New Tohatsu 25-30hp 4 stroke

Does anyone have experience with the newer Tohatsu 25 or 30hp 4strokes, 2015+? Im looking to upgrade next year and I have a Tohatsu dealer right down the road from my house. Boat will either be Alumacraft MV NCS 1648 or War Eagle 648 LDV

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It should be a solid motor.. mercury and evinrude outsource their small motors to Tohatsu

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Yes I've run a couple Merc and Tohatsu both. One was a jet, the other standard prop driven. Both used on 2048, one shawnee the other was a Topwater. Both are about the same hull wise, they are not built for speed!

What I liked about the motor. It was silky smooth running and really quiet. But what I didn't like was that the Merc version was a manual start, and they're tough to yank start being 3 cylinder 4 stroke. The Tohatsu was electric. They seemed to be down on power too, seemed to have plenty of torque down low but lacked up top. I figured I'd see 20mph out of the prop and maybe 16 out of the jet, but the prop was lucky to see 17mph-and that's with only me in the boat (no passenger at the time). About 20 going downriver, 12 going up. Makes for a long trip to the shoals so thankfully it was quiet & smooth. The shifter rod is partially exposed on the one I looked closely at (prop) which I did NOT like at all. Not where I'm fishing at, which is full of moss, weeds, etc. I can't see any rocks getting into it but the moss and weeds sure did. It was a rental and I didn't bother with it much, but the guy at the dock mentioned it when I turned the boat back in. Said every time it comes back from rental, he's got to lift the outboard and clean the junk out of the shift rod area. I cleaned the prop myself (stick it in reverse when it gets "plugged").

I liked them both as far as how smooth they run, but I did not like the weight and the seemingly lack of power. They just felt slow. They were both manual tilt and tilting the prop version was almost impossible from inside the boat, about like the 08-16 Yamaha 25 without tilt assist. It took ALL I had to get it tilted up the one time and I didn't bother with it again afterwards; just kicked it into reverse (which was a little noisy in the gearcase) to clean it off from there on out. And manual starting was not much fun either....seemed worse because the boat did not have a trolling motor so every time I'd float down over a shoal, once I got to a point, I had to turn around, yank my guts out to start it, and then run back upriver. If I had one, it would DEFINITELY be electric start.

Have you looked into the Suzuki or Yamaha yet? Or are they out of the question?

On the boat, I'm not familiar with the Alumacraft but the War Eagle I am...they are built like a tank, handle great, ride great, float level if you leave the plug out, and they are quite comfortable for a jon. The bad? No under deck storage...but it can be added easily if you look at their options. Their website is not great so you're really better off getting a brochure from a dealer which does a better job of describing the features and add-ons, with pictures nonetheless. They are an excellent boat. Again I can't compare it to the Alumacraft because I have VERY little experience with Alumacraft other than their el' cheapo riveted boats (1542, 1230, 1436, etc). Those tend to be a little slower and rougher riding but those are also mass produced with the cheapest fastest labor that they can get.

Previous boat had a 2015 Merc 25 HP, which I believe is by Tohatsu. It had electric start and PTT. Weighed in at 187# (I think). I liked it a lot and never had any problems with it. I had it on a 15' Klamath side console. Top speed was 26-27. I'm not knowledgeable on OB mechanicals, but found it pretty easy to do the routine maintenance. It had about 300 hours when I traded it in.

I can't compare it with anything else because it is the first outboard I've owned (previous boats were I/O's).

So, I can't be much help other than saying if I needed a 25 HP I would have no reason not to get this one again.

The Yamaha, isnt out of the question yet. I just havent done my research on them. The dealer down the road sells both Tohatsu and Yamaha so i wont have to travel far for a warranty issue or big maintenance. I was looking at the Tohatsu first because there was so little difference in their 25 vs. 30hp, ECU and camshaft from what ive read. Plus it has a 3 cylinder for hauling a load during duck season. Most of the guys around me on the lakes and river run Tohatsu for smaller motors, 50hp and less, but anything bigger is Yamaha.

Im not to desperatly concerned about storage. I dont keep alot of things in my 1448 now as it is, a few small dryboxes with first aid kit, paper work, TP and a few things like that. And that 1448 has not storage lol.

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Supposedly the Tohatsu's use a better gear ratio to get more speed than the Merc. I know the guys racing the Havoc's and Edge duck boats are running the Tohatsu over the Merc for this reason in the stock form. But there has also been rumors of Tohatsu not standing behind their warranty on some of their motors saying the people did not idle the motor during breakin even when the people had video of it. Or so they say????

But it is the internet!!!!

recently sold my 100 ga weldbilt 1648 w a tphatsu 30 hp 4 str w p/tt. tiller steer. owned boat for 5 1/2 yrs. sold w about 150 hrs on engine. had hour meter tach on it. about 125 hrs in developed a misfire, bad plug. only issue a had with it. if i had changed plugs yesrly doubt that it would of happened. thing sipped gas, came with a 6 gal tank. took up too much room, swapped in 3 gal and never looked back. boat would hit 27 w 2 guys, started to porpoise, i dont know if a bigger and heavier engine would get much faster wo porpoising. you might just b wasting the extra 10 hp. this was my 2nd tohatsu and would own another in a minute. once your warranty is up it is just another mercury as far as repair work goes.starting to see a lot more of these engines around. any other questions ask away

i have to say this, we are talking about relatively small motors, does upgrading them or even comparing torque or holeshots even make sense? i mean how fast can u expect a 1648 jon to go? to me releabilty and operating cost are the most important issues. fishabilty/hunting are more important then how fast my rig will go. now that i opened this can of worms i know the barbs will b coming.

hipster dufus said:

i have to say this, we are talking about relatively small motors, does upgrading them or even comparing torque or holeshots even make sense? i mean how fast can u expect a 1648 jon to go? to me releabilty and operating cost are the most important issues. fishabilty/hunting are more important then how fast my rig will go. now that i opened this can of worms i know the barbs will b coming.

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Heck yeah. Reliability/dependability is #1 on my list of priorities.

hipster dufus said:

i have to say this, we are talking about relatively small motors, does upgrading them or even comparing torque or holeshots even make sense? i mean how fast can u expect a 1648 jon to go? to me releabilty and operating cost are the most important issues. fishabilty/hunting are more important then how fast my rig will go. now that i opened this can of worms i know the barbs will b coming.

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Agree with you 100%--and I'm a gearhead that can't leave stuff alone! But I'll take reliability and fishability over speed anyday. If I wanted speed, I'd buy a bass boat but it wouldn't fit in the garage and won't fish the local river that's 5' deep at it's deepest, with most areas under 18". Sure hate to scrape up the nice gelcoat on a 'glass boat but it doesn't bother me to scrape the OD green off of my tin boat, and it's a lot easier to grab the spray paint to fix it then it is to repair gelcoat or SMC.

Last I looked the Merc 25 had a 1.92 gear ratio and Suzuki was 2.09, Yamaha 2.08. Could've changed since then. The numerically lower gear ratio means the motor's not going to be able to turn the same wheel at 25hp as a motor with a 2.08/9. Might have to run a 10" pitch instead of an 11" for example. GENERALLY (and it's a generality so take it with a grain of salt), the higher numerically the gearcase ratio, the faster the engine can spin up.

I've run the Merc/Tohatsu, all 3 generations of Yamaha F25 and the old V-twin suzuki (which was a piece of junk, IMO) and they're all about the same power wise, but the merc runs the smoothest-and ironically is the heaviest. I need to go try out a newer suzuki with the 3 cylinder engine but I don't think I'm gonna buy one to try it, especially considering the nearest suzuki dealer is 150 miles away.

The AR green timber duck hunters prefer Tohatsu over any other engine. If you want to see a motor take a beating take a ride in a 4am boat race on the Black River. I myself prefer to use a mud motor for such a occasion. But, all the locals run is 1648’s with the big Tohatsu they can get ahold of.
I’ve seen some 70hp tillers out there, but it’s mostly 40’s on down to 25’s.


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Shmelton said:

The AR green timber duck hunters prefer Tohatsu over any other engine. If you want to see a motor take a beating take a ride in a 4am boat race on the Black River. I myself prefer to use a mud motor for such a occasion. But, all the locals run is 1648’s with the big Tohatsu they can get ahold of.
I’ve seen some 70hp tillers out there, but it’s mostly 40’s on down to 25’s.


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They like the TLDI's for the speed. Speed is #1 priority it seems with many duck hunters here. Reliability? That's what insurance is for.....trust me...I get real busy around duck season as long as there's enough water to be a productive season. Last year wasn't one and I had to resort to workin' on tractors all winter. Even when I get a broken motor in the shop, it's always the same story. Fix it yesterday and make it faster for zero cash outlay.

I just put a 40 tohatsu 4stroke on my 1648 ncs and can't imagine going smaller at this point. Top speed on my bs phone app is 35 right now but I'm still in break in period. 5200 out the door for my motor was a no brainer compared to a 30 for close to 4k. But honestly it looks like I paid 1200 extra for about 5mph lol. Might get faster with a different prop. Hole shot is better than my 2smoke yamaha 40 was on my 1648 flat front but that's not really comparable I guess. Regardless the 40 is surpassing my expectations at this point.

RealOne said:

I just put a 40 tohatsu 4stroke on my 1648 ncs and can't imagine going smaller at this point. Top speed on my bs phone app is 35 right now but I'm still in break in period. 5200 out the door for my motor was a no brainer compared to a 30 for close to 4k. But honestly it looks like I paid 1200 extra for about 5mph lol. Might get faster with a different prop. Hole shot is better than my 2smoke yamaha 40 was on my 1648 flat front but that's not really comparable I guess. Regardless the 40 is surpassing my expectations at this point.

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Did you put a tach on it? Factory prop? I'm curious as to what rpms you are turning if it is a factory prop....I would imagine on that light hull you would need to go up in pitch. 35+ mph would be plenty for me but it would be nice to be able to still "cruise" in the upper 20's at lower rpms and really save on the gas even more.

RealOne said:

I just put a 40 tohatsu 4stroke on my 1648 ncs and can't imagine going smaller at this point. Top speed on my bs phone app is 35 right now but I'm still in break in period. 5200 out the door for my motor was a no brainer compared to a 30 for close to 4k. But honestly it looks like I paid 1200 extra for about 5mph lol. Might get faster with a different prop. Hole shot is better than my 2smoke yamaha 40 was on my 1648 flat front but that's not really comparable I guess. Regardless the 40 is surpassing my expectations at this point.

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I am running a 25hp on my 1648 seaark. It will run 31 mph. I was thinking about going with the 40hp. Local dealer has them on sale for $4900 installed but if you are only getting 35 mph out of yours I might hold off.

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my last boat,a 14.5 g3 guide v had a 2016 tohatsu 25 short shaft power tilt/trim electric/pull start. really great motor.one of my favourites that i've owned so far.i managed around 20 to 23 mph with my trolling prop and close to 800 pounds of boat/gear/people.way better than my 2012 yamaha 15 or my older evinrudes.not quite up there with my current etec 40,but it's apples and oranges.you will not be disappointed with the tohatsu.