Quietest 2.5-3hp outboard?

Romans5.8

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Hey folks!
There are so many 2.3/2.5/3hp options out there, but not a lot of reviews/comparisons.

I'm leaning towards the Suzuki 2.5, because it's a little cheaper and lighter than most. But should I be looking elsewhere? How about noise? Is there one that can run at half throttle or so and have a conversation next to?
 

Lou C

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The Suzuki at half throttle is quiet, even at full throttle its not obtrusive. We have one we bought back in 2012 or so, only issue we had was that the carb was jetted too lean for it to run right, this took a couple of visits to the dealer to resolve. Its a common problem on small carbed outboards, the fuel mixture is not really adjustable unless you are willing to pull out the tin cover over the mixture screw and dig out the epoxy they put in there to keep you from adjusting it. I found it took 1/2 turn rich to get it to run perfect.
 

Rook66

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My little '66 3 hp Johnson is still making noise after 54 years. I'll bet the Suzuki won't be making any noise in less than half that time.

x14rf20.jpg
 

Sea Rider

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If budget is not an issue, go for the next HP with same CC, say a 3.5 instead of a 2.5, both HP should weight the same. A much wiser investment if plan powering a larger boat in the future..

Happy Boating
 

JimS123

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If you want new, a 4-stroke is the only option. If you want quiet, find an old JohnnyRude 2-stroke.

Any of the new 4-stoke single cylinder engines are going to be loud
 

Romans5.8

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If budget is not an issue, go for the next HP with same CC, say a 3.5 instead of a 2.5, both HP should weight the same. A much wiser investment if plan powering a larger boat in the future..

Happy Boating

I did some googling and it looks like the 3.5’s from all the brands are around 10 pounds heavier.
 

Romans5.8

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If you want new, a 4-stroke is the only option. If you want quiet, find an old JohnnyRude 2-stroke.

Any of the new 4-stoke single cylinder engines are going to be loud

I’ve been looking around. They seem pretty hard to find at that size. Coupled with the fact that it needs to be a long shaft because of how the motor mount works on the SE9.
 

Romans5.8

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I did some googling and it looks like the 3.5’s from all the brands are around 10 pounds heavier.

Well, ok, did a little more digging.
It looks like the Tohatsu/Mariner/Mercury (which all appear to be the same) is the same weight 2.5/3.5. But it's also super heavy at 41 pounds. Whereas the Suzuki is under 30 pounds and the Yamaha is 37. From what I can gather, the Tohatsu is a restricted 3.5, but the Suzuki is a bona fide smaller engine.

I'm leaning towards the Suzuki mostly for that reason. Whatever I get has to be carried down boat ramps and shorelines and while 41 pounds won't kill me, 29 pounds sounds really nice.

The SE9 is also only rated for 3hp and 45 pounds. And as far as upgrading; I'm not sure I can envision myself ever upgrading from a 2.5 to a 3.5. If I was going to get a bigger boat, I think I'd go much bigger; like something with a 25/40hp engine.
 

Sea Rider

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Whichever light weight HP motor you go for when at power will flex the mount downwards and the aft side tube where the motor mounts too. Cheapy inflatables are build with unsupported thin PVC fabrics that flexes too much compared to higher end inflatables. When flexing go easy with the throttle...

Happy Boating
 

matt167

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I have both an '82 Johnson 4 and a '97 Evinrude 4. Both are very quiet smooth running engines. You can find minty versions very cheaply. The power heads were the same for many years. Ignition components changed a few times
 

Lou C

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If carrying it each time you use it is the issue, then for sure get the Zuke DF 2.5. It is really light and performs well. We use ours on a Walker Bay 10' and it runs all day on like half a gallon! While the Merc/Tohatsu looks more substantial, carrying that 41 lb motor will get old in a hurry.
 

QBhoy

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As far as I know...there is no such thing as a quiet 4 stroke outboard this size. The complete opposite to larger engines, the older 2 stroke engines this size are all much quieter and easier on the ear than the newer 4 strokes. The best small engine this size in my opinion is a late model 2.2 Suzuki 2 stroke. Lightest on the market I think at 10kgs and just an incredible wee engine.
only bettered by the Yamaha Malta 3hp...but these are certainly heavier and very expensive to get a good one these days.
 

Lou C

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As far as I know...there is no such thing as a quiet 4 stroke outboard this size. The complete opposite to larger engines, the older 2 stroke engines this size are all much quieter and easier on the ear than the newer 4 strokes. The best small engine this size in my opinion is a late model 2.2 Suzuki 2 stroke. Lightest on the market I think at 10kgs and just an incredible wee engine.
only bettered by the Yamaha Malta 3hp...but these are certainly heavier and very expensive to get a good one these days.

none of those 2 strokes, not one of them is available new here, so all you have if you want new is the 4 strokes. Buying old small outboards is a risk because they sit around so much of the time. The Suzuki is certainly not objectional in fact we are going to do a bit of work to our 10' Walker Bay and start using it again soon.
The one chronic problem with all small outboards is clogging of the tiny jets, you eventually have to learn how to clean the carbs out, its a problem on ALL of them as far as I know.
 

Sea Rider

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With 2 stroke motors not a problem at all if you run the carb's bowl dry after returning to terra firme, can use muffs, barrel for such purpose along flushing your beloved motor with fresh water till dies of fuel starvation.Excellent procedure as you won't know when will be your next outing....?

Happy Boating
 

QBhoy

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none of those 2 strokes, not one of them is available new here, so all you have if you want new is the 4 strokes. Buying old small outboards is a risk because they sit around so much of the time. The Suzuki is certainly not objectional in fact we are going to do a bit of work to our 10' Walker Bay and start using it again soon.
The one chronic problem with all small outboards is clogging of the tiny jets, you eventually have to learn how to clean the carbs out, its a problem on ALL of them as far as I know.

Hold on a minute.

number 1, I offered a factual opinion
number 2, I saw no indication in the original post that the engine had to be new.

so my opinions and post stands relevant I’d think. Not a word of it is false either.
 

QBhoy

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none of those 2 strokes, not one of them is available new here, so all you have if you want new is the 4 strokes. Buying old small outboards is a risk because they sit around so much of the time. The Suzuki is certainly not objectional in fact we are going to do a bit of work to our 10' Walker Bay and start using it again soon.
The one chronic problem with all small outboards is clogging of the tiny jets, you eventually have to learn how to clean the carbs out, its a problem on ALL of them as far as I know.

The Suzuki 2.5 is certainly a 4 stroke, if that’s what you meant
 

JimS123

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With 2 stroke motors not a problem at all if you run the carb's bowl dry after returning to terra firme, can use muffs, barrel for such purpose along flushing your beloved motor with fresh water till dies of fuel starvation.Excellent procedure as you won't know when will be your next outing....?

Happy Boating

Mercury had some problems with their smallest single cylinder 4-strokes, and thus they now recommend in their owner's manual to follow the run the bowl dry procedure.

Funny thing, back in 1955 when Grandpa was teaching me how to properly care for his new OB 2-stroke, he said the same thing. How do they say it...."what comes around goes around", or something like that.
 

Lou C

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What I was getting at is if the buyer wants new to avoid problems then here in the USA there is no choice of a lighter and better 2 stroke as there is in other countries. And if you want light weight for portability the Suzuki is the best of the lot. The Honda 2.5 is even lighter but is air cooled (noisy) and uses a centrifugal clutch instead of a dog clutch. 29 lbs vs 41 for the Merc/Tohatsu...
 
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