Tohatsu vs. Mercury

It was suggsested to me in another thread on this board that maybe I should consider a Tohatsu outboard over a Mercury outboard due to the fact that the Tohatsu has the better warranty and is slightly lighter in weight than the
Mercury. We were discussing the 9.9 HP vs. 15 HP on a Lund A-14 if you recall. To those of you who may be running a Tohatsu/Nissan motor in the 9.8 HP to 15 HP range,what is your opinion of the motor vs a Merc of the same size? My understanding is that all three motors have the exact same powerhead,...the Merc,Tohatsu,and Nissan,I mean. I had read somewhere
recently that some of the features that the Tohatsu/Nissan motors have are left out on the Mercury motors,but can't remember exactly what those features were. From a performance standpoint,and from a video I seen on my new Tohatsu DVD,the Tohatsu motors seem to perform very well for a small
four stroke motor. I have also heard that the Tohatsu motors are very dependable motors,and I am very seriously rethinking the motor brand decision
and leaning towards the Tohatsu motor now.

If we all continue to by foreign products where will our grandchildren work? buy from american based companies!

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Originally Posted by tinsmith

If we all continue to by foreign products where will our grandchildren work? buy from american based companies!

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Though I do not intend,...nor will I ever intend,...for this post to turn into an
American vs. Foreign subject and have it turn into a huge,but needless diatribe,...if you were to look under the hood/cowl of a Mercury outboard
from 2.5 HP up to 30 HP and set it beside a Tohatsu/Nissan outboard in that
same HP range,you would see the exact same powerhead. Why? Because Tohatsu makes the powerheads for Mercury in that HP range. So,one would have to ask the question "Then what difference would it make if I bought the
Tohatsu outboard or the Mercury outboard?" Maybe not alot,but consider that even if you bought the Merc from a Mercury dealer,Mercury will see some profit from it,but Mercury still has to pay Tohatsu to build the motor's
powerhead,meaning that Tohatsu would also see some profit as well. As to how much,I can't say because I do not know. In both Mercury's and Tohatsu's case,it could be a win-win deal,meaning they both make money on the sale. Up until 2006,I think,Yamaha made the powerheads for Mercury's
four stroke outboards from the 2 HP range all the way up to I believe 115 HP.
Even if I should stick with a Mercury,I would still,in a way,be supporting Tohatsu as well since they make the powerheads for the 2.5 to 30 HP four stroke motors. Nothing is 100% made here in America anymore and Mercury's small four stroke ouitboards are a perfect example of that. Having said all that,of course,I believe if I stuck with the Mercury motor,at least it would be far more reliable since it has the Tohatsu powerhead. Just because it has an american name does not necessarily mean it is 100% made here in America. Another example would be Mercury Marine's older Mariner outboards line,...years ago made by none other than Yamaha even though they had the Mercury styling on the cowl.

My buddy has a 4 stroke Tohatsu 25 that he has had for a number of years. This guys fishes 3 or 4 days a week and his trips to his fishing holes sometime are measured in hours. He has had not one bit of trouble with that engine since day one. Sounds pretty dependable to me.

"gene"

I have a 90hp bigfoot 2 stroke merc thats 9 yrs old and been pounded on alot, but also maintained well. It has never failed to start and bring me back to the dock. I love that motor.

I have a 2006 18HP Nissan (Same exact motor as Tohatsu) with electric start and alternator on it. It does its job well and the only complaint I have is that the parts for it are a touch more expensive than after market parts for a Merc would be.

They have been in business in Japan, selling outboards for use by fisherman, so they have a long track record.

As for American vs foreign made, I think its all but a mute point. Look at Honda. Japanese owned, made in the USA. Look at Toyota. Japanese owned, but made in the USA. The profits go overseas, but the jobs of selling, servicing, marketing and supporting those products are right here in the USA.

Same with Tohatsu. They have a network in the USA to sell and service their product that employees American workers. Its not the ideal setup, but hell, even Rockafeller was considered a pirate by some. You're not gonna make everyone happy all the time. The best you can do is what you need to do for your community, your family and then your country.

If you're locally serviced by Tohatsu or Nissan and can get what you want from them, put them on your short list. I can recommend them without hesitation. They are strong little motors and are easy enough to understand and work on.

But, having said all that purty stuff, I can't say a damned thing bad about Merc, Yamaha, Johnson, Evinrude, Suzuki... you get the idea.

Please reread my post . American BASED products! As an adult I fully understand the percentage of foreign parts in our products.I have the good luck to work in a UAW facility.I`m well aware of where the profits go to,back overseas.Thank you for your diatribe, but it was uncalled for

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Originally Posted by tinsmith

Please reread my post . American BASED products! As an adult I fully understand the percentage of foreign parts in our products.I have the good luck to work in a UAW facility.I`m well aware of where the profits go to,back overseas.Thank you for your diatribe, but it was uncalled for

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I understand what you are saying,but I thought I made it clear that it was not to be an American vs. Foreign subject. The whole idea behind this thread
was to try and get somewhat of a performance comparison between a Mercury 15 HP motor and a Tohatsu 15 HP motor since the powerhead is
made by Tohatsu. I was wanting to know what kind of performance to expect
either from the Mercury outboard or the Tohatsu outboard and if the performance is better with one or the other. Not to get anything started,but
I just wanted to clarify my intent with this thread. What I was trying to get at was that I did not want it to turn into a huge fight/diatribe over USA vs.
Foreign thing,...only to try and get somewhat of a performance comparison
betweena Merc and a Tohatsu of the same HP range,who on this site runs what,and your opinion....good or bad,...about the motor. My apologies for
any confusion concerning this matter and also if it seems I may have repeated myself maybe once or twice(if not more).

while i can't vouch for the 4 strokes, the 2 stroke tohatsus are good engines. i had a 30 hp tohatsu for 8 years and it handled all the abuse i gave it. only thing i ever did to it was replace the water pump(preventative maintanence).

I have decided that I am going to choose the Mercury over the Tohatsu for
several reasons; Parts/Service,dealer availability/network,and even if the powerhead is Tohatsu made,...still buy from an American based company,...
that being Mercury Marine. Tohatsu's dealership network in Indiana and midwest in general is not as strong as Mercury's. Therefore,I would feel much better going with Mercury. I am through with two strokes,...the oil is getting
very expensive anymore for one thing,and two,some dealers are not going to want to touch an old 18 HP Evinrude like I have on my present rig. Case in
point;there is a dealer up in the northeast part of Indiana who will not touch an old OMC motor made before 1986,...so what's that tell ya? He's a Mercury
dealer,too,BTW!

Tin, you're right, you're right, you're right, and you're right. I would edit my post, but it seems I can't. There is no edit button.

I apologize.

My apologies if I have caused any confusion,but I just posted another thread on this board that I have ruled out Tohatsu as a choice of motors
next to Mercury,...and the only reason I have done so is lack of dealer network in this area for Tohatsu/Nissan. Read my posting/thread titled
"Ruling out Tohatsu,..." Keep in mind that I am in no way knocking Tohatsu.
I am sure they are a good motor.