OLD FAITHFUL

Tohatsu’s M8B became a casualty of the carbie two-stroke ban in Aus at the beginning of 2019 but is still worth considering on older small tinnies. Providing the engine has been maintained, it represents good buying value.

Dealers I've spoken with say entry level boaters are looking around for well-maintained used carbie two-strokes to re-power older tinnies, since opting for four-strokes makes the whole boating experience too expensive. Dealers also tell me there's good business in servicing and repairing existing carbie two-strokes, especially with the poor Australian exchange rate that's rapidly making small four-strokes too expensive, even those made in China.

A BIT OF HISTORY

The M8B was released on the Aussie market in 1987 by Lakeside Marine, which had recently taken over Australian and NZ distribution of the Tohatsu brand, Japan's oldest outboard manufacturer.

Developed from the 137cc Tohatsu M8A, the M8B had five-millimetre larger cylinder bore to raise the piston displacement