Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by nyc511 on 08/19/14 - 9:33 AM

I was researching Tohatsu on the web and saw that Nissan is listed along side them - usually for a few hundred $ more. I gather they are the same engine, perhaps with a little more decor. Any ideas why we don't see more of these (or any, for that matter)? It seems that they are an independent company now, having been a shoot-off from Nissan Forklift, which still has a big operation in Japan. All the engines are made there, and there probably was some connection to the automobile at some point. Why not capitalize on the name? If Toyota had 50+ years in the outboard business it would be a no-brainer for me! Thoughts?

Posted by FlyAU98 on 08/19/14 - 10:02 AM

Very little dealer footprint and little to no tie in with hull manufacturers. Once an engine is rigged to a hull, it often makes financial sense to replace it with the same brand, so they are at a disadvantage in the re-power market too.

Even growing up in South Florida...the only places that seemed to carry the Tohatsu/Nissan engines were the shops selling inflatables, before inflatables were cool.

The Tohatsus are supposedly pretty good engines. When I needed to repower my 15' Super Sport I couldn't find anyone to sell/hang the Tohatsu.

Posted by Finnegan on 08/19/14 - 3:48 PM

Tohatsu makes and sells the engines to Nissan, and has been doing so for years. Nissan tends to be sold into the catalog market, such as Cabela's. The only difference between Tohatsu is the paint job.
The 30HP and less 4-strokes are made in conjunction with Mercury in the jointly owned plant with Tohatsu. All are good engines from what I have heard.

Downside is resale value, lack of readily available service in many areas, and lack of recognition by many boaters. For a few extra dollars, you can own Mercury, Yamaha or Evinrude.

Edited by Finnegan on 08/19/14 - 3:49 PM

Posted by wlagarde on 08/19/14 - 7:44 PM

You can also hang/rig your Tohatsu/Nissan engine yourself without voiding your warranty (and save further $$). I believe that is not the case with some of the other brands.

Edited by wlagarde on 08/19/14 - 7:44 PM

Posted by Silentpardner on 08/19/14 - 8:33 PM

As long as you follow the rigging recommendations of the manufacturer, you can "hang/rig" any brand of engine without voiding your warranty.

Posted by wlagarde on 08/19/14 - 8:39 PM

Silentpardner wrote:
As long as you follow the rigging recommendations of the manufacturer, you can "hang/rig" any brand of engine without voiding your warranty.

Provided you can find a dealer willing to sign off on your installation and register your warranty.

Edited by wlagarde on 08/19/14 - 8:40 PM

Posted by Silentpardner on 08/19/14 - 9:26 PM

Dealers don't sign off on a warranty. I bought 4 Yamaha engines just last year. I "signed off" the warranty by registering them with Yamaha myself BEFORE they were installed. Installation was not even questioned.
I had 2 of them installed by the dealer I bought them all from, LMC in Houston. I am/have installed the other 2 myself.
Warranty coverage is the same on all of them.

I should also note that a warranty repair has already been made to the starboard F-300 on the big Whaler, the trim switch on this motor failed. The repair and the part was covered, even though the sales and installation dealer was not involved with this at all. None of my engines have been or will ever be serviced through the point of sale dealer, they probably will never see any of these engines again, due to the dealer's distance from both of my boats.

Edited by Silentpardner on 08/19/14 - 9:39 PM

Posted by tom blinstrub on 08/20/14 - 3:24 AM

I installed my 2005 90 and 50 Tohatsu myself. The dealer told me to rig the engine and not to hitch up the battery until he checked out the wiring. The 90 makes 100+ trips out of the harbor each season and the dealer hasn't seen it since it was new. I replaced the waterpump impeller once and plugs twice and battery last year. Also I change the lower unit oil in the fall. It has never let me down.

Posted by HBeric on 08/20/14 - 10:21 PM

#10

Just bought a 2015 Tohatsu TLDI 90 for my 1991 Montauk, and it is in the process of being installed. The motor is mounted and the new control cables are run, so now I am just waiting for some gauges to arrive, as well as my binnacle control (Tohatsu shipped the engine with a side mount control).

Once I have a chance to run it, I will let you know what I think.

Posted by gentilebrian on 08/21/14 - 10:46 AM

#11

Tohatsu makes other brands like some Mercurys. Also just saw a 150hp (or maybe a 175) Tohatsu that the dealer claimed was the same as a Honda and it looked exactly like a Honda just a different color.

WHen I was looking for a kicker a few years back the mercury 9.9 was the same as a Tohatsu 9.9 BUT the throttle linkage was different so my autopilot throttle control would not fit.

Im sure there are a few smaller differences but for the most part they are likely the same.

Johnsons I think were made by Suzuki.