Several people have commented that Honda still makes a 10 hp, and from the overwhelming number of comments, I believe it to be true. However, in the USA (where I am located) the Honda website only shows a 9.9 and no 10 hp. Obviously, the 9.9 and a 10 are the same engine and it seems that outside of North America it is still labeled as a 10 hp. I apologise for my "blanket statement" that there are no 10 hp outboards because it seems like this phenomenon is primarily a US and Canada thing. Also I do realize that "once upon a time" there were 10 hp outboards in the US and Canada - but it seems that era ended in the 1970s - around 50 years ago. So to those of you who insist on telling me that Johnson or Mercury made one in the 1960s, - I know they did. This video is addressing the several reasons WHY our 10 hp outboard motors are currently (and have been for the last 50 years or so) labeled as 9.8 and 9.9.
@@tonyfleurys I don't know much about them I just got mine 1981 model. I just built a motor stand for it. The motor looks like it's in good shape,but I haven't cranked it yet. I have to change all fluids,spark plugs don't look bad.
The answer to why something is an odd number is always "the government". 49cc mopeds and minibikes exist for the same reason. 50cc and greater require licensing and registration.
Same reason that the GT-R R34 and several other high performance Japanese cars came from the factory with "223" HP (I forget the actual value), there was a gentleman's agreement between the government and manufacturers that engines couldn't have more than X horsepower.
Believe it or not Michigan recently updated the moped law to allow for up to 100cc, and they allow all kinds of loopholes. It's allowed me to register a 2004 Motorhispania RX50 which has gears and goes 65mph as well as a Suzuki 100cc Enduro.
In the UK even for 50cc and under requires you to be 16, training (£200 for 2 years), insurance at least (£500/year), tax (£20/year) and inspection (£30/year). Only then can you ride around in the rain at 28mph
@@kennethnoisewater1502 That's booty, Move to Michigan if you want completely legal cannabis and much relaxed road rules over the UK-also red light cameras are illegal and you're not under surveillance virtually everywhere you drive.
Outboards under 10 HP used to be exempt from the old HP-tax here in Norway. Back then, the shops sold 9,9 HP. These simple two-stroke motors could be retuned to 15 HP in minutes. If you needed some parts, the shops sold ready packed, cheap "service kits" for 15 HP. Even if there were no 15 HP engines for sale in the whole country! 🙂
You used to only need a boating license for motors 10 and above in Ontario, Canada. Now it’s for all motors but you still need to register any boat with a motor 10 or above. It seems like 10 has always been a sort of a cutoff internationally for various reasons.
@@TACOINSURANCE True. There are several rules regarding age, licenses and so on, and engine power is often used as a "divider". But many of these rules are newer, most boating used to be quiet unregulated, and the HP tax (ca 1970 - ca 2015) was the main cause for all those "9.9".
The Johnson and Evinrude 9.9 was indeed as you describe when I was a lad in Australia. You could also buy the 15. Before that there was the Johnson 9 1/2. A more full rounder engine housing.
It takes more than minutes. You can change the carb and reeds, but if you’re not changing the exhaust ports, as well, then it won’t actually be a 15hp. You can get a little more power by changing the carb, but the exhaust ports are the greater point of restriction. I have a 1963 evinride 10hp, and it’s the same engine from 4hp all the way to 40hp. The only difference is the carb and exhaust ports.
😂 actually the mnr have been known to actually take the vin# number and with a app they have can verify hp directly from the vin# and yes they do sometimes make the effort to check!
In many cases, the 9.9 hp motors are 15 hp motors detuned to meet the requirements you mentioned. What's interesting is many of the 9.8 hp motors are 8 hp motors tuned to make slightly more hp. On a small boat, a 9.8 would make more sense as it's lighter, thus easier to lug around.
I worked for a Mercury/Mariner dealer here in Australia back in the mid 90's. Our sale price on a 9.9hp two stroke outboard was $990AU and a 15hp was $1500AU. The prices went up pretty much the same way as HP increased, so it was pretty straight forward when it came to estimating prices for a customer. Also, as others have mentioned, a fair few manufacturers 9.9hp engines were basically a restricted/tuned down 15hp engine. Effectively all that is needed to upgrade a 9.9hp to 15hp is to fit a 15hp carburetor and 15hp exhaust tube to the mid section, although installing the 15hp exhaust tube does require lifting the powerhead/engine off the mid section to install.
Here in Europe the cc limit for mopeds are up to and including 50cc. My understanding is that manufacturers make them 48 or 49 cc so that at least one cylinder bore is possible without making the moped into a motorcycle in a legal sense.
Many 9.9 HP outboard motors are actually 20 HP motors that have been purposely limited in performance to either 15 or 9.9 HP. I think this is the case for some Suzuki, Tohatsu, Mercury and Yamaha outboards. If you swap out the limiting part(s), you regain the designed HP of the outboard.
Was going to comment the same - - they also tend to make 2 "ratings" for a "casting" size, I had a Johnson 18 that looked identical to a Johnson 25 (1973) A marine tech told me I could get it up to 23 HP with parts but I'd have to open the engine up to get the last 2 HP. I never modded it as I had an 11' fiberglass boat and it was already over-powered.
Here in Alaska there is a river that they limit HP to 35. Many of these motors are just detuned 40-50HP motors. Some guys even fix what limits this but keep the 35HP cowling.
I had a Tohatsu 9.8 Hp that was nearly fifty years old and still ran perfectly. I only ever changed the spark plugs and the transmission oil. It started first time every time. What a great motor. 👍
This actually goes back decades. An uncle of mine had a late 60s vintage 9.8 Mercury. My grandfather had a 9.5 Evinrude Sportwin from around the same era. An interesting, extremely low profile powerhead. As to vintage outboard costs, I still have a 1975 model 20hp Mercury that we bought new for $775.
Jay Dee your wrong, Evinrude never made a 9.5 hp motor; It was 9.9hp. I worked for Evinrude for 17 years. I started in 1974, my father worked there for 34 years, my FIL worked there 32 years. The last 18 years he assembled 9.9hp and 15hp powerheads. The one difference being the carburetor and reed plate under it. By replacing them your 9.9 becomes 15 hp. My older brother assembled the starters, reed plates and other parts for the 9.9, 15, 25, 33, 35 hp lines. Just so you know very many OMC Brand (Evinrude, Johnson, Gale) outboard parts are interchangeable; some are not. When my Grandfathers 1961 15hp Gale outboard finally quit running, my father and I simply put a new 25 hp Evinrude powerhead on the Gale lower unit. They did make a 7.5 hp for a while in the late 60’s to early 70’s, my Uncle Frank owed one.
@@kypackerfan4-12-15I know Johnson made a 9.5 with a low profile power head I believe designed to fit in trunks of cars better. Alot of brands made an outboard just under 10hp so people could use them on waters with horsepower restrictions usually a 10, 20 or 25hp limitation hence 9.5,9.8,9.9,18 variations of popular brands. The 28 33 48 65 75 88 and other unusual horsepower variations usually signified some extra option like a charging system oil injection electric shift or some other definable difference. Evinrude history is quite extensive. The more ive learn the less i think i know.
The evinrude 9.5hp was also called the toilet bowl motor Johnson in the early 60s had a 10hp I like the 9.9 with the 15 hp carb i actually built up a evinrude with a out of the water exhaust and went directly to the bypass cover and put a small dirt bike tuned muffler I did have to drill out the jets and play around with it and it only ran good when it was cool out in the spring and fall ?
Suzuki's 9.9 and 15 hp are the same except 2 parts. The 9.9 has a restrictor air plate that lets in less air. And the ECU module is different, A lot of people drill out the plate to a larger hole and swap the ECU and presto you have a cloaked 15 hp motor.
I thought it was because there are so many lakes restricted to under 10 horsepower. Therefore it made sense for manufacturers to produce 9.9 horsepower outboards instead of 10.
Keep in mind that the ratings on outboards have a tolerance of plus or minus 19% of the rating. So a 9.9 motor could be about 11 hp or only 9hp and still be legal. Think of ICOMMIA and NMMA as industry agents that regulate how the motors are rated. ( I worked in Outboard Engineering for over ten years for OMC.)
10 hp is the threshold of Mississippi law that one can be cited for BUI. I always had figured some judge with a bourbon habit persuaded the legislature to figure out a way he could take his little runabout on a public lake while day drinking.
i had a johnson 10 and it lasted for many years sold it to a friend who used it for years after. it was a great motor . anything good is always discontinued.
Thanks for this informative video. These were the reasons I had always suspected for the not-quite-10hp-motor… There are some similar shenanigans at the upper end of the two digit range. For instance, Yamaha used to make a 100 hp motor. More recently, like in the last 10 to 15 years, they began making 90 hp motors instead, one of which sits on the back of my boat. A Yamaha tech told me while I was looking at used boats that the 90 hp motors are simply rebadged 100 hp motors because the insurance industry had started increasing rates significantly for engines above 100 hp. So Yamaha obliged and started “building” engines that were 10 hp less…
This is why! A licence or registration is mandatory for all pleasure craft equipped with motors of 10 horsepower (7.5 kilowatts) or more, including personal watercraft, which are principally maintained or operated in Canada.
@@OldManMuskrat it’s a 14’ alumacraft from the 70s so very light, I’d guess 250 ish lbs so quite a bit less than yours. I’d suggest going with the max rated hp as noted on the capacity plate
Different motors are "perfect" for different boats. Back in the day when my Dad got a 1.7 HP Neptune Mighty Mite, it was a huge improvement over either of us using oars to propel a 10-12 ft wooden boat with 2 people on board! The best part is that it would outrun the mosquitoes and other bugs on the sunset run on Peconic Lake back to the dock in August. Maintanance was easy, they thoughtfully built it with great access to everything. The only issue- the front passenger better duck during starting, the knot on the end of that non-recoil starter rope could really hurt!
Haha- I remember the exact same thing,having to duck as my dad attempted to start our old Seagull 4 hp outboard with the cord wrapped around the flywheel- often many times ,as it was incredibly unreliable!🤣🤣👌 great memories…..
My old 40 hp Johnson was actually a detuned 60. During that model run, the 40, 48, 50 and 60 were essentially the same engine. Same bore and stroke for all four.
Oh, keep it simple way. There was, and probably still is, a huge jump in tariff and taxation for engines 10hp and larger. So the manufacturers come as close as they can (9.9) without hitting ten. Same reason that a Japanese 1.6 liter auto engine is 1.597 liters, never 1.6.
Took a long long time to say a little little bit, but it _was_ interesting. Don't pay too much attention to the "that's technically inaccurate if measured with a micrometer" crowd. Just keep doing your thing!
Tomos company which produced 2 stroke outboards ranging from 4 to 20HP, also had a 10HP and a 9.9HP variant. Bore and stroke were identical to the 18HP, but there were only 2 channels instead of 3 inside the head - so it wasn't just detuned, but a different block. The 20 was oversized 18 variant, and the company was in process of developing a 40HP when the SFRJ collapsed.
I love my 1956 Johnson 10 HP. I found it in someone's garbage. Converted it into a single line with a pulse carb, threw in and impeller and it runs like new. Pushes my 12' just fine
Alot of them are actually 15 or even 20 horsepower that have a restrictor plate so the company doesn't have to make more than one motor for a similar sized outboard
really... back in 1973 I got a birthday present of a 10'MFG fiberglass boat with a 9.9 Johnson for around 800$ new. I found out the 9.9 and the 15 had a mechanical difference... the carb, the 15hp motor had a higher fuel flow. By buying a 15 hp carb rebuild kit, all one had to do was change the jets and readjust the air for idle and full throttle. If you shaved the top of the intake port a bit to allow an earlier timing of fresh fuel input and advance the spark about 3 degrees, you would get more hp out of the motor... I ended up with approx 17hp at full throttle. I miss that boat...
As said by others most of the 9.9 2 stroke outboards are derated 15 HP units. This is also the case with the other HP ratings as well until you get to the really big stuff. it stands to reason you are not going to make radically different motors just to get 5 HP more. All the 9.9 units I owned just required the fuel jets in the carburetor to be upgraded to the 15 HP spec and a limiting screw on the ignition advance removed then the motor would also have increased RPM that gave more HP and speed.
New Yamaha F60 is also sold as the F50. The difference is that Yamaha puts a different ECU on the F50, adds a removable restrictor to the air intake and puts on a smaller prop. In all reality, they do not make a 50hp motor, they just remove the balls from the 60hp motor.
I haven't owned a boat for a long time but it used to be that you didn't have to register a boat under 9.9 hp so no K numbers had to be painted on the side of the boat.
To the title that is untrue, when living in sri lanka after the 2004 tsunami my parents raised money for the fishermen to buy boats again, they bought 5 10 hp honda outboard motors
I had a 10 HP motor as a kid in the early 70’s. A 1958 Johnson. Anybody else old enough to remember the maroon and white Johnson’s? Had it on a 12ft boat and it flew. Noticed they changed to 9-1/2’s in the 60’s.
I always figured it was a tax/licensing thing to see 9.8hp motors abroad. Meanwhile the same motors would be labelled as a 10hp motor here. Because over here the question of whether or not you need a license and registration for a boat is whether or not it can reasonably go over 5 knots. If it's slower than 5 knots, you probably don't need a license unless it's over a certain size or displacement. So you can have a decent size boat with a 25hp motor on it, as long as it doesn't go over 5 knots when using the motor. You can go faster when sailing or rowing for example. This can obviously only really be enforced by cops in a boat. And after a couple of court cases they have to measure the speed in two opposing directions, and then use the lower of the two, so they can't shaft you by making you go downwind, downstream, or both.
i don't know about any other country but in ontario if your motor is 10 horse or above you have to license the boat. so they call it a 9.9 for this reason. i have fished in ontario for 50 years and was always given this reason. in michigan any boat that has a motor has to be licensed.
There is another reason too. Many states Boating Under the Influence laws have engine qualifications in them. Ours is 20 hp in MS but others are less in surrounding states.
For all intensive purposes is 9.9 is 10 hp a lot of the lakes had motor restrictions you had to run under 10 hp motors so that's why the 9.9 was developed it would be foolish for an engine manufacturer to make a 9.9 and a 10 hp
9.9 hp motors are often down-tuned 15 hp motors. Not always, but often. And most of them can quite easily be converted back to 15 hp just by changing a few parts. 10 hp motors on the other hand, are mostly designed as 10 hp motors from the beginning. Which means that a 9,9 might in fact be larger and heavier than a 10 hp motor. But also with potentially more power. This is very generally speaking, and a lot of exceptions exist.
@@WayneTheBoatGuy Yes, and not only the small motors. I have a 40 hp Yamaha which is basically the same as the 50 hp. And it's the same all the way up to 300 hp. Most outboards are usually released in at least to hp ratings. Quite often three. From a production point of view, it doesn't make sense to design a unique motor for every hp rating.
What i like about the 9.9s is that it is a small 2 cilinder and dus way quieter than a 2.5-6hp cingel cilinder. And even a little quieter than a big two cilinder. Also got les fibrition.
I‘d agree if the video was called „Why there are no 10HP outboards in the USA and Canada“. There are plenty 10HP outboards available outside those two countries
Now, all that said. 10 HP outboards do exist. Many chinese companies didn't get this memo, and make 10 hp for domestic sale, and export to Korea, Phillipines, and such. They aren't marked 9.9 or such, they just say 10 on them. some lines run 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 hp. 10's also are popping up in the electric market. For example Aiqidi's 10 HP Electric outboard. Its not that they aren't made, its just they aren't made or sole in the USA due to US laws. There are a ton of things like that... things made but can't be sold in the USA because of silly laws.
In the 60s thru late 70s Mercury used to take the HP of the engine and add a Zero to it, a 50hp became the Merc 500, a 7.5 was the Merc 75. however the 9.8hp was called the Merc 110.... a crafty way of outright thumbing the nose at the Regulators
Wait I thought I was called at 110 because it’s an 11 cubic inch motor. Correct me if I’m wrong but my 1968 Mercury 110 is clear as day labeled 9.8 HP Twin on the lower cowling.
@@74nova36 You need to reread my comment, and comprehend it. Your logic doesn't hold up very well, cause the inline 6s were 99.8 cubic inches, but they were called 900, 1150, 1250, 1350, 1400, and 1500, respectively 90hp, 115hp, 125 hp, 135hp, 140hp, and 150hp. There were higher HP racing engine of that displacement too.
@@pjimmbojimmbo1990 dang you’re a coot. You can displace the same amount while making different amounts of horsepower per given cubic inch. ✋🏿 All 9.8's used Merc's 10.9 cubic inch block, and throughout it's life the block was never modernized. It was a "headless" split block with the reeds located in a (donut) around the lower portion of the crank - a real pain if you had a reed problem - had to crack the block to get at them. The 9.8 started it's model run in 1962 as the model 110 with Merc's Phelon ignition system. In 1970 it got the first "thunderbolt" ignition system - the "thunderbolt 2 - Phase Maker". In 1974, while still called the Model 110 it got Merc's Thunderbolt 4 ignition which stayed in production as Merc's near perfect ignition until 2005 when most 2 strokes were discontinued. In 1979 it simply became the 9.8. In 1985 both the block (which was shared with the 7.5 horse) and the 9.8 model were discontinued. 1986 saw the launch of the 6/8/9.9 horse models with a new 12.8 cubic inch block (designed and built by Yamaha exclusively for Merc) which combined with the T4 ignition became the best and most reliable 2 stroke portables ever to hit the market. *Be open to being wrong* I am, and still could be wrong
@@melrose9252 thanks for verifying that my original claim was correct. Just got my 1968 9.8hp up and running! It makes a ton of power for 11 cubic inches!!
You're splitting hairs. Part of the reason they are labelled as 9.9 is because of the confusion people will have when they that a body of water is restricted to 10 hp. Some of those might say "10 hp max" or "lake limited to 10 hp" or "must be under 10 hp" and there are people who would ask, "what if my motor is 10 hp?" When an engine is labeled as just a smidgeon under 10 hp, it makes it more clear because no matter how a sign, regulation, or law is written - 9.9 hp is clearly under 10.
Yeah... ffing bs in my opinion... If all the rules just stated "legal up to 10HP", it would make the world just a bit less weird... Like all prices: 9.99 dollar... ffing BS!!! Makes me mad...
I've owned a bunch of boats, but my favorite was a 9.9 Johnson on a quality inflatable with wood floor. That thing would get on plane so fast and would skim along comfortably at about 1000 miles per hour. 😂 Okay, not that fast but at 16 it sure felt like it and was a bit of a sleeper in that its speed surprised everyone I took out. Huge smiles.
Long tail are not as prohibitively expensive, if you have $3000 to shell out on just a motor and the registration that comes with it you might as well get something with this much power as the book can take. If your boat can only take 10 horse I’m imagining a John boat, there are way better options than typical outboard motors, like longtail two-stroke, even electric trolling motors with batteries are cheaper and easier to deal with. If you are spending $3000 on a motor for a John boat, what exactly are you doing again?
The tittle should be "Why There Are No 10 HP Outboard Motors sold in the US" As there are plenty of 10hp outboards produced each year. The 10hp honda BF10LHSU, or the Mercury 10hp EFI to name but two...
Hello there Ive a 2.5 on My little 12 foot fishing dinghy and its a Nice boat to launch and the whole Thing i very well balanced 👍 PS. Interesting vlog
It's fun finding stuff like this, even if I'm coming to it a year later. I didn't know about the registration issue, but experienced both the age limit and motor size on certain bodies of water. In the 60s I started with a mid-50s 7.5hp Evinrude on a very heavy 16' cedar strip fishing boat. When I was 12 I took the Water Patrol's Boating Safety course so I could operate our family runabout with 60hp without a parent along. Later, when I finally got an aluminum 12ft fishing boat, I got a 9.8hp Merc. Of course by then I was dreaming of the Evinrude/Johnson low profile 15 horse. I remember when MSRP for small outboards was about $100/horsepower and larger engines came in well under that. Oh, the memories.
@@WayneTheBoatGuy: Right, of course they're not. But I said what I said because you contradicted yourself, since they still _can_ buy those when they come up for sale.
Can you run two motors? Currently the Suzuki 6 HP DF6AS5 is on sale for $1,450 so two will give you 12 HP for $2.900. You will need to link them together somehow but it could work.
I purchased a Mercury 6hp 2021 model 4 stroke and it’s the best purchase I’ve made. I don’t like to go offshore at all and mostly use my boat on freshwater lakes here in Australia. It’s so cheap to run even at today’s prices and the servicing costs are super low as well. It’s just “fashionable” to have big motors here in Australia but not at all necessary.
I was told the reason was a 10 hp motor and up had to be registered and licensed in some states so they just labeled it as a 9.9 hp, also if the boat had less than 10 hp it didn't need to be registered
this no 10hp has been around for the last 50 years that I know of, so most probably well before these rules you state in the US, and we live in the UK where none of the rules you state apply
"And so they made restrictions of 10HP or less for those bodies of water." OK, so again... how does this supposedly present a "problem" for those that are right at 10HP?
10hp and 15hp engines actually have the same body, the only difference is the carburetor which increases the power, so if you have a 10hp engine and you think it is too weak, you can find a carburetor of the same type as 15hp and you have a 15hp engine
Here in Australia. U don't need license to drive boat if under 10 knots. So a 10 years old can drive 300hp if under 10 kts(not get on plane) Boat will need registration if over 18 ft. Or power over 5hp. That's why alot of kids cruising around with 12ft boat with 5hp. Not enough hp to get on plane hahaha
In Canada, both the boater and the boat have to be licensed, you need a boat training to show the competency to operate a motor over 10 hp and register your boat with Transport Canada.
It the law worded in a way to say engines specifically or does the language use motor? Outboard engine is what you are talking about. A motor is an electrical device not a heat engine. So I wonder if electric propulsion has this limitation too.
Yes it's about the same cost as the 70s as far as the price goes. How ever the $500 weekly pay check didn't go up to $2,800. It might be $1,000. So by that reality it way more expensive. After all we have to judge things by our paychecks. Not by how much everything's gone up. Now if my pay went up to $2,800 That would be the same cost. Of course everything went up except that paycheck.
One thing he forgot to mention, is that these 9,9 HP outboards (2-stroke versions) actually all are dowmtrimmed 15 HP engines. In Norway, when 2-strike outboards were prohibited some years ago, you could get good money for a 9,9 HP 2-stroke. And within some minues of work, you had a 15 HP 😁
I've had outboard motors since the mid 60s Evenrude and Johnson made a 9.9 and a 15 that phisacley where the same.I had a 10ft heavy duty aluminum John boat beeft up the transom and put a 20 HP Johnson on it and and it literally flew had aprox 1 ft of bottom touching the water when I punched it from idle it jumped out of the water.
Yeah I have a late 1970's Mercury 10hp (called the Thunderbolt 110) and I checked it last year it was making 11.48 on the dyno. Factory stock with at least 200 hours on it. In 1984 they changed the regulations because some of the manufacturers were cheating (Merc) so they would beat out the competition in each power class. This is why the older guys say that Mercury is faster than Johnson/Evinrude, it's because they WERE. (They'd slap a 50 hp decal on a true 55 HP engine or whatever)
Several people have commented that Honda still makes a 10 hp, and from the overwhelming number of comments, I believe it to be true. However, in the USA (where I am located) the Honda website only shows a 9.9 and no 10 hp. Obviously, the 9.9 and a 10 are the same engine and it seems that outside of North America it is still labeled as a 10 hp. I apologise for my "blanket statement" that there are no 10 hp outboards because it seems like this phenomenon is primarily a US and Canada thing. Also I do realize that "once upon a time" there were 10 hp outboards in the US and Canada - but it seems that era ended in the 1970s - around 50 years ago. So to those of you who insist on telling me that Johnson or Mercury made one in the 1960s, - I know they did. This video is addressing the several reasons WHY our 10 hp outboard motors are currently (and have been for the last 50 years or so) labeled as 9.8 and 9.9.
Mercury still makes one... i litterally have a brand new mercury 10 hp viking on my boat
Canada says "over 7.5KW" which is over 10hp (7.46KW) so this is simply an Americanism. My Johnson QD-19 does not require registration in Canada.
I have a Honda 10 hp
I have 2 of them!
@@tonyfleurys I don't know much about them I just got mine 1981 model. I just built a motor stand for it. The motor looks like it's in good shape,but I haven't cranked it yet. I have to change all fluids,spark plugs don't look bad.
The answer to why something is an odd number is always "the government". 49cc mopeds and minibikes exist for the same reason. 50cc and greater require licensing and registration.
Depends on the state. In Ohio you can't have anything over 35cc on the road without registration
Same reason that the GT-R R34 and several other high performance Japanese cars came from the factory with "223" HP (I forget the actual value), there was a gentleman's agreement between the government and manufacturers that engines couldn't have more than X horsepower.
Believe it or not Michigan recently updated the moped law to allow for up to 100cc, and they allow all kinds of loopholes. It's allowed me to register a 2004 Motorhispania RX50 which has gears and goes 65mph as well as a Suzuki 100cc Enduro.
In the UK even for 50cc and under requires you to be 16, training (£200 for 2 years), insurance at least (£500/year), tax (£20/year) and inspection (£30/year). Only then can you ride around in the rain at 28mph
@@kennethnoisewater1502 That's booty, Move to Michigan if you want completely legal cannabis and much relaxed road rules over the UK-also red light cameras are illegal and you're not under surveillance virtually everywhere you drive.
Outboards under 10 HP used to be exempt from the old HP-tax here in Norway. Back then, the shops sold 9,9 HP. These simple two-stroke motors could be retuned to 15 HP in minutes. If you needed some parts, the shops sold ready packed, cheap "service kits" for 15 HP. Even if there were no 15 HP engines for sale in the whole country! 🙂
You used to only need a boating license for motors 10 and above in Ontario, Canada. Now it’s for all motors but you still need to register any boat with a motor 10 or above. It seems like 10 has always been a sort of a cutoff internationally for various reasons.
@@TACOINSURANCE True. There are several rules regarding age, licenses and so on, and engine power is often used as a "divider". But many of these rules are newer, most boating used to be quiet unregulated, and the HP tax (ca 1970 - ca 2015) was the main cause for all those "9.9".
The Johnson and Evinrude 9.9 was indeed as you describe when I was a lad in Australia. You could also buy the 15. Before that there was the Johnson 9 1/2. A more full rounder engine housing.
..... and after this small modification you get 15hp but with a 9.9 motor cover !
It takes more than minutes. You can change the carb and reeds, but if you’re not changing the exhaust ports, as well, then it won’t actually be a 15hp. You can get a little more power by changing the carb, but the exhaust ports are the greater point of restriction. I have a 1963 evinride 10hp, and it’s the same engine from 4hp all the way to 40hp. The only difference is the carb and exhaust ports.
I had a 15hp mercy and found out that a merc 6hp hood fit the 15hp. All good.
lol
😂 actually the mnr have been known to actually take the vin# number and with a app they have can verify hp directly from the vin# and yes they do sometimes make the effort to check!
@@jimmykulik3438 just swap vins from the 6hp easy
In many cases, the 9.9 hp motors are 15 hp motors detuned to meet the requirements you mentioned. What's interesting is many of the 9.8 hp motors are 8 hp motors tuned to make slightly more hp. On a small boat, a 9.8 would make more sense as it's lighter, thus easier to lug around.
I worked for a Mercury/Mariner dealer here in Australia back in the mid 90's.
Our sale price on a 9.9hp two stroke outboard was $990AU and a 15hp was $1500AU.
The prices went up pretty much the same way as HP increased, so it was pretty straight forward when it came to estimating prices for a customer.
Also, as others have mentioned, a fair few manufacturers 9.9hp engines were basically a restricted/tuned down 15hp engine.
Effectively all that is needed to upgrade a 9.9hp to 15hp is to fit a 15hp carburetor and 15hp exhaust tube to the mid section, although installing the 15hp exhaust tube does require lifting the powerhead/engine off the mid section to install.
They do the same with 49 cc mopeds and scooters. That one cc makes it so that you don’t need a motorcycle license to use it here in Florida.
Gubmint genius at work......
Here in Europe the cc limit for mopeds are up to and including 50cc. My understanding is that manufacturers make them 48 or 49 cc so that at least one cylinder bore is possible without making the moped into a motorcycle in a legal sense.
Many 9.9 HP outboard motors are actually 20 HP motors that have been purposely limited in performance to either 15 or 9.9 HP. I think this is the case for some Suzuki, Tohatsu, Mercury and Yamaha outboards. If you swap out the limiting part(s), you regain the designed HP of the outboard.
Was going to comment the same - - they also tend to make 2 "ratings" for a "casting" size, I had a Johnson 18 that looked identical to a Johnson 25 (1973)
A marine tech told me I could get it up to 23 HP with parts but I'd have to open the engine up to get the last 2 HP. I never modded it as I had an 11' fiberglass boat and it was already over-powered.
@@TIMEtoRIDE900 Yeah. It makes sense to use the same mold for casting similar performing outboards.
Honda’s are good for that..9.9 is tuned into a 15 with bigger jets and throttle stop removal.
Here in Alaska there is a river that they limit HP to 35. Many of these motors are just detuned 40-50HP motors. Some guys even fix what limits this but keep the 35HP cowling.
This is similar to the Nissan Skyline GTR officially having 280 HP, but actually capable of quite a bit more with very minor modifications.
I had a Tohatsu 9.8 Hp that was nearly fifty years old and still ran perfectly. I only ever changed the spark plugs and the transmission oil. It started first time every time. What a great motor. 👍
This actually goes back decades. An uncle of mine had a late 60s vintage 9.8 Mercury. My grandfather had a 9.5 Evinrude Sportwin from around the same era. An interesting, extremely low profile powerhead. As to vintage outboard costs, I still have a 1975 model 20hp Mercury that we bought new for $775.
Jay Dee your wrong, Evinrude never made a 9.5 hp motor; It was 9.9hp. I worked for Evinrude for 17 years. I started in 1974, my father worked there for 34 years, my FIL worked there 32 years. The last 18 years he assembled 9.9hp and 15hp powerheads. The one difference being the carburetor and reed plate under it. By replacing them your 9.9 becomes 15 hp. My older brother assembled the starters, reed plates and other parts for the 9.9, 15, 25, 33, 35 hp lines. Just so you know very many OMC Brand (Evinrude, Johnson, Gale) outboard parts are interchangeable; some are not. When my Grandfathers 1961 15hp Gale outboard finally quit running, my father and I simply put a new 25 hp Evinrude powerhead on the Gale lower unit. They did make a 7.5 hp for a while in the late 60’s to early 70’s, my Uncle Frank owed one.
@@kypackerfan4-12-15 I’ve had one a 9.5 evinrude mid 60s look it up
@@kypackerfan4-12-15I know Johnson made a 9.5 with a low profile power head I believe designed to fit in trunks of cars better. Alot of brands made an outboard just under 10hp so people could use them on waters with horsepower restrictions usually a 10, 20 or 25hp limitation hence 9.5,9.8,9.9,18 variations of popular brands. The 28 33 48 65 75 88 and other unusual horsepower variations usually signified some extra option like a charging system oil injection electric shift or some other definable difference. Evinrude history is quite extensive. The more ive learn the less i think i know.
The evinrude 9.5hp was also called the toilet bowl motor Johnson in the early 60s had a 10hp I like the 9.9 with the 15 hp carb i actually built up a evinrude with a out of the water exhaust and went directly to the bypass cover and put a small dirt bike tuned muffler I did have to drill out the jets and play around with it and it only ran good when it was cool out in the spring and fall ?
Suzuki's 9.9 and 15 hp are the same except 2 parts. The 9.9 has a restrictor air plate that lets in less air. And the ECU module is different, A lot of people drill out the plate to a larger hole and swap the ECU and presto you have a cloaked 15 hp motor.
I thought it was because there are so many lakes restricted to under 10 horsepower. Therefore it made sense for manufacturers to produce 9.9 horsepower outboards instead of 10.
In Canada a pleasure craft with a motor under 10hp you don’t need to license or register your boat. So a 9.9 is a beautiful thing here.
That's nice! In the US each state has different rules.
Keep in mind that the ratings on outboards have a tolerance of plus or minus 19% of the rating. So a 9.9 motor could be about 11 hp or only 9hp and still be legal. Think of ICOMMIA and NMMA as industry agents that regulate how the motors are rated. ( I worked in Outboard Engineering for over ten years for OMC.)
It’s 10% plus or minus.
10 hp is the threshold of Mississippi law that one can be cited for BUI. I always had figured some judge with a bourbon habit persuaded the legislature to figure out a way he could take his little runabout on a public lake while day drinking.
i had a johnson 10 and it lasted for many years sold it to a friend who used it for years after. it was a great motor . anything good is
always discontinued.
Good things dont make money. Planned obsolescence is the future and it disgusts me
Thanks for this informative video. These were the reasons I had always suspected for the not-quite-10hp-motor…
There are some similar shenanigans at the upper end of the two digit range. For instance, Yamaha used to make a 100 hp motor. More recently, like in the last 10 to 15 years, they began making 90 hp motors instead, one of which sits on the back of my boat. A Yamaha tech told me while I was looking at used boats that the 90 hp motors are simply rebadged 100 hp motors because the insurance industry had started increasing rates significantly for engines above 100 hp. So Yamaha obliged and started “building” engines that were 10 hp less…
This is why!
A licence or registration is mandatory for all pleasure craft equipped with motors of 10 horsepower (7.5 kilowatts) or more, including personal watercraft, which are principally maintained or operated in Canada.
I have several 10 horse power motors!! They are all 1950s and 1960s Johnson and Evinrude they run great!
Honda also has one, old but I still see them running around.
@@jamesbutson6347 Oh Yeah 👍
These were made before all the regulations were created.
@@hammer9856 Yeah I wish they still made them!
yeah I had a green johnson 10, decal saying so on both sides of the cowl....explain that huh??
We call 9.9 a 10hp..... that's what EVERYONE means
Just ordered a honda 9.9 HP outboard from online outboards. 👍 I'm excited
I have a 10hp Chrysler on my fishing boat. Love this little motor on my 14” tinny. Sips gas and can really move the boat.
Do you know approximately how much your boat weighs? My 14 foot fiberglass weighs about 700 and I'm doing my research on what motor I need.
@@OldManMuskrat it’s a 14’ alumacraft from the 70s so very light, I’d guess 250 ish lbs so quite a bit less than yours. I’d suggest going with the max rated hp as noted on the capacity plate
Different motors are "perfect" for different boats. Back in the day when my Dad got a 1.7 HP Neptune Mighty Mite, it was a huge improvement over either of us using oars to propel a 10-12 ft wooden boat with 2 people on board! The best part is that it would outrun the mosquitoes and other bugs on the sunset run on Peconic Lake back to the dock in August. Maintanance was easy, they thoughtfully built it with great access to everything. The only issue- the front passenger better duck during starting, the knot on the end of that non-recoil starter rope could really hurt!
Haha- I remember the exact same thing,having to duck as my dad attempted to start our old Seagull 4 hp outboard with the cord wrapped around the flywheel- often many times ,as it was incredibly unreliable!🤣🤣👌 great memories…..
Many 9.9 hp outboards are accualy "detuned" 15's. you would be suprised how many 9.9's are suprisingly quick on our lake
My old 40 hp Johnson was actually a detuned 60. During that model run, the 40, 48, 50 and 60 were essentially the same engine. Same bore and stroke for all four.
Anyone remember the GREEN 10 HP Mercury from many years back? It was rumored to be close to 20HP. We all used them on our little Hydros.
I see them pop up on some antique outboard posts - I think they were from the 40s and 50s. Cool looking!
I had two 10 hp Mercury's in the 60s, one was a 10 HP hurricane, the other was a 10 HP lightning.
They didn’t have a standardized rating system so the old Merc 10’s would have been a 20 using OMC’s testing.
@@melrose9252...interesting,... how is outboard horse power determined,?
@@melrose9252 in the 50sthe super 10 hurricane was 20 cubic inches putting out about 18 hp
Oh, keep it simple way. There was, and probably still is, a huge jump in tariff and taxation for engines 10hp and larger. So the manufacturers come as close as they can (9.9) without hitting ten.
Same reason that a Japanese 1.6 liter auto engine is 1.597 liters, never 1.6.
I had a 10 hp. Honda from the 1982, no kidding. I painted the hood and put 9.9 decals on so I could fish smaller lakes.
Took a long long time to say a little little bit, but it _was_ interesting. Don't pay too much attention to the "that's technically inaccurate if measured with a micrometer" crowd. Just keep doing your thing!
Still have my 1985 Yamaha 9.9 two stroke. It uses 100/1 gas/oil ratio. Runs like a charm.
Tomos company which produced 2 stroke outboards ranging from 4 to 20HP, also had a 10HP and a 9.9HP variant. Bore and stroke were identical to the 18HP, but there were only 2 channels instead of 3 inside the head - so it wasn't just detuned, but a different block. The 20 was oversized 18 variant, and the company was in process of developing a 40HP when the SFRJ collapsed.
I love my 1956 Johnson 10 HP. I found it in someone's garbage. Converted it into a single line with a pulse carb, threw in and impeller and it runs like new. Pushes my 12' just fine
That's awesome!
My Daddy had a Wizard outboard which was sold in the South by a company called, “Western Auto”. I believe it was sold as a 10hp outboard.
Well if you round off 9.9 or 9.8...you have got 10 Hp. The manufacturers did their homework. legal BS you have to contend with!!
I have a Johnson 9.9 . Dad bought new back in late 70's
A 7hp Eska motor seemingly worked well for small boats and of course trolling. I miss the Gamefisher boat from Sears. It worked for small lakes.
Alot of them are actually 15 or even 20 horsepower that have a restrictor plate so the company doesn't have to make more than one motor for a similar sized outboard
2:45
"marketing genius ". It's more like marketing shiesting.
Electric outboards throw a wrench into all of this.
really... back in 1973 I got a birthday present of a 10'MFG fiberglass boat with a 9.9 Johnson for around 800$ new. I found out the 9.9 and the 15 had a mechanical difference... the carb, the 15hp motor had a higher fuel flow. By buying a 15 hp carb rebuild kit, all one had to do was change the jets and readjust the air for idle and full throttle. If you shaved the top of the intake port a bit to allow an earlier timing of fresh fuel input and advance the spark about 3 degrees, you would get more hp out of the motor... I ended up with approx 17hp at full throttle. I miss that boat...
As said by others most of the 9.9 2 stroke outboards are derated 15 HP units. This is also the case with the other HP ratings as well until you get to the really big stuff. it stands to reason you are not going to make radically different motors just to get 5 HP more. All the 9.9 units I owned just required the fuel jets in the carburetor to be upgraded to the 15 HP spec and a limiting screw on the ignition advance removed then the motor would also have increased RPM that gave more HP and speed.
Honda?
@@justinsane7128 Sorry I have never owned a Honda outboard only two strokes
I wondered years ago (95) when I bought mine. Merc had 6, 8, 9.9 and 15. All had the same parts with the only difference being the carburetors used.
New Yamaha F60 is also sold as the F50. The difference is that Yamaha puts a different ECU on the F50, adds a removable restrictor to the air intake and puts on a smaller prop. In all reality, they do not make a 50hp motor, they just remove the balls from the 60hp motor.
I haven't owned a boat for a long time but it used to be that you didn't have to register a boat under 9.9 hp so no K numbers had to be painted on the side of the boat.
I think some states are still like that.
To the title that is untrue, when living in sri lanka after the 2004 tsunami my parents raised money for the fishermen to buy boats again, they bought 5 10 hp honda outboard motors
I had a 10 HP motor as a kid in the early 70’s. A 1958 Johnson. Anybody else old enough to remember the maroon and white Johnson’s? Had it on a 12ft boat and it flew. Noticed they changed to 9-1/2’s in the 60’s.
I used the same one on my boat up until a couple years ago
I have a 73, 9.5 Johnson seahorse
Yes, and I also remember the green 10HP Johnsons.
@@georgelewis7154 I have one and to this day it runs great.
Still have the same motor and runs well still today. We ran it on our 12' jon boat growing up for both fishing and duck hunting. Solid unit.
I always figured it was a tax/licensing thing to see 9.8hp motors abroad. Meanwhile the same motors would be labelled as a 10hp motor here. Because over here the question of whether or not you need a license and registration for a boat is whether or not it can reasonably go over 5 knots. If it's slower than 5 knots, you probably don't need a license unless it's over a certain size or displacement.
So you can have a decent size boat with a 25hp motor on it, as long as it doesn't go over 5 knots when using the motor. You can go faster when sailing or rowing for example.
This can obviously only really be enforced by cops in a boat. And after a couple of court cases they have to measure the speed in two opposing directions, and then use the lower of the two, so they can't shaft you by making you go downwind, downstream, or both.
i don't know about any other country but in ontario if your motor is 10 horse or above you have to license the boat. so they call it a 9.9 for this reason. i have fished in ontario for 50 years and was always given this reason. in michigan any boat that has a motor has to be licensed.
The rule of thumb back in the day was a 100 dollars a horse up to 10 horse hp.!
There is another reason too. Many states Boating Under the Influence laws have engine qualifications in them. Ours is 20 hp in MS but others are less in surrounding states.
And yet I’m looking at a vintage 10hp motor as I watch this
For a similar reason most scooters have 49cc engines,in most states you have to have a motorcycle license for anything over 50cc’s.
For all intensive purposes is 9.9 is 10 hp a lot of the lakes had motor restrictions you had to run under 10 hp motors so that's why the 9.9 was developed it would be foolish for an engine manufacturer to make a 9.9 and a 10 hp
9.9 hp motors are often down-tuned 15 hp motors. Not always, but often. And most of them can quite easily be converted back to 15 hp just by changing a few parts.
10 hp motors on the other hand, are mostly designed as 10 hp motors from the beginning. Which means that a 9,9 might in fact be larger and heavier than a 10 hp motor. But also with potentially more power.
This is very generally speaking, and a lot of exceptions exist.
Yeah many of the lower HP outboards share components. Many 2.5 hp can easily become 3.5s as well.
@@WayneTheBoatGuy Yes, and not only the small motors. I have a 40 hp Yamaha which is basically the same as the 50 hp. And it's the same all the way up to 300 hp. Most outboards are usually released in at least to hp ratings. Quite often three.
From a production point of view, it doesn't make sense to design a unique motor for every hp rating.
What i like about the 9.9s is that it is a small 2 cilinder and dus way quieter than a 2.5-6hp cingel cilinder.
And even a little quieter than a big two cilinder.
Also got les fibrition.
I DO NOT have a 10hp lol mine is a 9.9 Evinrude 2 smoker
I have a 1985 Sylvan Back-troller, 16.2, 9.9 Lid/15 hp. The boat is rated for a 40 hp. But, the 9.9/15 hp is better for my needs. Weight is 87.30 lb.
I‘d agree if the video was called „Why there are no 10HP outboards in the USA and Canada“.
There are plenty 10HP outboards available outside those two countries
Honda made in the old days 10 hp engines. On de outboard casing was the number 100 printed.
@@pieterscheffer407 "de" isn't a word.
@@sylviaisgod6947 that's right. My autocorrect turned it in to a dutch word
Christ, I knew this, but I watched the video anyway.
Now, all that said.
10 HP outboards do exist. Many chinese companies didn't get this memo, and make 10 hp for domestic sale, and export to Korea, Phillipines, and such. They aren't marked 9.9 or such, they just say 10 on them. some lines run 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 hp.
10's also are popping up in the electric market. For example Aiqidi's 10 HP Electric outboard. Its not that they aren't made, its just they aren't made or sole in the USA due to US laws. There are a ton of things like that... things made but can't be sold in the USA because of silly laws.
What are you smokin'?
There are plenty of 10hp outboards
from several manufacturers.
New? In the US?
In the 60s thru late 70s Mercury used to take the HP of the engine and add a Zero to it, a 50hp became the Merc 500, a 7.5 was the Merc 75. however the 9.8hp was called the Merc 110.... a crafty way of outright thumbing the nose at the Regulators
Wait I thought I was called at 110 because it’s an 11 cubic inch motor.
Correct me if I’m wrong but my 1968 Mercury 110 is clear as day labeled 9.8 HP Twin on the lower cowling.
@@74nova36
You need to reread my comment, and comprehend it.
Your logic doesn't hold up very well, cause the inline 6s were 99.8 cubic inches, but they were called 900, 1150, 1250, 1350, 1400, and 1500, respectively 90hp, 115hp, 125 hp, 135hp, 140hp, and 150hp. There were higher HP racing engine of that displacement too.
@@pjimmbojimmbo1990 dang you’re a coot. You can displace the same amount while making different amounts of horsepower per given cubic inch. ✋🏿
All 9.8's used Merc's 10.9 cubic inch block, and throughout it's life the block was never modernized. It was a "headless" split block with the reeds located in a (donut) around the lower portion of the crank - a real pain if you had a reed problem - had to crack the block to get at them.
The 9.8 started it's model run in 1962 as the model 110 with Merc's Phelon ignition system.
In 1970 it got the first "thunderbolt" ignition system - the "thunderbolt 2 - Phase Maker".
In 1974, while still called the Model 110 it got Merc's Thunderbolt 4 ignition which stayed in production as Merc's near perfect ignition until 2005 when most 2 strokes were discontinued.
In 1979 it simply became the 9.8.
In 1985 both the block (which was shared with the 7.5 horse) and the 9.8 model were discontinued.
1986 saw the launch of the 6/8/9.9 horse models with a new 12.8 cubic inch block (designed and built by Yamaha exclusively for Merc) which combined with the T4 ignition became the best and most reliable 2 stroke portables ever to hit the market.
*Be open to being wrong*
I am, and still could be wrong
@@74nova36 < The Old 9.8’s (110) were 10.9 cubes.
@@melrose9252 thanks for verifying that my original claim was correct. Just got my 1968 9.8hp up and running! It makes a ton of power for 11 cubic inches!!
In Poland it's 10kW, therefor I'v noticec 12-13HP engines lately. Unfortunately with 10kW limit 15HP engines are no-no, whithout a license.
I had a 1940 Johnson 10 HP on my boat so they did make them at one time.
In the 1960s omc made 10 hp outboards. I had one branded as a Johnson seahorse. It was a detuned 14hp motor.
The 9.9 HP motors is also a thing in Europe. I'm not sure why, but I'm guessing taxes or regulations are the reason.
"...If you have to register your outboard if it's 10HP or greater..."
But you just got done saying that that's for those that are _greater_ than 10HP.
You're splitting hairs. Part of the reason they are labelled as 9.9 is because of the confusion people will have when they that a body of water is restricted to 10 hp. Some of those might say "10 hp max" or "lake limited to 10 hp" or "must be under 10 hp" and there are people who would ask, "what if my motor is 10 hp?"
When an engine is labeled as just a smidgeon under 10 hp, it makes it more clear because no matter how a sign, regulation, or law is written - 9.9 hp is clearly under 10.
@@WayneTheBoatGuy: No, I'm actually _not_ splitting hairs. If the rule is just for _greater_ than 10HP, this 9.9 wouldn't be needed.
Back in the day of my youth (1960’s) boats under 10 hp did not require registration, thus the 9.9.
My first boat was a sears 10' jon boat with a 10hp Evinrude. Bought it used for 150.00. This was in 1960 something.
Yeah... ffing bs in my opinion... If all the rules just stated "legal up to 10HP", it would make the world just a bit less weird... Like all prices: 9.99 dollar... ffing BS!!! Makes me mad...
Nice presentation.
Thank you!
I've owned a bunch of boats, but my favorite was a 9.9 Johnson on a quality inflatable with wood floor. That thing would get on plane so fast and would skim along comfortably at about 1000 miles per hour. 😂 Okay, not that fast but at 16 it sure felt like it and was a bit of a sleeper in that its speed surprised everyone I took out. Huge smiles.
Long tail are not as prohibitively expensive, if you have $3000 to shell out on just a motor and the registration that comes with it you might as well get something with this much power as the book can take. If your boat can only take 10 horse I’m imagining a John boat, there are way better options than typical outboard motors, like longtail two-stroke, even electric trolling motors with batteries are cheaper and easier to deal with. If you are spending $3000 on a motor for a John boat, what exactly are you doing again?
Honda 4-Stroke 10-hp Outboard Motor, Model 100 in the USA..My father owned one!!..model 100!!!!
*Mariner made a 1Ohp 'Marathon 1Ohp' 💯%*
The tittle should be "Why There Are No 10 HP Outboard Motors sold in the US" As there are plenty of 10hp outboards produced each year. The 10hp honda BF10LHSU, or the Mercury 10hp EFI to name but two...
Hello there Ive a 2.5 on My little 12 foot fishing dinghy and its a Nice boat to launch and the whole Thing i very well balanced 👍
PS. Interesting vlog
Thanks! - Yeah I like my 2.5 too but sometimes it would be nice to have some more speed.
It's fun finding stuff like this, even if I'm coming to it a year later.
I didn't know about the registration issue, but experienced both the age limit and motor size on certain bodies of water.
In the 60s I started with a mid-50s 7.5hp Evinrude on a very heavy 16' cedar strip fishing boat. When I was 12 I took the Water Patrol's Boating Safety course so I could operate our family runabout with 60hp without a parent along.
Later, when I finally got an aluminum 12ft fishing boat, I got a 9.8hp Merc. Of course by then I was dreaming of the Evinrude/Johnson low profile 15 horse.
I remember when MSRP for small outboards was about $100/horsepower and larger engines came in well under that.
Oh, the memories.
I mean who didn't realize a 9.8 or a 9.9 was not actually a 10 hp motor?
Used to have a mid 200's Mercury that had - drumroll - 10hp... Not 9.9. Said 10 on the back. Although was tuned to 15 :)
Humm Honda makes a 10hp.
Long story short tyrannical government
Oh, so you actually CAN buy a 10HP outboard engine, because they _used to_ be made.
Yes - over 50 years ago. Most people shopping for an outboard aren't shopping for antiques.
@@WayneTheBoatGuy: Right, of course they're not. But I said what I said because you contradicted yourself, since they still _can_ buy those when they come up for sale.
Can you run two motors? Currently the Suzuki 6 HP DF6AS5 is on sale for $1,450 so two will give you 12 HP for $2.900. You will need to link them together somehow but it could work.
12HP Hangkai 2 stroke from Amazon on a 10.5ft Bris inflatable. Same weight as a 9hp 4 atroke. Goes 18mph. Boat and motor for $2000.
How about the mercury 10hp EFI?
I purchased a Mercury 6hp 2021 model 4 stroke and it’s the best purchase I’ve made. I don’t like to go offshore at all and mostly use my boat on freshwater lakes here in Australia. It’s so cheap to run even at today’s prices and the servicing costs are super low as well.
It’s just “fashionable” to have big motors here in Australia but not at all necessary.
New decals made my 15hp a 8hp for peanuts!!
lol
25hp on my 14 foot tin can is the sweetest spot imo
I was told the reason was a 10 hp motor and up had to be registered and licensed in some states so they just labeled it as a 9.9 hp, also if the boat had less than 10 hp it didn't need to be registered
That’s one of the reasons.
I didn't know this I guess it makes my old Johnson 10 horsepower worth a few more dollars but I have a 12 ft boat with that 10 horse on it it rips
Nice!
this no 10hp has been around for the last 50 years that I know of, so most probably well before these rules you state in the US, and we live in the UK where none of the rules you state apply
"And so they made restrictions of 10HP or less for those bodies of water."
OK, so again... how does this supposedly present a "problem" for those that are right at 10HP?
10hp and 15hp engines actually have the same body, the only difference is the carburetor which increases the power, so if you have a 10hp engine and you think it is too weak, you can find a carburetor of the same type as 15hp and you have a 15hp engine
Here in Australia. U don't need license to drive boat if under 10 knots. So a 10 years old can drive 300hp if under 10 kts(not get on plane)
Boat will need registration if over 18 ft. Or power over 5hp. That's why alot of kids cruising around with 12ft boat with 5hp. Not enough hp to get on plane hahaha
Honda did build one. I have one sitting in my garage. Built in 1985
In Canada, both the boater and the boat have to be licensed, you need a boat training to show the competency to operate a motor over 10 hp and register your boat with Transport Canada.
I put a 45 hp outboard on my boat rated to 10 hp.
Most fun I've ever had.
My old Chrysler 15hp weighs about 50 pounds they are the lightest 15 ever made thirsty and loud too.
It the law worded in a way to say engines specifically or does the language use motor? Outboard engine is what you are talking about. A motor is an electrical device not a heat engine. So I wonder if electric propulsion has this limitation too.
There are so many different laws and often they are written with motor and engine being used as synonyms even though technically they are not.
Yes it's about the same cost as the 70s as far as the price goes.
How ever the $500 weekly pay check didn't go up to $2,800.
It might be $1,000.
So by that reality it way more expensive. After all we have to judge things by our paychecks.
Not by how much everything's gone up.
Now if my pay went up to $2,800
That would be the same cost.
Of course everything went up except that paycheck.
One thing he forgot to mention, is that these 9,9 HP outboards (2-stroke versions) actually all are dowmtrimmed 15 HP engines. In Norway, when 2-strike outboards were prohibited some years ago, you could get good money for a 9,9 HP 2-stroke. And within some minues of work, you had a 15 HP 😁
I've had outboard motors since the mid 60s Evenrude and Johnson made a 9.9 and a 15 that phisacley where the same.I had a 10ft heavy duty aluminum John boat beeft up the transom and put a 20 HP Johnson on it and and it literally flew had aprox 1 ft of bottom touching the water when I punched it from idle it jumped out of the water.
Yeah I have a late 1970's Mercury 10hp (called the Thunderbolt 110) and I checked it last year it was making 11.48 on the dyno. Factory stock with at least 200 hours on it. In 1984 they changed the regulations because some of the manufacturers were cheating (Merc) so they would beat out the competition in each power class. This is why the older guys say that Mercury is faster than Johnson/Evinrude, it's because they WERE. (They'd slap a 50 hp decal on a true 55 HP engine or whatever)