I have been running a Johnson (Suzuki) 70hp tiller for the last 3 years. It is the same as the 60hp, except the 70 is made to run at a little higher RPM. It is a bit heavier than the others – but I don’t know if that is bad, as it appears to have a very strong lower unit, which would help if you hit anything in the water and 4 cylinders instead of 3.
Suzuki was one of the first manufactures to incorporate many of the high tech 4-stroke features on this size engine and has been making this motor since the mid 90s. Some of the other manufactures are just starting to add EFI into their mid size engines and put on decent tiller handles.
This engine is very quite, does not vibrate at any rpm because of the 4 cylinders, a larger displacement to get you up on plane quickly, and the tiller handle is a pleasure to use. For maintenance, I have replaced the spark plugs after two years — they were $1.75 each at Fleet Farm. I also change oil twice a year with just regular automotive oil and replace the oil filter once a year. The alternator puts out a lot of juice and almost always keeps the battery at full charge (I also use the starting battery as one of my 3 electric trolling motor batteries).
I don’t think you can go wrong with this engine, although some of the other manufactures are now starting to also produce very good engines in this size. If you have a console boat it does not make much difference as to which motor you get, but for a tiller you are right next to the motor all the time and some features become very important.
Dave Gulczinski
