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.
Contents
- Tiny in name only
- What to expect from a 2.5 HP outboard
- 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.
I’ve ranked them according to their manufacturers’ specs only. Which machine you choose depends on your specific needs.
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
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
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
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
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
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?
Choosing a small outboard
A guide to choosing a 2 HP to 6 HP outboard engine for your small sailboat
Choosing a 4 HP outboard
Like its 5 HP and 6 HP siblings, just not as much
Choosing a 5 HP or 6 HP outboard
Some are specialized for sailboats
At your service
Humbly yours,
Marc
Supreme Purser