# Tohatsu 9.8 or Tohatsu 9.9



## blackshear (Feb 19, 2019)

I am upgrading my River-Hawk B60 (similar to Gheenoe with 60" bottom) with a newer outboard. I use this boat for fishing a very shallow river with lots of rocky shoals so I am constantly tilting up and down when i approach the rocky areas. I have the opportunity to buy one of two different Tohatsu motors. One is a 2018 9.9 manual start and manual tilt with less than an hour of time on it for $1700. The other one is a 2014 9.8 in excellent condition that is also manual start and manual tilt for $1284. I already know some of the differences between the two based on info from Tohatsu's website. I have only owned 2 stroke motors in 9.9 hp range and I am looking to move all my smaller motors to 4 strokes. I am looking for advise from someone who might have some personal experience with either of these motors.

9.9 has EFI - 9.8 has carbs
9.9 weighs 94 lbs - 9.8 weighs 81 lbs
9.9 can be upgraded to 15 or 20 hp with purchase of new CDI - 9.8 can't be upgraded
9.9 has center of gravity located off center to help with tilt - 9.8 is lighter
9.9 will be a little faster than 9.8
9.9 four plus years warranty - 9.8 four months of warranty
9.9 is $416 more but four years newer

Which one would be the better value?
Which one would be easier to pull start? I know the 9.9 has compression release otherwise it would be the 9.8 which would be the easiest.
Which one would be easier to tilt? The lighter 9.8 or the 9.9 with the center of gravity positioned with heavier components towards the front.
How easy is it to add electric start to either one of these motors?


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## JET4 (Feb 20, 2019)

I would get the 9.9 EFI. Won't have to mess with the carburetors. Should be easier to tilt also.


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## crappie777 (Feb 20, 2019)

IMO--I can clean a carb, but trouble with fuel injection probably means an expensive trip to a professional. But that's just me.


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## blackshear (Feb 20, 2019)

crappie777 said:


> IMO--I can clean a carb, but trouble with fuel injection probably means an expensive trip to a professional. But that's just me.



You make a good point but I thought that EFI was the way to go. Have people been reporting issues with EFI?


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## LDUBS (Feb 20, 2019)

JET4 said:


> I would get the 9.9 EFI. Won't have to mess with the carburetors. Should be easier to tilt also.



X2. EFI would sway me to the 9.9, not to mention newer and longer warranty.


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## turbotodd (Feb 20, 2019)

blackshear said:


> crappie777 said:
> 
> 
> > IMO--I can clean a carb, but trouble with fuel injection probably means an expensive trip to a professional. But that's just me.
> ...



I was going to say no to that, but a gentleman just called me to ask about a Tohatsu he's having EFI problems with. Brand new too, dealer isn't willing to help him unfortunately. And I can't since I have no diagnostic equipment for Tohatsu.

That's the only downside. EFI, if it has a problem, costs more to fix. But if it's got warranty, who cares. Let the dealer take care of it--as long as a dealer's close by, and as long as the fuel doesn't sit for more than about 2 weeks. Old fuel is not covered by anyone's warranty. Does Tohatsu offer an extended warranty? If they do, and you're concerned, might look into it. It could potentially give you more peace of mind. I bought extended warranty for my yamaha, though I doubt I'll ever use it based on the number of motors we (I do some dealer work) have sold vs how many have had any sort of problem. Kinda like the maytag repairman. If I had to do outboard repair only, I'd have been looking for work the day we got rid of Mercury back in the 1990's. Yamaha has been solid from all levels, right down to the 2 or 3 warranty claims that have happened in the close to 27 years of dealing with 'em. They're boring. They leave, never come back, never see 'em again, never see the owners other than on the water, and since I spent the majority of my life in the shop working on other stuff, I never get to share fish stories with those who bought new motors and/or boats. Once in a while I'll get someone show up wanting to get the hours off of the ECU or to get a first oil change on a 150+hp outboard, but that's really about it.


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## blackshear (Feb 20, 2019)

The guy came down another $100 to $1600 on the 9.9 EFI so I made the purchase today. It still has 4 years plus warranty on it and probably has less than an hour run time. It looks like new and even the prop still has all the paint on it. A lot of fishermen in my area swear by the Tohatsu but this is the first one I’ve ever owned. I was very impressed with how easy it is to tilt, it's as easy as a lightweight 2 stroke 9.9. The center of gravity moved forward is obviously helping because this motor weighs 95 pounds and it shouldn't be this easy. So far I’m very happy with my decision and I’ll let you know how it performs on the river hawk. Thanks


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## crappie777 (Feb 21, 2019)

Good luck with it. Be sure and keep us posted.


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