[Texasproud11]

I'm at sort of at a crossroads with the new Gheenoe LT 10 purchase as it pertains to a motor and would like some insight from you pros as its my first boat. I'm looking to run as much of a pure tiller rig as possible with minimal electronics. I sense that its best to stay in the short shaft arena and a manual start? I can get the Tohatsu 20 for around 2700 new and the Yamaha 25 for 3100 new (top of my budget). These are the cheapest new motors in the 20 and 25 hp I found. The Yamaha 25 comes in at close to 30 lbs heavier (126 lbs) than the Tohatsu at 94 lbs. My big question is does the extra hp make up for that weight gain on a smaller boat?

Also, at that $3100 range, I could get a Tohatsu 20 with Electric start but then I believe I would need a battery (80lbs) and wiring. My only reason for an electric start would be if I got in a hairy situation on a river. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Jpscott1]

I have a Yamaha 25 on a Pathfinder and I have a Tohatsu 20 on a Jon boat. Both are 4 strokes but they are not the new fuel injected models. Anyways- if it were me I would buy the Tohatsu 20 for a Gheenoe. Those Yamaha 25s- although somewhat lighter than they used to be - are still very heavy. I haven’t shopped for motors in a while- but I would think you could find the Tohatsu 20 for less than $2700. In regards to your second question - you could purchase a Tohatsu with electric start and you would have ability to use it with a battery when you need it or take battery out and go with pull start when you don’t.

 

[Texasproud11]

Thats a good point. Maybe just being new to the boat game had me lost there but you can manually start an electric start motor?? Also, any direction on where to shop for the cheapest new motors?

 

[Gervais]

I don’t have any experience with the new tohatsu 20hps but do have a little with the Yamaha 25. They are strong motors for sure but are heavy as jpscott1 said. I would bet the Yamaha would be faster but only by a few mph but the weight distribution would suffer. I would personally go with pull start. I pull my 25 2 stroke behind my back no sweat and had a mercury 20hp 4 stroke that pulled easy too. The new Yamaha 25 is a lot harder though so keep that in mind. Not sure on the new tohatsus but I would lean toward the 20 pull start.

 

[Texasproud11]

I don’t have any experience with the new tohatsu 20hps but do have a little with the Yamaha 25. They are strong motors for sure but are heavy as jpscott1 said. I would bet the Yamaha would be faster but only by a few mph but the weight distribution would suffer. I would personally go with pull start. I pull my 25 2 stroke behind my back no sweat and had a mercury 20hp 4 stroke that pulled easy too. The new Yamaha 25 is a lot harder though so keep that in mind. Not sure on the new tohatsus but I would lean toward the 20 pull start.

Good thoughts! Just want to confirm if short shaft the way to go too?

 

[Jpscott1]

Good thoughts! Just want to confirm if short shaft the way to go too?

Shaft length is determined by transom height on the boat. I would imagine a gheenoe has a short transom and you would need a short shaft motor. Spend some time reasearching posts on here and elsewhere and you should be able to price shop. Also don’t overlook your local dealer and don’t be afraid to negotiate a little.

 

[Capt. Eli Whidden]

Yamaha all the way. No comparison. Tohatsu’s are crap. I’ll never buy another one. Had a 20hp on a jon and every time salad got on the lower unit it would force water up through these wierd openings on the mid section covering the back of the power head with water. Poor design! Run a 50 now with 400+ hrs and have only been disappointed with durability. Trim and tilt failure, motor mount failures, tiller handle failure, and more. Who cares about the extra weight, reliability and durability all the way!

 

[Salt of the Water]

Seems like a lot of hp on an LT10. Have any reports from someone running that much motor?

With the narrow transom, engine weight is pretty critical. The 4 strokes are getting lighter with each iteration, but old 2 strokes are still lighter in most cases.

 

[Backcountry 16]

Yamaha all the way. No comparison. Tohatsu’s are crap. I’ll never buy another one. Had a 20hp on a jon and every time salad got on the lower unit it would force water up through these wierd openings on the mid section covering the back of the power head with water. Poor design! Run a 50 now with 400+ hrs and have only been disappointed with durability. Trim and tilt failure, motor mount failures, tiller handle failure, and more. Who cares about the extra weight, reliability and durability all the way!

So your Yamaha had durability problems then you call it durable I'm confused.

 

[Texasproud11]

Seems like a lot of hp on an LT10. Have any reports from someone running that much motor?

With the narrow transom, engine weight is pretty critical. The 4 strokes are getting lighter with each iteration, but old 2 strokes are still lighter in most cases.

I've done a lot of searching on social media, microskiff, and youtube and I see people running up to 25 hp. The 4 stroke 20 hp is the same weight as the 9.9 which makes me think why not??

 

[ZaneD]

One important thing you should consider is that you don't need an 80# battery to start these small outboards. Most people (myself included) use a small starting battery much like a lawnmower, motorcycle, etc. which weights only about 10-15# (Odyssey PC545 is a good example).

With that being said, I would go 20HP electric start with backup pull rope. The battery will also run your bilge pump, nav lights, etc if needed. Pull start is fine if it starts right away, but we all know that isn't always the case and personally I don't feel like yanking on my engine in the dark on an early morning at the ramp. I would also recommend power tilt and trim for much the same reason.

 

[Capt. Eli Whidden]

So your Yamaha had durability problems then you call it durable I'm confused.

I’m confused as well.

I was referring to tohatsu’s durability issues.

 

[Backcountry 16]

I’m confused as well.

I was referring to tohatsu’s durability issues.

Ah I gotcha.

 

[Gervais]

If you go all out with electric start and tilt I would go with the Yamaha 25. It has trim where as the tohatsu does not.

 

[Texasproud11]

One important thing you should consider is that you don't need an 80# battery to start these small outboards. Most people (myself included) use a small starting battery much like a lawnmower, motorcycle, etc. which weights only about 10-15# (Odyssey PC545 is a good example).

With that being said, I would go 20HP electric start with backup pull rope. The battery will also run your bilge pump, nav lights, etc if needed. Pull start is fine if it starts right away, but we all know that isn't always the case and personally I don't feel like yanking on my engine in the dark on an early morning at the ramp. I would also recommend power tilt and trim for much the same reason.

So the bigger batteries are if you have a trolling motor then?

 

[ZaneD]

So the bigger batteries are if you have a trolling motor then?

That's correct. If using a trolling motor you'll need a larger deep cycle battery.

 

[Shadowcast16]

I had a Tohatsu 20 hp short shaft with power tilt and electric start on a Shadowcast 16 and it was an awesome engine. Not a single problem with it. It would haul ass! I would definitely buy another Tohatsu. I think it was a 2016. It did not have electronic fuel injection. I give it 5 Stars.

 

[dranrab]

I'll take the 20% HP increase with the minimal weight penalty for $400.

 

[southerncannuck]

That's a lot of HP for a Gheenoe. I put a 9.9 on my 154 because it's rated for 10 hp max. If I had to do it all over I would have installed a 15 Suzuki. If you go with the 20 or 25 please post some videos. I'd love to see it in action.

ps, these gheenoes are very weight conscious.

 

[Backcountry 16]

That's a lot of HP for a Gheenoe. I put a 9.9 on my 154 because it's rated for 10 hp max. If I had to do it all over I would have installed a 15 Suzuki. If you go with the 20 or 25 please post some videos. I'd love to see it in action.

ps, these gheenoes are very weight conscious.

I had the same gheenoe back in the late 90s and had a Mariner 15 2 stroke on the back it was perfect I think it weighed around 75 lbs. That would be his best bet if he could find a nice older motor.