# 50 HP Tohatsu vs 50 HP Suzuki



## MAK (Dec 15, 2017)

Tohatsu looks to be lighter like you say. If you go with the Suzuki, why not go to the 60hp which is I believe is the same block and weight?
I have a Suzuki 60 and am very happy with it so far but have not had it long enough to comment on long term satisfaction or reliability.


----------



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I agree, for an extra $400 you can have 10 more hp, or 20% more depending on how you look at it. All the new motors are close in reliability now, to me it comes down to price, weight, and local service centers. Suzuki is expanding fast, I think I now have 3 service centers within 30 minutes of me.


----------



## MAK (Dec 15, 2017)

When I purchased mine not long ago the 60 was cheaper than the 50 due to the promotion they were running if I remember right. I would have gone with the 50 had I been able to save any appreciable amount of money.
Suzuki is also still running the 6 year warranty. I think Tohatsu is 5.


----------



## Flatsaholic (Apr 28, 2016)

I own a 2018 60hp Suzuki and I am happy with it. I am glad I did not go with a different motor.


----------



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

My Tohatsu 50 will cruise along happily at 29 mph while turning 4500 rpm and burning 3-ish gph. With the stock prop no less. That's hard to beat. When building my boat the Tohasu 50 and zuke 60 were within a couple hundred dollars of each other but the difference was in top end performance numbers. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-4 mph. I'd have to go back and look at gear ratios and prop sizes but it made more sense for me to go with the 50. If I had been plumbed for a livewell I might have taken the extra 10 hp because at that point the extra 1 inch in draft wouldn't have mattered.


----------



## MAK (Dec 15, 2017)

jmrodandgun said:


> My Tohatsu 50 will cruise along happily at 29 mph while turning 4500 rpm and burning 3-ish gph. With the stock prop no less. That's hard to beat. When building my boat the Tohasu 50 and zuke 60 were within a couple hundred dollars of each other but the difference was in top end performance numbers. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-4 mph. I'd have to go back and look at gear ratios and prop sizes but it made more sense for me to go with the 50. If I had been plumbed for a livewell I might have taken the extra 10 hp because at that point the extra 1 inch in draft wouldn't have mattered.


Are you saying the Tohatsu 50 was 3-4mph faster than the Suzuki 60? That would be hard to ignore. What boat were you testing them on?


----------



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

The 50 Tohatsu was slower on the top end than the Mercury 60 and Suzuki 60. Everything else was pretty close. I opted to take the weight savings over the extra 10 hp.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

The Tohatsu 50 tiller on my skiff is a beast. Jacked up to max height on a tunnel hull and turning a heavily cupped Foreman prop I'm still running low 30s with two guys over 200#. Not bad considering the boat is set up for quick hole shot rather than top speed.

The Mercury 50hp "Bigfoot" may be worth a look as well. @K3anderson runs one on his Hell's Bay Guide since it turns a 115 lower unit and thus a heavier / bigger prop. His skiff jumps on plane nicely and runs in the 30s also with two guys over 200# on board.


----------



## Fishshoot (Oct 26, 2017)

A wise man told me to purchase what can be serviced locally....


----------



## Guest (May 31, 2018)

Unless Suzuki changed the timing gear on the 40-50 I’d go with the hatsu. The older 40-50 zukes the timing gear was pressed on the crank. Just happens this gear was broched to recieve the drive shaft and if ya spanked something like a rock the the whole gear turned. This in turn bent valves and you had to buy a crank too. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Suzuki fanatic just not the 40-50 for this reason only.


----------



## Tx_Whipray (Sep 4, 2015)

I've been extremely happy with my 50 Tohatsu...my buddy has been extremely happy with his 60 Zuki. I don't think you can go wrong, but as has already been said... buy from the best local dealer.


----------



## JoseC (Oct 20, 2013)

I really appreciate the feedback guys.

I went by Northeast Marine in St. Pete today and pulled the trigger on the Tohatsu; staff there answered all my questions and were very helpful. 

With my boat being 16 ft, it is very affected by weight. I could not beat the power to weight ratio. At 209 lbs, it is 23lbs lighter and 10 more horsepower than my 40 ETEC. I sight fish a lot, fish really shallow, and have always taken a minimalistic approach. My boat has no live well or console, just a tiller and a grab bar. 

Thankfully they had one in stock. I pick her up tomorrow. Can't wait to try it out. I have only owned 2 strokes so looking forward to experiencing what a 4 stroke has to offer.


----------



## MAK (Dec 15, 2017)

JoseC said:


> I really appreciate the feedback guys.
> 
> Thankfully they had one in stock. I pick her up tomorrow. Can't wait to try it out. I have only owned 2 strokes so looking forward to experiencing what a 4 stroke has to offer.


I went from 20 years of a high horsepower 2 stroke to a little 60hp 4 stroke. I’m still amazed at how quiet the thing is, not to mention lack of smoke. Sounds like you got a great motor. Congratulations.


----------



## SnookNocker (May 15, 2018)

That's a great engine. I think you made the right decision. Lots of options out there these days. Let us know how she performs!

Sweet boat BTW. Some of the best if not "the best" small boats on the market. The attention to detail on those boats is nothing short of remarkable.


----------



## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

It's been 2 weeks. How about a report?


----------



## Oswaldo (Oct 28, 2018)

Extremely happy with my tohasu 50hp. With two anglers at 4500 rpm I get 32 mph on a cayo 173.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

JoseC said:


> I went by Northeast Marine in St. Pete today and pulled the trigger on the Tohatsu; staff there answered all my questions and were very helpful.


Good to know. That's the shop I'll be taking mine to as well. Same family that owns Piper Marine up here in the Oldsmar area, which is a great Mercury shop.


----------



## fjmaverick (Sep 18, 2015)

I dont know much about the hatsu but suzuki is really smooth shifting into gear. My old f70 did what it wanted.


----------



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

Oswaldo said:


> Extremely happy with my tohasu 50hp. With two anglers at 4500 rpm I get 32 mph on a cayo 173.


Which prop?


----------



## Oswaldo (Oct 28, 2018)

SS powertech


----------



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

Oswaldo said:


> SS powertech


What size?


----------



## Dan8383 (Nov 22, 2018)

jmrodandgun said:


> My Tohatsu 50 will cruise along happily at 29 mph while turning 4500 rpm and burning 3-ish gph. With the stock prop no less. That's hard to beat. When building my boat the Tohasu 50 and zuke 60 were within a couple hundred dollars of each other but the difference was in top end performance numbers. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-4 mph. I'd have to go back and look at gear ratios and prop sizes but it made more sense for me to go with the 50. If I had been plumbed for a livewell I might have taken the extra 10 hp because at that point the extra 1 inch in draft wouldn't have mattered.


Ive seen a 50hp tohatsu with right pop b side by side a 60hp outboard at top end


----------



## Dan8383 (Nov 22, 2018)

What


Oswaldo said:


> Extremely happy with my tohasu 50hp. With two anglers at 4500 rpm I get 32 mph on a cayo 173.


 Prop?


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

fjmaverick said:


> I dont know much about the hatsu but suzuki is really smooth shifting into gear. *My old f70 did what it wanted.*


What did you mean by that?


----------



## wardicus (Jun 3, 2013)

50 tldi ? Vs suk 4str? I have a new 50 tldi I can speak on ...


----------



## TheAdamsProject (Oct 29, 2007)

jmrodandgun said:


> What size?


I reach out to a buddy of mine that ran his Cayo173 with the 50hp Tohatsu four stroke and said his was perfect with the SCB3r16


----------



## fjmaverick (Sep 18, 2015)

Backwater said:


> What did you mean by that?


It wasn't a smooth gear shift. It was exagerated if you tried to change gears slowly. Was the same way on my dads old F200XA.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

fjmaverick said:


> It wasn't a smooth gear shift. It was exagerated if you tried to change gears slowly. Was the same way on my dads old F200XA.


Yeah that is the one thing I've found with the Zukes over any motor out there, to date. The clicking in and out of gear was the smoothest with the Zukes. For me, that was important with poon fishing because the clunking in and out of gear would put the fish down with other outboards, including my beloved Yamahas. Not sure about the newer Tohatsu's tho. I've had smaller a smaller 4 stoke tiller hatsu (`09 model) on a small skiff that I wasn't impressed with and ended up selling it. Curious tho about the 50+ Hatsu tho.

I would love to upgrade to an F70, but the price, the clunking gear changes, parts pricing, fuel economy vs other 4 stokes, is not what I was hoping for. But the power/weight ratio is not bad and it's hard to beat the Yami's reliability. But I have a new Zuke dealer near me and the parts house is only 3 miles from me, so I like that. I wish Zuke came out with a 70hp the same weight as their 60 (like the F70), since I'd like just a bit more power and speed (36mph+ wot vs 32). Then I'd be all over that. The 90's are just heavier than what I want and I don't need all that power.

How about the Honda's? Anyone here has any comparison to throw into the mix?


----------



## Fish the chop (Nov 24, 2018)

Way back when I believe Tohatsu was a cheap alternative to a Yamaha. From what I’ve seen and read they have improved the product over the years to the point where it could now be a better engine for the buck than Yamaha depending on make and model; however, it might be a challenge to find a service tech depending on where you’re at?


----------



## tjtfishon (Feb 9, 2016)

MAK said:


> Suzuki is also still running the 6 year warranty. I think Tohatsu is 5.


Be aware that Suzuki is 3+3 and not 6. The extended service plan has a pretty bad rap in general. Better than nothing, but not by much from what I understand.


----------

