Yamaha 2C Portable Outboard Review

Fingers feeling a bit weak? Why not build up strength with a 2 hp Yamaha 2C portable outboard? The weight of this outboard engine is low enough for it not to need a carry handle. In fact, the Yamaha 2C outboard is so portable, it’s even lighter than the Honda BF2.3. This outboard also relies on a finger grip as the carry handle is on the wrong end of the powerhead.

But if you do invest in a Yamaha 2 hp 2C, make sure your hull has a transom height of no more than 15 inches (38cm) or the powerhead will starve of cooling water.  This places the Yamaha 2C outboard in the same category as the Honda BF2.3 and Suzuki DF2.5, which also perform way better on small rowing dinghies than tinnies.

Yamaha 2C Portable Outboard

The Yamaha 2C outboard motor has been around for 18 years and is Yamaha’s smallest and most portable outboard. Its predecessor, the 43.2cc Yamaha 2B, dates back to 1982 and was available in re-badged form as the Mariner 2 engine way back in 1975, developing 1.5 hp. The original version of the Yamaha 2B started life in 1971 and had a separate starter cord for wrapping around the flywheel, just like the 1968 Johnson 1.5.

The Yamaha 2C engine has a bigger piston displacement at 50cc (achieved by enlarging the cylinder bore) and CD ignition, so it cold starts easily in damp weather. The Yamaha 2C outboard motor develops an awesome 2.0 HP at 4500 rpm with a Wide Open Throttle range of 4000 to 5000 rpm. There’s fixed ignition timing with the single carburettor jet gravity fed from the 1.2 litre fuel tank, and these features ensure the engine shakes around below two-thirds throttle opening, so you get some gym benefits. Above two-thirds, the Yamaha 2C outboard smooths out with less vibration than the BF2.3 or DF2.5.

The Yamaha 2hp outboard fuel mix of 100:1 fuel/oil (run it on 25:1 for the first 10 hours) means it has an OEDA 0 Star rating.

It has a usefully low 2.08:1 gear ratio, and best of all, the dry weight is a mere 9.8kg. This makes it one of the friendliest portable outboards on the market and will really be appreciated by fingers. A range of prop pitches is available to suit varying hull types, but the standard 4.7-inch pitch prop was perfect for my flat-bottomed ‘78 deHavilland John 10 punt.

Powerhead access is not the best as there’s still a clamshell cowl, and my advice is to remove only one half at a time. Recommended servicing intervals are every 100 hours or annually after the first 20 hours, and the warranty for recreational anglers is three years.

On The Water

Thankfully, the John 10 has a 15-inch transom and no external keel to prevent “clean” water from reaching the water pump impeller. I first borrowed a 2C in 1995, and my then-partner Susan and I had many happy hours chugging around Lake Macquarie while running on the smell of an oily rag. We’d point the bow at a distant headland and take turns guessing how many hours it would take to reach it.

Even cold starting was effortless, but being direct-drive, we needed plenty of space around us as half throttle and a fair amount of choke are needed. Once running on a 100:1 fuel mixture, oil smoke appeared only after 30 minutes or more of trolling, and noise levels were lower than those of its four-stroke competition (particularly the air-cooled Honda). However, not having a cooling water tell-tale meant occasionally slipping fingers over the transom to check for water flow. Also, the relatively weak ignition with 0.55mm spark plug gap prevented my portable tachometer from picking up any rpm. The long tiller handle concentrated vibration back at the engine and through the hull structure, so my tiller hand didn’t end up with that wonderful tingling feeling. Oh well, no outboard is perfect!

As expected of a Yamaha, the review 2C engine never let us down. Even after 360 hours of saltwater leg/lower unit immersion, no corrosion was apparent anywhere on the lower unit, leg or powerhead. A few years later, I convinced my neighbour to buy one for his tinny, and he had just as good a run as us.

Our Verdict

The Yamaha 2C is nowhere near as popular as the Yamaha 3A because it lacks a clutch. Boohoo, who cares about such a small engine? But unlike the 3A, it is suited only to 15-inch transoms, and that does limit its appeal, though it is perfect for small displacement hulls such as the Walker Bay 10.

Sure, the Yamaha 2C isn’t as clean as the four-stroke competition, but it’s incredibly reliable and simple to maintain. I reckon these factors are way more important!

Thanks Yamaha Motor Australia, Murarrie QLD for supplying the review engine.

Yamaha 2C Performance

Two adults, total displacement 225kg average two-way runs.

“Loop” of 10% WOT and 40% trolling, averaging 4.0kts (7.5kmh), 0.9lt/h.

Competing Outboards

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This article was written by Andrew Norton and previously appeared at TradeaBoat.com.au, now powered by Only Boats.

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