New outboard.

[nealsett]

I need a new outboard for the dinghy. 2.5 Yamaha, Suzuki or Honda ? Anyone have any recent experience of any and which could be best ?

[claymore]

Just LOVE my Yamaha Malta - now defunct but doubtless replaced by an even better model which would be hard to believe

[Nick]

.
All the 2.5hp 4-strokes are vastly inferior in terms of reliability, weight and transportability to an equivalent 2hp 2-stroke. Trouble is, a good one of these is a bit hens-toothish. Expect to pay £250 for a decent one off Ebay or you might be able to get a new Chinese Parsun if you know where to look (I don't, but have fortunately managed to rebuild my trusty 2hp Yamaha).

Here's a likely looking 2hp Suzuki on Ebay - I would not bother bidding until the very end though, and as I said be prepared to go up to £250 anyway.

[sahona]

The 4-strokes seem to be a lot noisier as well- (Honda anyway)
They remind me of when "the best outboard for the world" was the popular choice.
If I was buying/looking again I would get the most powerful engine that weight would allow - for pure fun in the dinghy/rib, to make headway against the weather going ashore, to do so fast enough to stay dry, and to manoever the mothership to a berth/mooring when the main machinery lets you down.