2020 outboard engine guide: What new motor do I need for my boat?

If you haven’t caught up with the news lately, you’re probably not aware that 2020 is the last year that you can buy a new two-stroke outboard engine using old carburettor technology.

It’s been a long winding down of the old-school, highly polluting blue smokers after the ban on their sale was extended by another year in 2019 to give other bits of older two-stroke technology, such as line trimmers, chainsaws and other small-engined gardening equipment, enough time to die a natural sales death.

The older engines were supposed to have been shelved in July last year, but the prolonged drought dried up sales of gardening equipment, and retailers begged to leave them on sale until July 1 this year. Because marine engines are considered under the same legislation as line trimmers, the two-stroke outboard engines also gained an extension.

But it doesn’t mean all two-stroke outboard engines are disappearing from the market. Evinrude uses the latest in direct fuel injection technology to make its two-stroke engines as clean, and sometimes cleaner than equivalent four-stroke technology.

Japan's largest volume outboard manufacturer has also developed an extensive range of four-stroke outboards.

These sophisticated engines were introduced to complement Yamaha's renowned traditional two-stroke outboard range, but the new, reduced-emissions four-stroke models are now far more popular.

The 30-plus Yamaha four-stroke outboard engine range kicks off with a 2.5hp portable outboard and tops out with an apex predator, the 425hp V8 XT Offshore 5.6-litre V8  launched late in 2018.

The engines come in different performance bands, starting with the 2.5hp to 70hp models, the 115hp to 200hp in-line four-cylinder models, the 200hp to 250hp 3.4-litre V6 models, the 225hp to 300hp 4.2-litre V6 models, and the flagship 375hp to 425hp 5.6-litre V8s.

Yamaha launched the versatile F90 in 2017 to fill a gap in its four-stroke mid-range. This lightweight 1.8-litre in-line four-cylinder outboard is ideal for powering trailer boats ranging in size from 4.2m to 5.2m.

It also has high-thrust versions of the tiller-steer two-cylinder 9.9hp and 25hp outboard engines, and the 60hp four-cylinder outboard engine available.

The in-line four-cylinder and US-launched V6 VMAX SHO range is yet to go on sale in Australia.

Mercury Marine enters 2020 in a much stronger position than last year when US market demand for its new mid-range V6 FourStroke outboard engine range dried up the supply coming Down Under.

Mercury is one of the more diverse outboard engine suppliers in this market, offering the choice of jet propulsion (it works on the same principle as a jet ski and is great for shallow water), the commercial-grade SeaPro models, consumer-grade FourStroke models, Verado V6 models, and warmed-over ProXS models.

It also has the flagship Mercury Racing engine range for applications where you need to get somewhere fast. Really fast.

The Mercury outboard engine range also includes something that no other brand offers; dedicated 9.9hp to 15hp “Pro Kicker” models that provide a back-up powerplant for boats venturing wide offshore.

Mercury’s FourStroke-branded outboard engine range is also split into performance tiers. The first starts with a single-cylinder 2.5hp tiller steer model and ranges up to a 25hp in-line three-cylinder outboard engine.

The 9.9hp to 115hp FourStroke Command Thrust range is aimed at commercial operators and features a longer “CT” gearcase with a lower gear ratio that sits lower in the water, and the option of larger props.

For more serious commercial applications, Mercury has the “SeaPro” range running from 15hp to 150hp. These outboard engines are optimised for racking up the hours running at low revs, with the claim they can last up to three times longer than recreational outboard engines.

Most recreational boaters, though, will be picking from the FourStroke range, which starts with a 2.5hp single-cylinder tiller steer, three-cylinder, four-cylinder, V6 and V8 models.

The 225hp to 400hp Verado range of V8-powered (for lower-performance versions) and supercharged inline six-cylinder (for higher performance versions) outboard engines are marketed as a more premium choice of powerplant. The 400hp Verado has reset benchmarks as the lightest

Mercury’s Pro XS range runs from 115hp to 300hp and is aimed at fishers who take their sport, and their top speed, very seriously.

The official Pro XS product description is carefully worded to make anyone looking at a new engine salivate: “With lightning-quick acceleration, blistering top speed, legendary reliability, and lightweight design, Pro XS has everything you need to travel farther, faster, and harder.”

The apex predator, of course, is Mercury Racing. These extremely hi-po powerplants jump from a skiff-friendly 60hp 60R version right up to the newly introduced flagship, the 4.6-litre supercharged V8-powered 450R.

Mercury’s jet motors range between 25hp and 40hp.

Of note, Mercury’s V6 outboard engine range will soon add joystick control for multi-engine applications after it was initially introduced to V8 versions. It should also soon introduce a new tiller to Australia for its 40hp to 115hp outboard engines that significantly ups the ergonomics over the old one, including compatibility for left-handers.

We’re about to see a lot more of Evinrude outboard engines after Canadian recreational vehicle and engine maker BRP bought out Australia’s largest alloy plate boat maker, Gold Coast-based Telwater, last year.

What that means is that Stacer, Savage, Quintrex and Yellowfin Plate-branded boats are more likely to come with Evinrude power as the two-stroke engine specialist leverages our growing interest in alloy boats.

Yes, these are two-stroke outboard engines, with Evinrude the only manufacturer in this class to stick with injecting oil into the fuel. It has met the much stricter emissions laws coming in later this year by using direct-injection technology that can spray precise amounts of fuel into the cylinder, making the power units as clean, and sometimes cleaner, than a four-stroke equivalent.

Unlike rivals, most of Evinrude’s engine range uses a three-cylinder count. It is split across distinct lines; Portable, Inline, V4, E-TEC G2, HO and Jet.

Evinrude’s portable outboard engine range runs across four single- or two-cylinder models ranging from 3.5hp to 15hp.

The tiller steer-friendly Inline range runs across seven models ranging in performance from a two-cylinder 25hp to a triple-pot 90hp.

The V4 engines, something of an anachronism in this era of inline fours, run across two models, one producing 115hp and the other 130hp. The vertically arranged engines run a narrow 60-degree bank to make them more compact.

Of more interest to trailer boaters is the G2 range, ranging from a 115hp HO (the “HO” suggests that while the “high output” engine is officially rated to 115hp, unofficially it could be more) up to a 250 HO.

Late last year, Evinrude introduced the 1.9-litre three-cylinder 115HO, 140hp and 150hp to the G2 line-up – the latter with surprisingly large output for such a small cylinder count.

The three new E-TEC G2s also introduce Evinrude’s fly-by-wire throttle and trim for the first time in the lower-performance power category.

HO versions of the Evinrude range run from the entry-level 60hp version to the flagship 3.4-litre V6-engined 250HO.

Evinrude’s shallow water-friendly Jet engines run from 60hp to 115hp.

Suzuki is another of the Japanese brands that have grown substantially over the last decade. Since it was re-introduced to Australia in 2003 by the Haines Group, Suzuki Marine has enjoyed strong success with a superb range of four-stroke outboard engines stretching from 2.5hp and running through to the DF350A introduced in late 2017.

In its latest move, Suzuki has introduced the DF300B, which adopts the same contra-rotating dual-prop configuration as was developed for the larger DF325A and DF350A outboard engines.

Suzuki's suite of 4.4-litre V6 four-stroke outboards is the first on the market equipped with contra-rotating propellers for improved directional stability and better low-speed manoeuvrability in single-engine installations.

Another recent addition to the Suzuki range was the DF325A, designed specifically to run on cheaper 91 octane fuel and deliver substantial hip-pocket savings at the bowser.

Suzuki Marine also recently updated its DF175A and the DF150A. These new 2.9-litre in-line four-cylinder four-stroke engines use a higher compression ratio to help them deliver more low-end torque.

Suzuki has also tweaked the four-cylinder engine’s offset driveshaft to move it forward, reducing vibration and improving the balance.

Late last year, Suzuki upped its warranty to provide three years of factory-backed support, and another three years of dealer warranty if the engine is maintained by an authorised Suzuki service centre.

The big news las year was the arrival of Honda Marine’s range of revamped V6 engines.

The range, which includes the flagship 3.6-litre BF200, BF225 and BF250 V6 outboard engines, features new looks, drive-by-wire controls, easier maintenance and more rigging options.

What’s the attraction of the Honda V6s? Plenty, because the fuel-miserly outboard engine range taps the smarts developed for the engines used in the Japanese brand’s car division to bring variable valve lift technology to the water.

The BF225 and BF250 outboard engines use Honda’s Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) to optimise the outboard engine’s timing, adjusting the cams to provide more power at high revs, and better fuel economy at low revs.

There’s also a more precise fuel injection system for all three engines, known as Programmed Fuel Injection, which is a boosted low-speed torque system that makes a more potent fuel/air mix at low revs to help with manoeuvres such as holeshots, as well as lean-burn control for low-rev fuel economy.

The updated V6s also are better at controlling corrosion, and maintenance times have reduced from an hour to about five minutes by rethinking how service points are accessed.

The Honda four-stroke outboard engine range starts with a 2.3hp single-cylinder 57cc four-stroke portable outboard and tops out with the BF250, a 3.6-litre narrow bank V6.

The once-popular BF70 is no more, although the 1.0-litre three-cylinder BF60 is still part of the range. Other fairly new introductions to the Honda range include the 800cc three-cylinder BF40 and the same-weight-but-higher-tune BF50, the 1.5-litre four-cylinder BF75 and higher-tune BF80 (the engines also weigh the same), and the 1kg heavier 1.5-litre, four-cylinder BF90/BF100 pair.

Honda’s engine range has trimmed back from more than 30 variants to just 23 in the current range.

Change is coming for Tohatsu, one of the last of the outboard engine makers to wean itself off the soon-to-be-outdated two-stroke technology in Australia.

The next step is expected to be a 115hp four-stroke engine fitted with advanced exhaust technology that’s meant to give the powerplant a big boost in torque compared with rivals.

To date, the new outboard engine has only been teased as a concept at the 2020 Boot Dusseldorf boat show. We do get the hint, though, that when the new 115hp goes on sale the cowling will be available in either black or “Beluga” white.

Tohatsu’s big news last year was the launch of a new 60hp outboard engine that it claims is significantly lighter and more fuel-efficient than the two-stroke version it replaces.

Before this came the 43kg MFS20E FI, an outboard engine the company claims is the lightest 20hp four-stroke on the market. It follows on from the introduction of the four-stroke MFS50AW, a white version of the MFS50A, which weighs just 97kg.

It also launched a new 3.5hp portable engine featuring two handles – not just one – to make it easier to lug around.

Tohatsu’s four-stroke engines are available from 2.5hp to 250hp — although the models above 60hp are currently made for Tohatsu by Honda.

This cheap and cheerful Chinese brand sold mainly through retail chains is still something of a minnow on the Australian market, even after making inroads here over the last decade or so by offering a range of low-priced carby two-strokes.

However, it also offers a range of low-emission four-stroke models ranging up to 60hp and sold in a number of overseas markets.

The brand makes a range of electric outboard engines, jet drives and even ones that will run on kerosene – although these are not yet offered in Australia.

Parsun most famously was a supplier for short-lived Queensland-based folding boat start-up Quickboats.

The European-built Cox CXO300 diesel-fuelled outboard engine is billed as the world’s most powerful oil-burning unit, the British-built engine will feature a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine producing 300hp and 550Nm.

Another diesel engine maker, Sweden-based Oxe,also plans to invade the oil-burning space and is currently running sea trials of its horizontally mounted, General Motors-sourced 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel producing 200hp and 415Nm. It’s shooting for fuel economy over outright performance, saying the Oxe unit will use 42 per cent less fuel than a two-stroke equivalent.

Japanese diesel engine maker Yanmar builds the 50hp Neander Dtorque 111 turbo-diesel outboard, which is sold through Melbourne-based Power Equipment.

Power Equipment also stocks Torqueedo, an electric motor brand that produces everything from lightweight units for kayaks to 80hp Deep Blue outboard engines.