It says if it has wheels--this is the place. You thinking I have an outboard with wheels? Nah---but the trailer does so I figure this might be the place. I just bought a Honda 20HP outboard and am I ever pleased so far. I did get the electric start which also comes with electric tilt that the manual start doesnt have and a larger capacity charging system---so all of the difference is not just the starter. The electric start does have a recoil starter as well and a back up to that---a rope you can wrap around the flywheel. Out of the box,they added oil and hooked up water for coolant--little gas in the tank and squeezed the primer bulb. Used the recoil start and it started first pull. Besides electric strting,I have used the recoil start 4 times and it is 100% first pull. It has several innovations I like. It has a green light which is easily visible even in bright sunlight that indicates oil pressure. If oil pressure drops off the rpm's will decrease and it will shut itself off in short time if problem not corrected. The water stream which indicates cooling system working is easily visible. The steering is with tiller and it has an adjustment lever that you can make steering very easy or stiffen it up where it will stay on whatever course you have it on. Accelerator has same feature--you can loosen the setting where it will return to idle when released or firmer where it stays where you set it. Neither of these lock it--you still have control. The manual tilt allows you to raise the motor up in shallow water. When tilted full up there is a mechanical block you can flip into place to lock it there---when trailering(back to the wheels---to be on topic)you stiffen the tiller adjustment so the motor doesn't flop side to side. I have about 3 hours on it and this was a combo of full speed and trolling and in between. It has a 3 gallon tank and Ive used about 1/4 of it. That would be 3/4 of gallon or 3 quarts. So it has used about 1 quart per hour. It is very quiet. It idles down for trolling and I guess would run that way all day without missing a beat. Except for the severe pain of paying for it--I really like it.

The 20HP Honda is one heck of a motor. I have a manual on my canoe and it is fantastic. 4 stoke quiet and fuel economy and dead reliable.

Here is mine on our 21 foot Scott freighter canoe on the mighty MacKenzie.

nothing is like the feeling of a 100% reliable outboard.

it looks like Mercury has quit making 2-strokes
so i'll have to look for another brand for my next outboard.

quote:

it looks like Mercury has quit making 2-strokes Confused
so i'll have to look for another brand for my next outboard.

Because Mercury sells four strokes,I bought my first Mercury this spring.I like a quieter engine that doesn't smoke and stink,that goes farther on a tank of fuel.

Honda makes great power equipment. I would have put a honda on my boat, but their 130 horse is just too heavy for my boat, even my suzuki 140 is heavier than I should have gone, but I love the power!

I'm also using a 20+ y/o 8 horse e-rude as a kicker. Always starts within 3 pulls cold, barely hits 4 knots but beats rowing. It's fun on the inflatable!

quote:

Originally posted by Steffen-9.3:
nothing is like the feeling of a 100% reliable outboard.

it looks like Mercury has quit making 2-strokes
so i'll have to look for another brand for my next outboard.

I was a 2 stroke guy until my BIL got a 25hp 4 stroke Merc for his RIB tender. I quickly became a 4 stroke outboard fan! Starts great, quiet, smooth, no stink and no premix! Good stuff IMO.

John