Nissan Outboards

ksherbine

ksherbine

Active member
Has anybody used Nissan Outboards? If so, what are your experiences with them?

I like the light weight (and low price) but wanted to know if there were any drawbacks.

Thanks,
Kirk
 
I have a Tohatsu (same as a Nissan except color and stickers) - very good reliable motors. I understand that they are very popular with commercial fisherman in many places in the world because of their durability. I haven't had a lick of problems with mine.
 
I have a 15hp on the back of my Devlin Mallard that I'm happy with. It's never let me down and I'm tough on it. I'm not in a ducky enough spot if it's not peeing muddy water out of its water flow indicator hole.

Joe Lane
 
I have three. A 2 stroke 25 hp that's 10 or 11 years old on my 14-ft v-hull. A 2 stroke 3.5 hp that's 8 years old for the scull boats. And a 9.9 4-stroke as a kicker on my Lund. This motor has less than 10 hours on it. It is also the only motor I've been at all disappointed in. The mounting bracket is much flimsier than the bracket on the 25 even though the weight isn't all that much different. The 9.9 doesn't lock in the up position and will bounce out if I don't stick a wood block in the assembly to keep it up. Maybe not a big deal as a primary motor but a pain as a kicker. That said it starts and runs nicely.

The 25 hp is a pull start and it starts 2nd or third pull down to 10 F. Single digits and I have to pull & pull & pull before she'll start. How often do I hunt below 10 F? Maybe once or twice a year. The last two years I haven't been in the single digits at launch time so maybe it's fixed it's self - yuh right! Now I'm not as young or as cheap as I was 10 years ago I sure wish I had bought the electric start option.

The 3.5 was interesting when I got it, it needed what I felt was an extended warm up period before she would put out any torque. The first use of the day, she would stall when I put it in gear until she'd warmed up 3 to 5 minutes. This problem did correct it's self and she gets up and goes with out the prolonged warm up.

Over all the Nissans have served me very well but like all things made today watch out for cost reduced things like the mounting bracket. I'm not sure today's motors, made by any manufacturer, have a better bracket but it was a disappointment to me.

Scott
 
no problems here with a 5hp 2 stroke. now ask me about mercury.....I also have opinions about yamaha and honda also.
 
Thanks for the posts guys.

We got set up as a Nissan dealer last year, but never did anything with it or tried to sell any. Our plan was to get one to "test drive" this past season but we got super busy and never got a chance to. Now we're ready to take the plunge but decided that we should check around and get some opinions.

As always, this site is the best place period for waterfowling knowledge.

Thanks,
Kirk
 
Kirk,

You're busy man. How about you send me the new motor and I'll do some testing for you. A 9.9 long shaft would make a nice kicker for the Lund.

No need to thank me, I'm always glad to help another waterfowler out. :-)

Charlie
 
Sure thing Charlie.

You can be our official test pilot/crash dummy!

I'll send a 9.9 out today, keep checking your mailbox for it.

Thanks,
Kirk
 
I have a 1998 18 hp 2 stroke Electric start Nissan on my 1440 mv joon boat. I love it. It cranks great, has good torque, light weight (weighs only 11 more pounds than an old Johnson 9.9/15hp) and the electric start is great. Back in the day (before getting remarried!), I ran it up to 40 days a year, all in brackish to saltwater & in some shallow nasty muddy clam/oystershell filled conditions. I've changed the lower unit oil once or twice, cleaned the spark plugs about once a season & occasionally greased all the fittings. This summer, I probably need to replace the water pump, its the original. It has held up great to all this abuse. I've never had a problem with it other than water in the fuel tank which messed up the carberator but that was my fault anyway.
My only limited complaint is that on a cold morning, I have to work the choke & throttle for a mintue or so until it warms up, then it runs great. Not a big deal.
 
Used to have cold weather starting problems with almost all of my outboards till I started using "Stabil". I have even poured a thermos or two of hot coffee over gas lines to free them up.

Guess we all encounter frozen gas occasionally.

Best,
Harry
 
You are probably only going to be dealing with just the 4 strokes now, righ?

If they run the same lower units as the 2 strokes (water impellars) make sure that the buyers are aware that the impellars are built to wear out and need to be changed "frequently". This is never mentioned in the owners manual other than when it stops pumping water take it in for service. The service guys up here say that they need to be changed once a year when in silty water, once every two years in salt water, once every 3 to 5 years in fresh water depending on the silt load.

I sould take a picture of my old impellar to show what it looks like after three seasons (6 months) in a duck marsh being used in shallow muddy water.
 
I guess that means I really need to change mine, it's been in there since 1998!
 
I think I would urinate on a frozen gas line before pouring a thermos full of precious black juice on it! Or better yet drink the coffee first then pee on the gas line. Bro, what are you thinkin?
 
I just picked up a boat with a Yamaha 25 4 stroke on it and the guy I bought it from said he changed the impellers every year. Is that nuts? I have had a 30 Evinrude 2 stroke for 6 years and its a 1993 model year thats NEVER had impeller problems, or any problems except the kill switch goin bad
 
Didn'twant to have to touch the line after I'd peed on it and I knew the coffee was still real hot. Anyhow it worked.
Best,
Harry
 
Speaking of the coffee thing.... I have a buddy "Grovey" on the Susquehanna that hunts with an old Ithaca Mag 10 that was known for freezing up. At least once a season he'd be out gunning in the freezing rain and snow and geese would come in and his gun would be frozen and he'd scramble for his thermos and dump it in the action of his Mag.

Kirk
 
So has mine. Not that I've put many hours on it but rubber does age. How come they are so darn expensive!

Scott
Click to expand...


Get that pump changed, early goose is only 6 months away!
 
MUCH cheaper than a blown powerhead. I change mine when I feel like it but try to never let them go more than 3 years. When I was a kid, we lived at the lake all summer and I can't remember ever changing an impeller on any of our boats or Dad taking them in for service. he would squirt some lower unit grease in sometimes but that was pretty much the extent of it. Roll the dice I guess.
 
It is amazing how long they can last. As you may remember I changed by dad's on his 15 last summer, it hadn't been done in over 15 years), couple fins missing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top