Choosing a 2.5 HP outboard

These gasoline outboards are the tiniest, including the price

The latest models of the 2.5 HP outboards are the tiniest you can get. And they’re the least expensive gasoline outboard you can buy.

I’ve ranked them according to their manufacturers’ specs only. Which machine you choose depends on your specific needs.

Contents

• Tiny in name only
• What to expect from a 2.5 HP outboard
• Compare to electric
• Suzuki DF2.5
• Yamaha 2.5 HP
• Honda BF2.3
• Tohatsu MF2.5
• Mercury 2.5
• Need a bigger outboard?

Tiny in name only

They’re not as tiny in capability as you might guess. When he had his 17-foot Edel 540, my father put a Yamaha 2.5 HP on the transom. A Honda BF2.3 pushed my 19-foot O’Day Mariner. Both boats displace 1200-1300 lbs and cruised at about 3.5 knots with outboards at half-throttle.

What to expect from a 2.5 HP outboard

These 2.5 HP outboards have a few similarities:

• No reverse gear: At best you get forward and neutral.
• 360-degree steering: Kinda necessary when there’s no reverse gear.
• Carburated: Fuel injection is the missing hand-me-down. Until then you have to deal with the joys of trickier cold starts and reduced fuel efficiency.
• Internal tank only: A built-in tank saves precious storage space on a small boat. The bad news is that you can’t plug in an external tank.

Compared to electric

If you’re in the market for a 2.5 HP combusting outboard, look seriously at an equivalently-rated electric outboard, which has a 1 kWh motor. In most cases an electric either meets or exceeds a 2.5 HP combusting outboard’s capabilities:

• Weight: combustion. An electric with its integrated battery is heavier than the 2.5 HP combusting outboards here. 2.5 HP combusters are typically 4-5 kg (9-11 lbs) lighter.
• Range: same. With the 2.5 HP combusting outboard’s small internal tank, an electric can push you a similar distance on a single charge.
• Usability: electric. An electric is odourless and practically silent. It has no choke, has true forward/“neutral“/reverse, and can be stored in any position. They also have more remote options, a broader selection of transom depths, quick-swappable batteries, and more choices for recharging.
• Maintenance & reliablity: electric. Electrics are vastly simpler mechanically. There are no spark plugs or fluids to replace, no carburator to gum up, no freshwater flushing of the non-existent cooling system.

Suzuki DF2.5

Shaft length (inches): 15, 20

Weight (lbs/kg): 15-inch: 29.8/13.2, 20-inch: 30.8/14

Cooling: water

Tank capacity (US gal/litres): 0.26/1

Carrying handles: front and rear

Transmission: forward and neutral

Storage/transportation: upright, front, starboard, port

Warranty (years): 5

Manufacturer site

From specs alone the Suzuki mostly beats the rest. It’s as light as the Honda, but with real forward-neutral shifting and the quietness of water cooling.

The Suzuki has a full-on handle on the rear. It’s great for carrying the outboard. It’s also useful as a complement to the tiller when reversing.

Yamaha 2.5 HP

Shaft length (inches): 15, 20

Weight (lbs/kg): 15-inch: 37/17, 20-inch: 40/18

Cooling: water

Tank capacity (US gal/litres): 0.25/0.9

Carrying handles: front and rear

Transmission: forward and neutral

Storage/transportation: upright, front, starboard, port

Warranty (years): 3

Manufacturer site

My father had one to push his Edel 540. It started quickly, ran smoothly, and was just as cheap on fuel as my Honda. The Yamaha is heavier, but comes with a real shifter and runs quieter because of its water cooling. It has a rear handle, like the Suzuki.

Honda BF2.3

Shaft length (inches): 15, 20

Weight (lbs/kg): 15-inch: 29.5/13.4, 20-inch: 31/14.1

Cooling: air

Tank capacity (US gal/litres): 0.29/1.1

Carrying handles: front

Transmission: forward clutch

Storage/transportation: upright, port

Warranty (years): 5

Manufacturer site

I had the 2013 model. Generally, it’s a great outboard. It started quickly, ran smoothly, and sipped fuel.

The automatic clutch is hit and miss. More accurately, less hit and more miss. At idle it’s in neutral. Open the throttle and the clutch engages forward automatically. It works well enough, but combining throttle and shifting can be frustrating. The only way to get to neutral is to turn the throttle down all the way. That means vigilant maintenance to make sure that the throttle stop is properly adjusted and the engine won’t stall at idle.

Also, starting the engine guaranteed an immediate burst of thrust while I fussed with the choke and throttle to get down to idle/neutral. That’s inconvenient at the dock but a bigger pain in the ass when I was raising anchor.

The Honda uses air cooling, which saves weight. And no water pump means less maintenance and no impeller burning out if (who’s kidding who—when) the foot leaves the water. But the engine is noisier.

The Honda manual says that it can be stored upright or on its port side only. On my engine at least, oil would leak when I put it on its side. I don’t know if all outboards would do the same.

Tohatsu MF2.5

Shaft length (inches): 15

Weight (lbs/kg): 41/18.4

Cooling: water

Tank capacity (US gal/litres): 0.26/1

Carrying handles: front and rear

Transmission: forward and neutral

Storage/transportation: upright, front, starboard, port

Warranty (years): 5

Manufacturer site

It’s easy to lump the Tohatsu and Mercury together because of their closeness in specs and their corporate closeness. I’ve never used either one. Do you have one? Let me know.

They’re the heaviest and are only available in 15 inches.

Tohatsu and Mercury also offer a 3.5 HP. These outboards share the same mechanical specs as their respective 2.5 HP outboards but also come in a 20-inch model.

Mercury 2.5

Shaft length (inches): 15

Weight (lbs/kg): 41/18.4

Cooling: water

Tank capacity (US gal/litres): 0.3/1.1

Carrying handle: front

Transmission: forward and neutral

Storage/transportation: upright only

Warranty (years): 3

Manufacturer site

The Mercury has a larger fuel tank than its Tohatsu cousin. Keep in mind we’re talking about an extra quarter cup. Curiously, Mercury offers a 3 year warranty instead of Tohatsu’s 5 years.

Unlike the other outboards in this size, the Mercury must be stored upright only.

Need a bigger outboard?

At your service

Humbly yours,

Marc, Supreme Purser