Monday, 31 October 2011

Outboards for sale review: Tohatsu outboards 50hp TLDI review part II

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } So last week we had run in the tohatsu 50TLDI at loch Lomond and we were just about to start testing, we were moored at Inchmurin island and had a full day of watersports to look forward to, the seapro 500 divemaster RIB was ready to undergo some serious stress testing!! I thought I would ease the engine in gently so my son William was first up on the kneeboard, he was a newbie so I held the board in the water whilst my wife Caz helmed the boat with an experienced observer at her side, the engine pulled...

Mariner outboards 125hp optimax review part II

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Ok so in my last post I was up to the running in period of the new mariner 125L optimax outboard engine that I had fitted to my 6m seapro rib. The fitting process had gone well and we were in anglesey running the engine in. All went smoothly, engine sat nicely on the transom and the boat sat well in the water, I think 125hp is the perfect choice for a 5.5-6m rib, balancing weight with power. Once the new mariner outboards engine was nicely bedded in (this takes around 3 hours to do properly) we decided...

The all new mercury and mariner 150hp 4 stroke

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Brand new for 2011 is the mercury 150 4 stroke mariner engine. It purports to be the lightest 4 stroke 150hp engine on the market at just 205kg - for those not listening, that’s 205kg!! That is almost 2 stroke outboard weight - planting this 4 stroke firmly in the realms of optimax and etec weight range. Not only that but it’s a 3 liter powerplant, thats the biggest cc 150hp on the market by some margin! Great strides have been made over the past few years in tightening the waistband of the once obese...

All new mariner 150hp 4 stroke

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } It has not yet been unveiled but we have seen the first few sneak peeks at the new beast from mercury marine, the 3.0L (yes 3000cc) mariner 150hp 4 stroke. Light weight at only 305kg it promises to be a world beater. The engine is the biggest AND the lightest 4 stroke 150hp outboard on the market. It will be marketed in the UK under the brand of both mercury and mariner outboards. Its price is really impressive too, it looks like it will retail for under £10K AND its cheap to own. I’m a mariner dealer...

Saturday, 15 October 2011

New 50hp tohatsu TLDI review

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } As a outboard engineer of 15 years and somebody who does more than his fair share of boating, I thought you may want to know my thoughts on the tohatsu 50TLDI that I have been using for the past 2 seasons. This isn’s an advertisement for tohatsu or this motor, just an impartial review of the engine. Firstly why did I choose the 50TLDI from tohatsu outboards? Well I always try to match the engine perfectly to the boat and type of use it will be required to do, in this case, skiing, cruising, and a little...

Mercury 125 optimax review

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } I have been an outboard engine mechanic for 15 years and an avid rib enthusiast for even longer, so I thought you may be interested to have my review on the all new mercury and mariner 125 L OPTIMAX. I fitted this engine to one of our ribs for sale - a seapro 600DM divemaster. A heavy boat for her size, especially with the consoles I fitted to her, she has a large centre console and 2x jockey seatpods, along with a 90l under floor fuel tank, all this was going to take a little pushing, did I go for the...

Thursday, 6 October 2011

What outboard shall I buy?

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Its a good question and one that goes through most peoples mind when they look at the price of new mariner outboards, or the latest offering form yamaha outboards. There are so many different outboards for sale today that you as the buying public can be truly overwhelmed by choice! The first thing to do is know exactly what size and type of engine best suits your boat and your needs. This will take a whole blog/article in itself so I wont get into it here. Next set your budget, this is different for each...

Shall I buy a new or used inflatable boat?

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } It comes down to budget AND preference for shiny new, or built to last used. Only you can decide on this so I expect you will have made up your mind on that one. If you have chosen shiny new, stick to a good quality brand - honwave, avon, bombard, zodiac, seapro, with one of these brands you will have a boat designed and built right. Choose your outboard carefully too, I have written articles and blogs on this so look at these. Mariner outboards are a very good choice - middle of the road price wise,...