What's in a name II?

SUZUKI
A pioneer in marine engine technology for years, Suzuki has provided the basic powerheads for several other outboard manufacturers.

An early example was Yamaha's 3, released on the Aussie market in 1988. Yamaha wanted a single-cylinder loop-charged powerhead without going to the expense of creating an entirely new motor. So Suzuki came to the party with its then recently-discontinued DT3.5 powerhead, which had been a particularly torquey little unit (I know, having owned one for three years).

The Yamaha 3 was modified to operate on a 100:1 petrol/oil mix and fitted with a thermostat for more stable trolling in cold climates. Unfortunately, something was lost in the translation and the 3 never performed quite as well as the old 3.5!

Earlier this year Suzuki produced a single-cylinder 5 for OMC, based on the long-running DT4 but with 22% greater piston displacement. This motor has a lot more torque than its direct Mercury Marine, Tohatsu and Yamaha 5hp competition, and in my opinion, is now the best two-stroke 5 available.

The best four-stroke outboard I've yet tested is Suzuki's four-cylinder DF60/70, which was designed in co-operation with OMC and is also marketed under the Evinrude label as a 70 only. Suzuki plans to introduce a three-cylinder EFI DOHC 40/50 four-stroke next March, which will also be available as an Evinrude 40/50. Along with the 60 and 70 four-strokes, these motors will give both OMC and Suzuki the most sophisticated midrange four-strokes on the Aussie market.

TOHATSU
As mentioned in last issue's Engine Talk, Tohatsu manufactures the Mariner/Mercury Lite 30 and four-stroke Mariner/Mercury 5. It also designed the two-stroke Mariner/Mercury 2.5 and 4/5 models and provided the basis of the two-stroke Mariner/Mercury 3.3, although this motor differs from its Tohatsu M3.5B counterpart in that a lift-off upper cowl is fitted.

In the Asian market, the Mariner 15 is really a Tohatsu 15.

As Tohatsu gears up to produce more Mariner/Mercury models it's likely that the existing Yamaha-origin Mariner/Mercury four-stroke 9.9/15 will become a Tohatsu engine.

As Mercury Marine wants to concentrate on motors 40 hp and up, there's also been talk that the existing US-built two-stroke 6, 8, 9.9 and 15 will become Tohatsu-designed or built motors.

As for Mercury Marine's Optimax models, Tohatsu has long been working on a three-cylinder 50 with Orbital (Optimax) technology. It's likely when this motor is finally released it will also be marketed as a Mariner/Mercury 50.

Figures I've seen from Orbital show the 50 to be at least as fuel-efficient (if not more) than comparable four-stroke 50s.

YAMAHA
In last issue's Engine Talk, we discussed how Yamaha produced the early Mariner models up to 55 hp, establishing Mariner as one reliable brand!

However, less known is how Yamaha produced certain models for Suzuki. When this company needed a powerhead for its DT8 introduced in 1977, Yamaha supplied the powerhead of its loop-charged 8 which first appeared on the Aussie market in 1973!

This powerhead was used in the Yamaha 8 until early 1984, when Yamaha introduced its crossflow 6 and 8 designed more for the recreational fishing market. The only real differences between the loop-charged Suzuki and Yamaha eights was that Suzuki fitted CD ignition from the start, while the Yamaha version had a thermostat and points ignition, plus 360° steering.

YANMAR
Little known in recreational boating circles is Yanmar's 27 hp diesel outboard, which first appeared locally in 1989.

This motor uses the same base powerhead as the Honda BF40/50 and has proven a wonderfully reliable piece of machinery among commercial operators due in part to Honda!

FINAL WORD
Though some boaters may feel cheated in knowing their outboard was not designed and/or manufactured by the company that sold it to them, I see nothing wrong with manufacturers swapping powerheads or even complete motors.

As we have stated previously, badge engineering lowers design and production costs and makes motors more affordable to buy. It has the added advantage of ensuring that spare parts are more readily available in remote areas because of a degree of interchangeability.

It's worked well for years in the car industry, and the marine industry is sure to follow...