, at least on the dinghy where it is easy to reach. If you had it mounted on the transom of a sailboat and had to lean over to spin it i think it would be a pain. Honestly, the lack of neutral is more noticeable. You pull the cord and off you go so you have to think ahead a little.


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

This is quite common with tiny outboards (by which I mean those less than 5hp or so). It is a bit of an inconvenience, but only a bit. A full transmission just would not be feasible on these small outboards, so you deal with it.

When I only have to back up a very short way, I sometimes use the paddle, and then start the outboard when I'm ready to go forwards.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

We have no reverse (Nissan/Tohatsu) 3.5 but we do have neutral - which is a feature I really like. Spinning the motor in a dinghy is no big deal, but if it's on a small sailboat where access may be awkward that might be different. OTOH that small a boat is easy to stop by hand at the dock or ramp etc.


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

It's a tradeoff. When we cruise, we take a suzuki with a builtin gas tank and no reverse gear. The good news, you can pick it up with one hand and hang it on the rail. The bad news - not a lot of power and not good for getting an inflatable up on plane with a couple of people in it. Turning it around is a bit of a hassle, particularly when starting up at the dingy dock, usually bow in. You end up starting, then spinning it, then putting it into gear. You get pretty good a spinning it in gear when you need to go from forward to reverse, but admittedly this is a bit awkward.

IMHO, I think this is about how much you value light weight portability in your particular application vs power, speed, range and easy of use.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Being able to one-hand the little motor up onto the rail from down in the dinghy is another thing I really like about this motor.. that and the fact that it's never failed to start in 10 years, even though we rarely use it, preferring our kayaks for most shore excursions.

The neutral feature is nice because you can start up without the prop spinning right away, much better for kids using it too, safer in the event that the revs take off upon starting.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

I used to have one and instead of being an inconvenience you can use it to thrust in any direction, a bit like a tug. It takes a little practice but its quicker and easier than fumbling for a gear change lever. Spin it around fast and see what happens.

I used to push big boat with engine problems with it and it works great

As for light weight and integrated fuel tank its a winner if you only want a slow moving dinghy.

Mark


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## Erindipity (Nov 29, 2014)

I have an old Cruise-N-Carry ~1.5Hp, which followed the same concept. Very light. I used it with a small Achilles Unflateable. Much time was spent getting it going, while dealing with Soggy Knees. The small plastic prop spins at idle with not much effect, revving it up made some difference. It could be spun around over 180 Degrees with some acrobatics; reverse was not necessary.
However, once running, it could make the Achilles dance around like a soggy Ballerina. But not a particularly _fast_ soggy Ballerina.

¬Erindipity


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## Waltthesalt (Sep 22, 2009)

I have a 3.5 nissan like that. Reversing on the dinghy was no problem, best to reduce throttle. I did modify it with a kit to use an external gas tank. The installed one is small and filling it over water a pain because of it being hard to prevent an overflow.


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## VallelyJ (Nov 21, 2008)

In return for having to spin the motor, which soon became second-nature, you don't have the added weight and mechanical complexity of a transmission. 
As another person has said, having a centrifugal clutch takes a little more getting used to, but it's still a good trade-off for my purposes. It just depends on your priorities.
I have a Honda 4-stroke 2.5. Kind of plastciky and doesn't go too fast, but weighs just over #30.
JV


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## Pegu club (Jun 10, 2012)

I had one of those for two seasons, the reverse thing is no big deal to use. My only issue with the 3.5 is that it was temperamental as can be, ran fine out of the box, then after a four or five months it would take many many pulls to start, and would stall at low throttle, went so far as to install a new carb to cure its issues, but the same issues happened again, sold it.


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## jwing (Jun 20, 2013)

The motor on my 19' is a Suzuki 2.5. No reverse gear. It took me a day or two to get my brain to automatically spin the motor around when I need to back up or slow down. My boat is small enough that reaching the motor is not problem. The motor tiller does flip over so it is at hand when the motor is facing aft. Needing to spin the motor in order to reduce speed taught me to drive slow in the marina. I like the 360 degrees of thrust availability.


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## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

Our Honda 2hp has no reverse and it's no big deal to simply spin the motor around. In fact, I like the 360 degrees of thrust. What I don't like is not having neutral. To stop movement I have to shut the engine off, which isn't hard but gets annoying when you're simply dropping someone off at a swim ladder or visiting another dinghy for a minute or two.


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## jwing (Jun 20, 2013)

I would avoid a motor without neutral. Beside the convenience that kwalktersmi discusses, the ability to pop in and out of gear is valuable in docking situations.

Also, at the end of the day, I put my motor in neutral and turn it off, but leave the kill switch on. The motor runs for a few minutes while it's burning off the gasoline that's inside of it. Keeps the motor from getting gummed up.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

I have a Mercury badged 3.3 2-stroke with Neutral and Forward. I use this motor on my dinghy. In my experience, it is BY FAR the most common dinghy motor. It has already been pointed out that it is light enough to lift with one hand to hang it off the pushpit. It is also powerful enough that it can get my West Marine inflatable up on a plane with me in it.

I find that even after disassembly, cleaning and applying a coat of 60% molybdenum disulfide paste (every other year), that the shifter gets sticky, and wants to stay in gear. This is not a problem, as the motor is small enough to start and stop in gear. It would likely stick in reverse, if it had one, and that _would be_ a problem.

Like most things; once you get used to spinning the motor around, it becomes second nature.

I love the motor for its reliability (usually starts right up), and simplicity. I wish that it had a throttle on the tiller, however.


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

Another happy Tohatsu 3.5 owner here. Has neutral. Spinning for reverse is no big deal at all. As someone else mentioned, it gives you maximum flexibility for maneuvering around to nudge into a small space, or push around the mothership. 

Great lightweight engine that easily planes our portabote with one person in it. I've even had it up on plane with two people on board, but that was ideal conditions.


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## VallelyJ (Nov 21, 2008)

> To stop movement I have to shut the engine off, which isn't hard but gets annoying when you're simply dropping someone off at a swim ladder or visiting another dinghy for a minute or two.


I wonder if the idle is too fast. Mine bumps the dock lightly when I start it sometimes but it idles without moving, although it's still brand-new.


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## HighCs123 (May 9, 2012)

When i first used my evinrude 2.5hp, it was really frustrating. It was a stubborn 2 stroke that didnt wanna idle when cold, and it never ran enough to warm up, so it always needed to run at least moderate throttle. It did start very easily, and the kill switch was on the handle. So id fire it up, let it work, and kill it. This probably did worsen its idle ability, as it probably built up gum or carbon and reduced it idle quality until it no longer had one. However it always worked.

The great part about these engines with no gear, is that you can spin them 90 or any angle you want, and kick your stern exactly sideways when you want, sorda like a stern thruster. With bigger engines that have gearboxes, you have to forward, neutral, reverse, neutral forward ect ect ect. So thats one plus that is pretty fun.

No matter what you have, if you use it, you will get used to it, and it will be nothing to it.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

I think the decider here is if you are doing long dinghy runs for resupplying with 2+ passengers and you want to plane there and back this is not the motor for you.

If it's a sub 9foot dinghy, for toodling to shore or the nearby pub and you're not in a hurry, the maneuverability and light weight make such a motor the obvious choice.

FWIW ours has always started up with 2-3 pulls, even the first time of each season. We do always run the fuel out between runs (shut of the fuelcock and let it starve)


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