Chip's words are concise and accurate. Tempermental.
I bought this particular boat mainly because it came with the Honda 50 HP.
So far this engine's done the most of anything on my boat to keep me off the water.
Granted mine's a '97, but extrapolate your new one a few years.
I'm in Florida and since owning mine (6 mos) I've sustained:
o Dead voltage regulator. Was putting out 15.6 volts. Replaced.
o All three carbs gummed completely shut. Avoidable if you run dry every time I understand. I let mine sit too long without starting. Rebuilt myself, parts were a bugger to get. All local shops have -every- other major brand and chuckle when you ask about Honda parts. $230/4 days for parts from "authorized parts outlet".
o Water pump impeller shredded. Looks like local mechanic's fault who installed it but that didn't make me feel any better. Another $200 for parts, this time 7 days waiting for parts. And I don't live in the sticks.
Incidentally I called four4 local outboard repair places, not wanting to service it myself till I knew it better. Three were happy to come over (mobile is great!), till I said Honda. The fourth said to drag it in and they'd get to it when they got to it, no idea of cost. So much for authorized service.
I said to one guy, gee seems like there's an opening for someone willing to service Hondas. He said to knock myself out. So I bought a manual and parts and did it myself. If it runs OK I'll hang on to it and stock my own parts, 'caus I ain't gettin' any locally.
Now when it runs it's so quiet it's creepy.Even at 3/4 throttle you can have a conversation at normal speaking levels. No smoke or smell either. It's never started first try. Usually takes three or four kicks, so I added another battery. I'm not a good judge of power, all I want to do is sail & get off the weather faster then 5kts, so it works for me.
To work on, it has some plusses. There's a spin-on oil filter, an easy to replace fuel filter, and the spark plugs are easy to get to, though they face the port side. The ignition system is solid-state CDI. Lubrication is oil sump. I think the engine is supposed to have a failure mode that protects it from overtemp but lets it get you home by disabling 3 cylinders of ignition. Mine has overtemp and oil pressure alarms. Fuel delivery is three separate kei-hin carbs. Honda really targeted emissions and fuel economy. These carbs have unbelievable tiny orifices, like bread-tie wire diameter. Charging system is a 10A alternator, big enough to charge the batteries, just.
Reviews on this motor, the BF50A, can be found on "epinions,com", I'd have a look. A review mentions one eating impellers frequently, like two a year, and also mentioned the carb weakness, as did several threads on other boards.
I know a guy with a 9HP Merc that didn't know they had impellers in them after seven years, and he's never had a fuel problem.
For my money, knowing what I know now, I'd be all over a Yamaha, Merc, or a Tohatsu, since they make both of the first two anyway. In-stock parts are much more readily available, as are places that can do the service work. Check around your neck of the woods. Electronic fuel injection made sense for cars, likewise it should for boats. Honda fuel injects it's larger outboards, I think 65HP & above. I'd be happy with a more forgiving motor that was easier to keep running.
Depends on your use, too. If you're a salmon fisherman out at night making a living, far from an authoruzed parts distributor, maybe something else is a better choice. If you're a fishing lodge who rents boats, you have a fleet situation, there are plenty of spares and the a failure doesn't matter as much. Just stock up on spare parts.
Ask me again in a year.
) Previously, they used a carbureted version of the Mercury-Yamaha joint-venture four-stroke. There was also a "Big Foot" version with low gearing and large diameter prop. The non-BigFoot models are really geared too high for the Mac. Some here have had trouble running the control cables in the M's shallow pedestal, but two others (mtc and divecoz) have just acquired an M with the Merc BigFoot and seem to be pleased with the control installation. This same motor is also available in a larger, 60HP version with no increase in size or weight. It is probably the outboard I'd choose for a new M. I have one on our Boston Whaler, and love it. Its alternator is rated 18A on the website and 20A in the service manual. Mercury is a very popular outboard in the US, and there are dealers with service, parts, and supplies all over the country.