Make of motor

[bjmason737]

Looking for a outboard long shaft 4 stroke. Any opinions on best make???

[dlandersson]

What dealers are convenient to you? A 'Make" does not make sense if you can't get it serviced.

Looking for a outboard long shaft 4 stroke. Any opinions on best make???

[Freedom77]

He's right!! I have a Honda 7.5 and the closest authorized repair facility is 75 miles away...

[mastreb]

What horsepower?

[bartmac]

Not sure whether marketed in US but in Australia I was advised Suzuki 4 stroke was the pick....ours is a 15hp....the other thing to investigate is whether the 9.9 is just a de-rated 15hp...or in any of the horsepower ranges...it was suggested a de-rated motor is likely to be not very stressed and may last longer

[bjmason737]

Looking for a 8 to 9.9 HP, lots of dealersa in the area I live in mid-coast maine

[Catigale]

Link to "who makes what motors"

If you are buying new, I woud go Mercury, Tohatsu for a 9.9

http://www.smalloutboards.com/review.htm

[K9Kampers]

I've had my 12 year old Tohatsu 50 for 7 years and have only had to put into it a waterpump kit & carb kits. I had once driven to a Tohatsu dealer outside of Westbrook (nearly 200 miles r/t) to get the waterpump, but have ordered other stuff online since. There are at least a few Tohatsu dealers in Maine. Don't bother with the 'Dealer Locator' function on the Tohatsu website as their listinigs aren't accurate.

[Tomfoolery]

If I were in your position, I'd be looking at the Tohatsu 9.8 hp (or one size down even) with extra-long (25") shaft, as long as there's reasonably local representation. The subject comes up here regularly, so I'll just reiterate that an off-center OB on a small boat that's pitching and rolling in rough water or breaking waves is likely to spend time with the prop in the air instead of doing its job, and the extra long shaft will help mitigate that. It's less efficient when it's deeper in the water that normal, but with a displacement hull, I rather doubt it matters, and you can always pull the OB mount (assuming it's adjustable) up a bit for smooth water motoring.

I hear nothing but good things about Tohatsu OBs, for what that's worth, but I've never owned one, so it's just an impression I've formed. It's worth what you paid for it.