Honda 75,90 and 100hp

S

Snider

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C Dory Year
2002
C Dory Model
22 Cruiser
Vessel Name
Kestrel Dawn
This may be a dumb question, but I was over at the Honda website looking at their outboards (currently have a 2002 90hp Honda) and the 75, 90 and 100hp all weigh the same. In that case why wouldn't you just put the 100hp on there? I'm guessing this wasn't the case in the past? Otherwise why would anyone run a 90 over a 100hp motor? I'm sure cost could be an issue, and I don't know the price differential, but when you spending that much money anyway I imagine a few more bucks would be worth it. Am I missing something?

What's the preferred outboard brand in general? I've read a lot about the 90hp Suzuki and I looked it up, seems it's the lightest option available. Just curious.
 
They all share a block and are basically differently tuned and featured versions of the same engine. This is nkrmal in the marine outboard world. The 100 is relatively new to the group, otherwiseyou might see more of them, but requires premium fuel to make the extra 10 hp and that is fuel we can't even get on the water up here. The 75 does not have VTEC but is otherwise like the 90 at lower RPMs. Our boat is at the shop right now for a repower and between the Honda and Suzuki 90s, we chose the Suzuki for weight, noise, and that's about it. Our 2002 Honda 75 should be coming off tomorrow for good.

Greg
 
Thanks, that makes sense. What finally did it for your Honda? I have a 2002 Honda 90hp with 800hrs on it.


When buying a kicker for my last sailboat, Tohatsu uses the same head for their 4hp and 6hp, just a different carb, naturally I went with the 6hp. Needing premium fuel definitely changes things, I see that in the specs now. I wonder if you could run 87 in the 100hp and nit run OK, just have lower HP? There is a station close by that sells premium ethanol free, but that would limit things. Hopefully I won't need a re-power anytime soon but could you ball park total replacement cost? I've been trying to find it online without luck, I'm going to ask the shop where my current boat and motor is, (water in lower unit) but it's always good to have another reference. I appreciate it.
 
I hope this doesn't open up a can of worms, but Tohatsu makes a 90hp direct injected 2-stroke that only weighs 337lbs. I've used that brand on sailboats, albeit smaller versions and they were great engines. MSRP around $10,000.

Anyone know of a direct injected 2-stroke on a C-Dory?

EDIT: I MOVED THIS 2-STROKE TOHATSU QUESTION OVER TO ITS OWN THREAD, PLEASE REPLY THERE.
 
The new Honda 100 (and the other new models) now have NMEA data outputs that can network into your system. The 90 does not have that.
 
ssobol":2l0g86ym said:
The new Honda 100 (and the other new models) now have NMEA data outputs that can network into your system. The 90 does not have that.
Click to expand...


Thx, I really like that capability, seems fairly useful.
 
I have one of the newer Honda 90’s , it does have the NMEA 200 capability, and can be used with either Digital or Analog gauges. It is a very nice engine, too fast for my taste....
 
Our 75 was a bit over 900 hours and running fine. We plan to keep the boat for a few more years and decided it was worth it to enjoy a new fuel injected unit with less noise and better charging.

Plus it will sell better at that time with modern power.

Greg
 
Premium fuel for the extra 10 hp seems it would kill the 100 hp for most
unless the octane in no ethanol regular is close enough not to matter.

Aye.
Grandma used to say, "The Devil is in the details."
 
Pedromo":1cgig504 said:
I have one of the newer Honda 90’s , it does have the NMEA 200 capability, and can be used with either Digital or Analog gauges. It is a very nice engine, too fast for my taste....
Click to expand...

Unfortunately my '07 BF90D does not provide any networked outputs. It will work with the Honda digital gauges, but not a NMEA network.
 
There are other reasons, such as wanting more HP (some have gone to the Merc. 115 or the Suzuki 115, both of which have bigger blocks) For me, if I keep the 22, is the alternator output, and carburetor engine. The 2006 on down on the 90' only put out 17 amps (and some is used for the engine, the instruments, and not a lot for charging the batteries.)

The current Honda 90's are injected, they put out 44 amps, with 35 amps available for battery charging.

It does not pay to just change an engine for minor issues--and many run well into the thousands of hours. The ones which run the longest are in commercial use--such as marine patrol, coastguard, charter boats and tow boats. They are run every day--much of the time at low RPM. They are also maintained well. Some of these are seeing over 8,000 hours of use.

Also look at corrosion. I looked at a 2005 boat yesterday, with 141 hours on the tach--There was no engine computer readout to verify that. But the lower unit had the corrosion painted over. It was significant--enough that it raised flags for me. (This was a Honda--and I have noted that the Honda's tend to get some corrosion if left in salt water for periods of time. I was told that this boat was rarely left in the water, and was stored on the trailer 99% of the time--again the corrosion seen tends to belie that...

If I look at a boat with 1950 hours, I am discounting the price to pay for a repower. The 90 Hondas are going to run in the $10,000 as a very low number on up to as much as $15,000. I have a friend who just had a repower of a Suzuki 150 (from a Honda--low hours, be corrosion had eaten up the water passages). He paid about $15,000 all up for re-rigging, gauges and controls.

On the other hand, I take my boats out of the water, they are run in fresh water for the last 15 minutes going to my boat lift, and there is minimal if any corrosion on my 2006 Honda... with about 450 hours--no reason to repower.
 
The Honda 90 and 100 look like the same engines >If one needs premium fuel .The fuel we all buy on the water is 90 octane down here is SW Florida so that would be mid to prem fuel 87reg/89mid /91prem octane
 
I don't really know much about these motors in particular, but in general the lower hp offerings from a given block tend to last longer (all other things equal) than the higher hp offerings. Perhaps that is not the case here, I don't know, but in many situations where longevity, or hard use are likely I will use motors that are the lowest hp offering for a particular block.
 
jennykatz":2xi8cq3t said:
The Honda 90 and 100 look like the same engines >If one needs premium fuel .The fuel we all buy on the water is 90 octane down here is SW Florida so that would be mid to prem fuel 87reg/89mid /91prem octane
Click to expand...

Finding 93 octane fuel (as mentioned in the BF engine brochure) at a fuel dock is going to be tricky. I haven't seen any marinas that even give you a choice of gasoline fuels. Mostly it's just gas or diesel. IME, the gas they offer is either 87 or 90 octane.
 
Looking through the reviews of the 100 hp Honda if it needs 93 octane to achieve the rated 100 hp .I wonder what it would be with 90 octane maybe 95hp??
On my 06 Honda Pilot it was 244 hp on reg 87 octane and 255 on premium from what i remember . I no longer have that car .Jim
 
One reason to not run lower octane than required is your warranty. The manuf can deny any repairs under warranty if they determine the fuel octane rating is too low.

Boats don't use up their fuel as fast as cars so the fuel sits in the boat tank and the octane degrades. Most boat fuel tanks are vented, not like cars with their sealed tanks. The evaporation of fuel in the vented tanks degrades the octane rating.

Modern outboards have 'knock sensors' to sense preignition detonation and the computer will retard the spark advance until the preignition stops. This is to protect the engine, but the side effect is to reduce the power output. If that happens, you will not get the extra power you paid for.

These are some of the reasons to avoid the high output version of an outboard motor.

The power output curve of an outboard should be matched to the boat. A fast bass boat can use a high speed, high output motor operating at near full throttle. A C-Dory would do better with the lower hp version of the same motor. How often do you operate your C-Dory at wide open throttle?
 
Larry H":3qy0pup9 said:
... A fast bass boat can use a high speed, high output motor operating at near full throttle. ...
Click to expand...

How many of those bass boat drivers should really be operating at "near full throttle"?
 
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