Tohatsu Motors Rating

[ajohnston]

Has any had any experience with the TOHATSU OUTBOARDS CURIOUS THEY ARE SOMEWHAT LESS IN PRICE.

 

[CAPTBLACKSMARINE]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

haven't you heard the saying you get what you pay for! from what i have heard they are not bad engines .though i have never owned one personally.but unless you live in one of very few places through out the country that actually has a dealer where you can get parts and service why would you ever buy one?saving money isn't worth very much if it breaks and you can't use it.and unfortunately i have yet to see a motor that did not break eventually.and even with out having to worry about getting it repaired when it breaks what about service and parts for routine maintenance.but then if you do have a local dealer for them then not very much of this applies ,but if not save yourself alot of trouble and spend the extra cash to buy a motor from a local dealer .

 

[JB]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

Howdy, AJohnston. <br /><br />Tohatsu (and Nissan) engines are very popular with commercial fishermen, so they must be very dependable. Their reputation is excellent.<br /><br />You don't find many dealers except in commercial fishing ports, so they aren't very common in recreational use.<br /><br />They are priced lower than most competitors because they don't spend bazillions on advertizing and many are retailed by mail order.<br /><br />Red sky at night. . .<br />JB

 

[crab bait]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

i agree with BOTH j.b. & capt.black . everyword.. they are made in japan for commercial fishermen.. ihave two nissans, exactly the same thing as tohatsu, EXACTLY.( it's a U.S.A. name reconnission thing ) an 8hp & 40 hp ..i just cut the bands off the box, put them on boats an ran em'. both has never had an adjustment of anykind at all,ever. right out of the box. varoooooom.the 40 hp holds the 40 speed record , so i read. heck, any generic ob mechanic could fix 'em . as far as parts go, most big marine stores carry nissan motors an can get parts. or go online (web )for parts . but like i said capt. black is right, we should support our local dealers an we should all by american

 

[SeaSnapper]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

Make sure you have a dealer in your area before you buy mail order. I would visit the one closest and ask for a price list. Maybe they would be cheaper. Also get a feel on how they are about repairing motors bought mail order. Some dealer do not like this others do not care. Nissan and Tohatsu are as good as any other. If it bothers you that your money is going to Japan then buy American and pay the extra 2-400 dollars and sleep well at night. All brands have problems sooner or later so be sure you have your bases covered before you buy. Just my thoughts. Good luck with your outboard buying.

 

[DJ]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

They are good motors. Very simple, simple to maintain. They were and are designed for the commercial market.<br /><br />The dealer here in this neck of the woods, er-desert, says he'll meet any "on-line" or mail order price. Can't do anything about the tax though.<br /><br />Ask around.<br /><br />I would rather buy from a person I can see.

 

[John from Madison CT]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

I recently bought a Tohatsu 5hp 4 stroke as a kicker for my Boston Whaler Montauk.<br /><br />FWIW, I did the research and found out that Tohatsu's are also Nissans BUT at least in the lower horse power range, they are also Mercurys. Identical motors and have since found that Tohatsu makes motors for Merc.. I saved $300 buying the Tohatsu over the Merc. (or ~30%)<br /><br />John

 

[Waco]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

Tohatsu motors down here in the southeast US are a bit higher in cost than other comparable engines. There is a dealer here in town, and he claims to match or beat any advertised price, he'll even let you use his computer in his office to browse the web. BUT, his motors "tohatsu" are still more $ than merc., bomb.,yami, ....maybe its just location????????

 

[Waco]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

guess I should also add that this dealer only stocks 4 stroke engines (after 1-1-2002)

 

[JB]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

Hey, Waco:<br /><br />Is your Tohatsu dealer actually pricing his 4 strokes higher than the "big 4" 4 strokes? Or are his 4 strokes merely higher than the others' 2 strokes?<br /><br />Red sky at night. . .<br />JB

 

[jeffers]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

HEY ajohnston<br />I have owned 1 tohatsu and 2 nissans. I have been very pleased so far. I have ran nissan & tohatsu for over 10 years and have had no major problems (knock on wood). <br />I just hope they last as long as my Dad's 9-1/2 hp 1968 model johnson.

 

[crab bait]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

the way i hear it & i could be wrong ,that tohatsu / nissan will not be making 4 cycles cause the can meet the new 200? specs. in a redsigned 2 cycle .. by-the-way john ct. what does fwlw mean?

 

[crab bait]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

the way heard it ,, tohatsu / nissan are not making 4 cycles cause they can meet the 200? specs. with a new designed 2 cycle.. by-the-way john ct. what does fwlw mean?

 

[DJ]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

Crab Bait,<br /><br />They have gone to direct injection on their 50 and 70. They're keeping four stroke on smaller engines.<br /><br />I would expect they will go direct injection on the 90 and up engines soon.<br /><br />If they think they can meet 2008 emissions with TDI-more power to them. It's simpler and cheaper to build than four strokes. Simple and inexpensive is what Tohatsu and Nissan is all about.

 

[John from Madison CT]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

CRABBAIT,<br /><br /> FWIW means: For What It's Worth.<br /><br /> Hope that helps.<br /><br />John

 

[jwhite]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

As a nissan dealer i really like the motors (mainly because you hardley ever have to work on them, they just never break.) The only problem i have with them is that they don't make anything bigger than a 140. One good tip, run a mercury prop on them, they perform a lot better.

 

[DJ]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

Thanks White!<br /><br />Folks, that's an honest dealer.

 

[62_Kiwi]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

I just bought a Tohatsu 8hp for a kicker on my 19' runabout. It only weighs 59 lb which is about 15 lb lighter than the name brand 8hp (2 strokes) - great for an auxilary motor.<br /><br />The engine itself looks simple and easy to work on. My local mechanic says they are as reliable as they come. Mine is about 12 years old, still looks quite new and starts first pull.<br /><br />There seem to be plenty of Tohatsu service centres in Auckland, so that settled it. A small experiment for me as I usually stick to the big brand names...

 

[crab bait]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

whitesmarine welcome,, would a merc. prop fit my 40 nissan ? or i should say , will merc.props fit all nissan ? if so great ,, if so,, the same pitch & dia. or go different because of some reason ?

 

[jwhite]

Re: Tohatsu Motors Rating

Yeah all merc props are interchangable with nissans of the same size. The best thing to do is try to borrow a merc. prop of the same pitch of your nissan prop and then work from there. If you're running to many rpm's raise pitch, too little drop pitch.