2-Stroke vs. 4-Stroke Outboard: Choosing the Best Engine for Our Sailing Life- Ep. 240
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- čas přidán 30. 05. 2024
- Join us as summer arrives in the Bahamas, bringing high humidity and mold challenges. Living on a boat during this season is an adventure, and we're sharing our experiences and tips. Before the weather takes a turn, we enjoy some serene moments at anchor. However, a sudden forecast of 30 knot winds throws our maintenance plans into disarray. Watch as we brave the elements, from sanding teak handrails to debating between a 2-stroke and 4-stroke outboard engine for our ailing motor. Your input is invaluable - help us decide! Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more boat life adventures.
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Definitely a yamaha. We love ours
James is def team Yamaha and I’m team Suzuki! Who will win? Hahaha 🤣
Yamaha is the way to go very reliable
You can get a great deal if you buy a almost new engine or a demo model from eg. 2021. The best brand to choose is one there is easy to get spare parts for. The Suzuki 4-stroke is known to be very quiet and fuel efficient.
Thanks mate! Yeah after all the helpful comments and tips! We are def going for a 4-stroke! We are still undecided between a Yamaha 20hp or a Suzuki 20hp! Suzuki has a lot of things going for it…price is better, quieter (as you mentioned) and not as heavy! All wins! Cheers for watching and thanks for the good info! 🙏🤩
I have been following y’all for years. Love your channel and how y’all treat each other and work together. Last year I bought a new 10 ft rigid dingy and a Mercury 15 hp. One of the things I liked was it is fuel injected. I think it was about $4,000. It planes well with three people. I have never had four people in it. I am sorry you are forced to do this but as you consistently prove, life is an adventure. Good luck!
Thanks guys! What a lovely message to receive! Great to hear the mercury 15hp has been treating you well…always good to hear it from the source!
Yeah it’s a big hit of cash but a must!! I think all the ones we have been looking at were in the 4000 range too!
We will wait now till we are back in the states to buy one!
Thanks for watching and hope our paths cross soon!
I live in Florida and as you well know it has a high humidity. In our lawnbuiliding, all plastic walls, I installed a small fan (6 inch, low speed) that runs continuously and we haven't had a problem since with the water dripping off the inside of the building.
That’s a great idea! Thanks. We should probably leave the small little fans going constantly too! Love ❤️ Florida! ⛵️🤩
I have suzuki DF20 and is a fantastic motor, check around super dependable
Good to know! We are def between Suzuki or Yamaha
4 strock yamaha wins !
Hands down in every category.
James is convinced we need a Yamaha! And it’s nothing but good reviews! I’m leaning more towards a Suzuki ( price is great, not as heavy and very quiet) but then again never driven one! So May be comparable to a Yamaha! Still got a bit of time to decided since there are no 4 strokes sold in Bahamas only 2 stroke! Cheers for the advice and thanks for watching!
Gotta tape off the edge of teak so u dont scuff up the gel coat getting sand marks on it just a little tip gotta tape it anyway to varnish it so it kills 2 steps at once
Thanks for that! Yeah I got lazy with the rails! Will do it for the rest! Thanks!
Hi Guys! We are still in Marsh and this is a great video. Im sorry about my "box of rocks" remark when you came over a week ago. My opinion, I bought an old used 15 hp Mercury 2 stroke and I couldn't find parts because it was Yamaha! I think Yamaha Enduro is the most popular 2 stroke out there. But!!! an interesting observation when I was walking the docks at Conch, all the Navigare charter boats had the Yamaha 15 2 stroke. I think that is a sign for me but I will say that I hated my Tohatsu/Mercury 9.9 was a pain in the ass. Very sensitive to moisture in the gas. The other issue is the weight of the 4 stroke. Still, my friend with a Suzuki 20 hp 4 stoke is in love and it is super quiet and starts first pull.
Thanks Cal! See you next week when you are back in marsh!
😀😀👍👍❤❤
Yamaha seems to be the sailors favorite---I don't think they can sell 2 stroke in the USA anymore, but are readily available in the caribbean and PR !!
Yep you are right! 2 strokes here in Bahamas is the only way to go!
Suzuki DF20A is the way to go... 40 lbs lighter than a 20hp Yamaha. Other CZcams sailors have Suzuki. I like mine.
Right on! I am team Suzuki all the way!!! James team Yamaha! Hope I can convince him!
Suzuki 100% for 4 stroke. Get another 2 stroke would be my advice.
Thanks 🙏 I think we are going for a 4 stroke! And Suzuki is up there! It’s quieter, not as heavy and not as pricey as the Yamaha or Hondas! We are done with 2 stroke…the noise and the oil every time…it gets to you after 5 years! What do you have? Cheers for the great advice
Yamaha 30d if you can find one. Fuckers got torque and last forever
I think answering the question has become more difficult, due to the insanity of introducing Ethanol mix ? This stuff is a disaster for fuel lines, Seals etc, and Adding Ethanol Stabiliser is a must, as it has to be used at all times. For Two Strokes, this may add an additional factor, because you also cannot avoid adding the lubricating oil which combined with Stabiliser, may not be having great results long term ? If you can get hold of straight unleaded fuel reliably, I’d personally lean towards two stroke motors and use the excellent synthetic two stroke oils. Having used them with great success for literally decades with straight unleaded. I still have four winterised in the garage. My Next tender is going to have a four stroke on it though, and one of my two strokes will be onboard as a backups spare, after a full service, new impeller and new plugs as spares. Two strokes do like eating spark plugs, so I always have new spares with me. I do like the Tohatsu/ Mercury single cylinder 6 hp outboard, as at full throttle, you can get over ten miles per litre of fuel. So with a 25 litre fuel tank, you are looking at a range of over 250 miles at full throttle, and much further at partial throttle. If going multi cylinder outboard, it is much more difficult to recommend a particular make, though the up to 20 hp Suzuki twin cylinder does look a very interesting model. Not too quiet - bad for safety for people in the water, who need to be able to hear what is coming- a major safety issue with far too quiet electric outboards - and given fuel injection, very decent fuel economy apparently, though I have yet to see any accurate testing. The 5 year Suzuki Warranty with non professional use is a step in the right direction as well. So for me, the 6 Hp single cylinder Suzuki could well be worth trying . The 10 foot Tender I am after, has a maximum size of 6 hp outboard recommended. It’s an air deck and keel model, so easy to deflate and carry in a cockpit locker. It’s a hypalon type fabric from Seago. I might decide on something bigger than that yet though. Depends on the size of the Sailboat I end up with, Seems I’m going to need a bigger Sailboat than initially planned - I favour really the 38 foot to 44 foot LOA Range personally, but to get a high chance of obtaining essential for me, in mast furling mainsail, bigger is better, though then I run into the problem of far too deep Shoal Draft, along with really stupid on a Cruiser, the serious Two Rudder issues. If the Sailboat has a really wide beam, and hard chines, plus great underwater hull design, the damned thing never heels more than 15 degrees anyway, no matter the Sailing Conditions, so a single rudder never becomes a problem. I’m planning on about five years in the Caribbean, and Commuting up to Massachusetts for Hurricane Season, and heading back to the Caribbean after Hurricane Season is over. Anyone who has sailed that East Coast stretch, knows the extent of the fields of Lobster Pots and Crab Pots along the Coast there. If I have a Twin Rudder Sailboat, I am basically restricted to Sailing in Daylight, plus having a boat that can make use of the ICW etc, which affects the Mast Height, as well as needing a really Shallow Draft, with the Bahamas etc, requiring similar considerations. Frankly, I’m starting to think about something just over 50 feet LOA, that can carry a pretty big Tender So from anchoring well out, can rapidly get me to shore and back. Annual costs go through the ruddy roof though. Sigh. Best Wishes. Bob.🤔🌟🌟🌟⛵️❤️
Love reading your comments BoB! You know your stuff! James and I loved reading through this one! A 50 footer sounds perfect…we would love to go bigger too! Have u found any good deals out there? James has a few websites he is always on checking for deals on boats…will let u know if he sees any good ones!
As for the outboards…I think it’s a great idea having the two stroke as a backup but a 4 stroke on the tender! I think we will change to 4 stroke just to go for something different and see how we like it!
Cheers for bringing a smile to our faces! Chat soon! 🤩⛵️
@@SailingZephyr There are some cracking deals on 50 foot plus plus boats out there, look for price drops on brand new ones purchased by Charter Companies who have large block orders to obtain their massive purchasing discounts, and who are open to offers so they don’t get lumbered with non performing assets on their hands. I’d actually prefer something a bit under 50 feet LOA, as annual costs really take off once you hit 50 feet, and frankly, a post 2010 45 footer has a lot more living space than a pre year 2000 50 footer, if you get a really good wide beam hull with an excellent below waterline hull design, so you never need to exceed a 15 degree heeling angle, no matter the sea conditions. However, if my very limited amount ofSilver Bullion hits the expected Unobtainium price levels and Purchasing Power- Silver presently is the most chronically undervalued commodity on the planet - then me being able to afford to keep a 50 plus feet LOA Sailboat to the high level of maintenance standards that I demand, for long enough to see me out, then I’ll go for one. I particularly like the Beneteau Oceanis 60 tbh. But things like high spec Sails for one, tbh, are eye wareringly expensive, as is everything else for such a Sailboat. tbh, my natural fit Sailboat as a classic Sailboat Cruiser from the times when Classic Sailboats were current production was for 30 plus feet LOA - my last Sailboat for example was a long Keel Shallow Draft tougher than old boots Endeavour 32, and much as I loved that boat, it was a hard lesson to learn that such Sailboats just don’t work for me any longer, and due to disabilities, I need a Sailboat big enough to be comfortable and safe to carry me and a delivery Crew plus family members where I need to go.So very recent to new and unused ex charter spec that’s open to offers seems like the way to go.The Money around to buy things, does appear to be disappearing fast - Right now the Overnight REPO Market is extracting around two Trilkion dollars from circulation every single night, and combined with the Credit Squeeze taking place, we may be heading for a similar to 1929 Crash, when suddenly, literally nobody had any Money, and a Partial Deflation started which led to the Great Depression. So the disposal of boats could get as urgent as the situation after 2008, when lots of good boats got scuttled offshore, as people just couldn’t afford to keep them any longer , and nobody was Buying. The Property Bubble, along with every other Bubble could well Burst all at the same time. So best advice is, don’t get into debt, and if you have debts, clear them bloody fast if possible? Unfortunately, I will only be able to save one nice Sailboat, and still afford to keep it in the tip top condition it deserves. So I need to be a bit careful with its LOA really. 🤔 Best Wishes, and Good Luck To Everybody. Bob, who can now feel the approaching next shoe to drop. I hope that I’m Wrong. 🙏🌟🌟🌟👍⛵️❤️
PS. The increasing number of excess Deaths is worrying, and numbers are such that less people around has Deflationary effects as well l almost became a part of the statistics with an antibiotic resistant Bacteria which gave me Respiratory Failure and Pneumonia back in January, which led to a Heart Attack, and a long spell in an Intensive Care Unit followed by a spell in an Adult Recovery Unit, before being released to go home. Once home again though, I’ve been bouncing back pretty well, and smoking cigarettes appears to have killed off the bacteria, and got me talking again, to the distress of others 🤣 On a serious note, there appears to be an issue with this Bacteria in Britain, and it almost killed my best Friend, who lives across the Country from me. What got me to the point of Treatments working, was a Meditative Deep Breathing Regime, and symptoms relief from large amounts of Fisherman’s Friend lozenges, my kid sister brought loads of packets of them into the ICU for me, as the Nebulisers they were using didn’t have any active ingredients in them to assist breathing. One of the ICU Nurses was going downhill really fast, so another Nursetook over a packet of the lozenges for me, and they got her through her Shift, we didn’t see her again for three days, but she was right as rain when she returned- which indicates that an actual Cure is available? 🤔 Best Wishes. Bob. 👍🌟🌟🌟❤️⛵️
Yamaha is no1 in South Africa.Most reliable over here and very popular....
Love South Africa! We really would love to go back someday! Yeah we have narrowed it down to either Yamaha or Suzuki! Must admit that James is team Yamaha and I am team Suzuki! Who will win this one!? Haha 😂 cheers for watching and thanks for the great advice
How do you not scratch the deck gelcoat with that sander
I think I have done a little! Got lazy! Will do it for all the other rails
Did u ever find the thermo meter
Ha ha! Such a laugh!
If you think a 20 hp motor is able to do what you want get a 25hp. That way you will not be making the motor work as hard and therefore it will last you much longer and work out cheaper in the long run.
This is James’ reasoning exactly!!! Loves this comment as he has been trying to convince me to a 25hp! 🤣 thanks for watching mate!
Hate to say it, but 2 stroke all the way. Very simple, light weight and easy to repair, no valves, cams or belts. I have a Tohatsu 9.8 two stroke. Every couple of years I change the impeller, the case oil, plugs and if running rough, clean the carb. Simple stuff with easy to obtain, inexpensive parts. Four strokes are a different animal, run great, fuel efficient and quieter. That said, once their is problem you will most likely need an experienced outboard mechanic to repair it. Hanging on to my 2 stroke for cruising, but prefer a four stroke when out and about in my home port of Long Beach, CA. Charter companies have many years of experience with outboards and the Yamaha Enduro two stroke is their engine of choice.
You are right!! The enduros are great and def charter companies are all over them! We have loved our two stroke, yet feeling like we may want a change! Try out those quiet 4 strokes! But we will see…you do have a huge point about servicing them! We like to do everything ourselves to save money and sounds like 4 strokes will be going into a mechanic if something went wrong…so could be expensive in the long run! Cheers for all the great info, food for thought for sure. Thanks for watching
After reading a fair number of reviews on the 4 vs 2 stroke question the main issue was the lack of parts availability for 4 stroke engines in areas like you travel. You might try calling around and asking for replacement parts you will need for a 4 stroke engine. Looking forward to see what you decided on.
Thanks Marcos! Yeah you are right, the pasts issue has also been on our minds! I think we have decided on a 4 stroke…Yamaha or Honda 20hp….but if our engine dies before we get back to the USA then we will be buying a 15 hp Yamaha enduro 2stroke as they only sell 2 strokes in the Bahamas! Will post a video of what we end up buying soon!
Thanks for watching and thanks for the advice
🤩⛵️
You shouldn't even be mentioning two stroke outboards let alone considering them. They are high poluting and archaic. Why is there no mention of electric outboards???
YES, WHY.
ITS 2024!
😡
You obviously don’t know about modern two stroke with direct fuel injection. Do some research rather than reading forums.
Or point out that you are comparing old carburetor’s. Also take into consideration what goes into making lithium ion batteries and how much diesel it takes to charge them , solar will not if it runs through your cruiser boats main system, the cost of zinc anodes needed on an electric outboard is another negative. Then again if someone is really that concerned with the environment they probably should not be a cruiser, go for a row!
First and foremost we would love an electric outboard….however, the cost is waaay out of our league! The equivalent of a 20hp would be $11,000! That’s crazy money! I’m all for it if you have that kind of cash! But trust me most cruisers don’t have that kind of cash to spend! So hence why for us there is no mention of it! What do you have on SV dream catcher?
Check the costs of electric outboards motors! We would love to have one! Just the same way not a lot of people can afford teslas!
Couldn’t have said it better!! Cheers mate!