70 HP outboards

[Hank49]

Hello all,

I guess this is the place to post this.....I'm upgrading my boat drive system from a single 115 hp four stroke, to twin 70s. I want four strokes for the fuel economy. Here in Belize I see a lot of Suzukis arriving and they appear to be selling well. Does anyone have an opinion comparing Suzuki vs Honda vs Mercury? I believe Honda makes a 75 hp but it will do. The Suzuki is also electronic fuel injected. Any problems with this system in seawater? Thanks, Hank

 

[ShakaZulu]

Yamaha can also be added to the list..........never had any problems with mine. Do you have any emission requirements out there??? The Yamaha exceed the Federal EPA 2006 emission requirements. Oh, make sure you can get them counter rotating...........

 

[Hank49]

Yamaha can also be added to the list..........never had any problems with mine. Do you have any emission requirements out there??? The Yamaha exceed the Federal EPA 2006 emission requirements. Oh, make sure you can get them counter rotating...........

I think different models may sell here vs in the USA. The only Yamaha four strokes I see are a 50 hp and a 100. I had a 60 hp Yamaha 2 stroke, which was a very reliable engine but it sucked more gas than my 115 Mercury four stroke....and the 115 is on a heavier boat. Yamaha makes a 70 and an 85hp 2 stroke that sells here but I need better gas efficiency. It's a trade off...reliability for fuel economy. But I need the twin motors. The reef is 20 miles from the mainland. Out of radio range pretty much. Thanks for your input Shaka. Hank

 

[Hank49]

Yamaha can also be added to the list..........never had any problems with mine. Do you have any emission requirements out there??? The Yamaha exceed the Federal EPA 2006 emission requirements. Oh, make sure you can get them counter rotating...........

Oh sorry, no emissions standards are ENFORCED here that I know of. Hank

 

[nwdiver2]

The suzukis 4 strokes are used on work boats I use in Chile and are great motors. In Vancouver the Hondas are primarily used but are more expensive and heavier by a bit. I used suzukis in South America for years, pre 4 stroke and found them to be good Japanese technology. I prefer Japanese not American for my outboards. The weight difference of 2 70 over 1 115 will be close to double without that much more horse power.

If security is the reason for the doubles buy a 9.9 long shaft power stroke and hang it on a bracket that can be pulled up. This system is heavily used in BC for trolling and as a get home motor but I don’t see it used much anywhere in the Caribbean. It also much less weight and cheaper.

 

[Hank49]

The suzukis 4 strokes are used on work boats I use in Chile and are great motors. In Vancouver the Hondas are primarily used but are more expensive and heavier by a bit. I used suzukis in South America for years, pre 4 stroke and found them to be good Japanese technology. I prefer Japanese not American for my outboards. The weight difference of 2 70 over 1 115 will be close to double without that much more horse power.

If security is the reason for the doubles buy a 9.9 long shaft power stroke and hang it on a bracket that can be pulled up. This system is heavily used in BC for trolling and as a get home motor but I don’t see it used much anywhere in the Caribbean. It also much less weight and cheaper.

That's a good idea. I've never seen that around Belize. I'll look into the long shaft, small motor. You're right about the weight increase using twin 70s. I drove a boat just like mine (don't know that model it was copied after, but it's made locally) with twin 50 Yamaha four strokes. It was a "dog". Even 115 is a bit light on power. But many thanks for the suggestion. Hank