Most reliable 20-30 ho outboard

[Bolete]

I leaning towards a new Yamaha F25c tiller, electric start and efi. Can you suggest anything which is better?
Thanks

[MooseRiverTrapper]

When you get looking at what the fly in lodges use. For the most part they are all Yamaha tillers. After talking to a couple of my buddies that guide up north I went with the yammy 25 pull start and it’s been great.

[58thecat]

That or the Honda's of similar specs....can't go wrong.

[jungleboy]

I just finished going through the break in period on my new Yamaha 25 with electric start. Love the motor , very quiet and smooth running , the electric start is a huge plus in my opinion. It doesn't have the performance of my old Yamaha 2 stroke 25 but hard to beat as a fishing motor. Significantly lighter than the Honda .

[Fishwhere]

You are on the money with the yamaha. Some guys have hondas, but the yamahas seem to be the staple when it comes to the lodges that have lots of rough use and long term use.

[Garlicmarshmellow]

Tohatsu motors are not very popular in North America but they are the engine used the most in fishing communities outside of NA from what I have read. Got a 20 hp one electric start and never had a issue.

[DOGFISH]

Tohatsu makes Mercury small ouboards.Only a few minor differences. 99 lbs,EFI,5 year warranty. Go see Ray at Barry Jay's Marine. Say Keith sent you. Very happy with my New Merc. Went to look at the two Tohatsu 20hp that are used but they were long shafts. Dogfish

[Cageyc]

Not sure what you have for a boat but the 30 hp Yamaha 3 cylinder is a real winner

[SamSteele]

I think most brands have the 20-30 hp 4 stroke motors figured out pretty well. I’ve run Honda, Yamaha, and Merc. All three did what they were supposed to do. I have had a few issues with my 2001 Yamaha 25 over the past couple of years. A recent tune up seems to have helped.

[Gear guy]

Anyone try those Tahatsu motors? Any good?
I like Honda but Yamaha is a real good choice

[Bolete]

I went with the Yamaha which is fuel injected. I had a 20 hp Honda, but it had a finicky carb, and I got tired of messing with it.

[Garlicmarshmellow]

Mine has two good seasons no issues and I change my oil twice a year. runs smooth

[Bushleague]

You are on the money with the yamaha. Some guys have hondas, but the yamahas seem to be the staple when it comes to the lodges that have lots of rough use and long term use.

In my observations Yamaha's seem to be a staple anywhere that boats are counted on to make money or for transportation. Right from Alaska to Panama I have seen the same trend, if the boat is not owned solely for recreational use there is roughly a 90% chance it has a Yamaha outboard clamped on it.

[Da'Newf]

Anyone try those Tahatsu motors? Any good?

I like Honda but Yamaha is a real good choiceHave had a Tohatsu 20 HP from Free Spirit Marine for about 5 or 6 years now. Got the one with electric start and alternator. Just over 100 lbs I think. Best bang for your buck compared to all the other brands, especially since it is essentially the same unit as the Mercury and Nissan skilar sized units. No issues so far.

About to do the annual start of season maintenance next time I'm off shift. Change motor oil. Seems like I remember the filter being a bit of a pain to get at unless ya got small hands. Haha. Change leg oil. And change the water pump impeller each year. Had one fail during post oil-change testing before a big trip. Just ordered the impeller on Amazon for about $20 so probably do the servicing this weekend after the part shows up.

[freshtinov]

My Yamaha has been great!

[Garlicmarshmellow]

Newf, there is a oil filter wrench that fits over the end of your oil filter and you use a socket wrench to help remove it. I believe its the same wrench that fits over a 20 hp merc filter. Makes removing the filter a lot easiesr. I got the same motor as you have. How important is it to change the impellor ever year? Pm me and I can send you a pic if you want. BP may have the filter wrench in stock too. Its actually not a wrench but a piece you slide over the end of your filter

[Salavee]

Tohatsu motors are not very popular in North America but they are the engine used the most in fishing communities outside of NA from what I have read. Got a 20 hp one electric start and never had a issue.

Hard to tell what bloodlines are under the cowling. Tohatsu is either the first or second largest O/B Mfg on the globe and has been for decades. These days even a Tohatsu can be a purebred Honda if you have one 60 hp or larger. Check the small print on most O/B brands if you really want to know. Brand loyalty doesnt mean all that much in today's world.

[Da'Newf]

Newf, there is a oil filter wrench that fits over the end of your oil filter and you use a socket wrench to help remove it. I believe its the same wrench that fits over a 20 hp merc filter. Makes removing the filter a lot easiesr. I got the same motor as you have. How important is it to change the impellor ever year? Pm me and I can send you a pic if you want. BP may have the filter wrench in stock too. Its actually not a wrench but a piece you slide over the end of your filterGMM - I test the outboard each season before I even look at my 12.5' inflatable. A Seabright Marine similar to the zebec and other models sold in these parts. And so far have replaced the impeller at least 3 times now that I can recall. Didn't have the boat out at all last year - spent too much time at the plant during turnaround.

But two summers ago everything was testing good including the impeller, and I thought I was done. Was just about to shut the outboard off when the water stream just tapered right off then stopped. Yep. Swap the impeller and all good again. Would really ruin a trip to get out on the lake or river only to have that happen there.

For the $20 or so on Amazon.ca for the impeller, and the bit of time it will take, I'll follow the manual which also says every 12 months.

I'll look into that wrench. Might be worth having. Thanks for the suggstion.

[Positrac]

GMM - I test the outboard each season before I even look at my 12.5' inflatable. A Seabright Marine similar to the zebec and other models sold in these parts. And so far have replaced the impeller at least 3 times now that I can recall. Didn't have the boat out at all last year - spent too much time at the plant during turnaround.

But two summers ago everything was testing good including the impeller, and I thought I was done. Was just about to shut the outboard off when the water stream just tapered right off then stopped. Yep. Swap the impeller and all good again. Would really ruin a trip to get out on the lake or river only to have that happen there.

For the $20 or so on Amazon.ca for the impeller, and the bit of time it will take, I'll follow the manual which also says every 12 months.

I'll look into that wrench. Might be worth having. Thanks for the suggstion.


I’ve ran small outboards for the last 35 years in a combination of salt and fresh water and I’ve only had one impeller go bad in that time and that was from a plastic bag covering the intake and causing the impeller to overheat before I noticed that water had become restricted. I’d say there is something up if you’ve had 3 go bad in a short period of time. I’d switch to OEM impellers instead of the cheap Amazon ones as that could be your issue. Or, check which way you are rotating your prop when installing the cap on the impeller or impeller in the housing depending on model. I flush my motors after every use and while impellers do occasionally go bad you shouldn’t need to change them every year and I’ve never read that in any of the manuals that I’ve had.

Something that I’ve seen done lots of times but should also never be done is using a set of muffs to hook a garden hose up to your motor to run it in the driveway. A barrel is the only way to go if a person wants to be sure the impeller is pumping sufficient water. Line pressure from a garden hose will make it appear the impeller is fine when in fact it might not be and water is just being pushed past a bad impeller.