Yamaha 20 HP Outboard for Sale: Powerful F20 EFI, 3 Models From $2,950

Looking for a Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale? We have the F20 in stock in three versions: the manual start short shaft F20SMHB from $2,950, and two long shaft electric start tillers, the F20LWHB and F20LWPHB, at $3,950. All three are the four-stroke, fuel injected F20, and we ship them worldwide.

The F20 is one of those motors that just gets on with the job. It’s light enough to lift onto a transom with two people, it starts easily, it sips fuel, and it pushes a small aluminium boat or inflatable at a good clip. Below I’ll go through the models we have, the specs, how to choose between them, which boats it suits, and how buying and shipping work.

Yamaha 20 HP Outboard for Sale: Models in Stock

Here’s every Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale we have right now. Each one links to its own product page with photos.

They sit in our Yamaha outboards range along with the rest of the small Yamahas. If you need a Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale in a remote control version, a different shaft, or more than one engine, get in touch and we’ll see what we can source.

Why the Yamaha 20 HP Outboard for Sale Is So Popular

Twenty horsepower is a sweet spot. It’s the most power a lot of people can still carry by hand, and in many places it’s also a size where you don’t need a bigger licence or registration class. Check your local rules, but that’s a big part of why the 20 sells so well.

Yamaha’s F20 is a twin cylinder, single overhead cam four-stroke. The current version has a bigger 432 cc engine than the old 362 cc one, fuel injection instead of a carburettor, and an alternator with more output for charging a battery and running a fish finder. On the manual start models the fuel injection runs without a battery at all. You pull the cord and it fires, even if you’ve never put a battery in the boat.

That’s what people like about it. It’s simple. There’s no choke to fiddle with, no carb to clean after it sits all winter, and it doesn’t smoke or smell like the old two-strokes.

Yamaha 20 HP Outboard for Sale: Specifications

These are Yamaha’s figures for the current F20. Weights are dry, without fuel or oil.

If you want the exact figures for a specific Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale, ask us and we’ll send the sheet.

How to Read the F20 Model Code

Every Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale has a model code. They look like alphabet soup, but they’re easy once you know the letters. Take F20LWPHB.

• F means four-stroke.
• 20 is the horsepower.
• S is a 15 inch shaft, L is a 20 inch shaft.
• M is manual start, W is electric start with a manual backup.
• P means power tilt. No P means you tilt it by hand.
• H means tiller handle.
• B is the model generation.

So the F20LWPHB is a long shaft, electric start, power tilt, tiller model. The F20SMHB is a short shaft, pull start, tiller model. Simple.

Which Yamaha 20 HP Outboard for Sale Is Right for You

F20SMHB: light and simple

The short shaft pull start model is the lightest and cheapest. It suits small aluminium boats, dinghies, inflatables and jon boats with a 15 inch transom. No battery needed. If you take the motor off the boat a lot, or carry it down to the water, this is the one.

F20LWHB: electric start, long shaft

Electric start makes life easier, especially if you start and stop a lot while fishing. The long shaft fits 20 inch transoms, which most small fishing boats and skiffs have. You still tilt it by hand.

F20LWPHB: power tilt

Same as the F20LWHB but with power tilt. Handy if you run in shallow water, beach the boat often or just don’t want to lift the leg up by hand. It’s a bit heavier, so it tends to stay on the boat.

Before you order a Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale, check your transom height. Measure from the top of the transom down to the bottom of the hull. About 15 inches means a short shaft, about 20 means long. Getting this wrong is the most common mistake we see. Too short and the prop sucks air. Too long and the motor drags and sprays.

What Boats Suit a Yamaha 20 HP Outboard for Sale

A Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale is a good match for:

• 12 to 16 foot aluminium fishing boats and jon boats
• Inflatables and RIBs around 3.5 to 4.5 metres
• Small skiffs and punts
• Tenders on bigger yachts, where weight matters
• Canoes and small sailboats with a motor bracket (short shaft or a bracket made for it)

Before buying any Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale, check the capacity plate on your boat for the maximum horsepower and weight. Don’t go over it. On a light 14 foot aluminium boat with two people, an F20 will usually get you up on the plane without fuss and give you a comfortable cruise.

F20 vs the Other 20s and Nearby Sizes

We sell 20 HP outboards from most brands, so a lot of buyers ask how a Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale compares. Honestly, they’re all decent motors. Here’s how I’d sum it up.

• Yamaha F20: the largest displacement in its class, smooth, battery-less EFI on the pull start models, and the Yamaha dealer and parts network almost everywhere.
• Suzuki 20 HP: very light and also battery-less EFI. A good alternative.
• Honda 20 HP: quiet, and well liked for reliability.
• Mercury 20 HP and Tohatsu 20 HP: solid choices, often a bit cheaper.

If you’re not sure 20 is the right size, have a look at our Yamaha 15 HP and Yamaha 25 HP outboards. The 15 is a little lighter. The 25 shares the same basic platform and is better on a heavier boat. For the smallest tenders, our Tohatsu 9.9 HP guide is worth a look too.

Running and Fuel Use

One of the best reasons to buy a Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale is the running cost. The F20 is cheap to run. At a steady cruise it uses a small amount of fuel per hour, and a lot less when trolling. Exact numbers depend on the boat, load and prop, so I won’t pretend there’s one figure that fits everyone. What I can say is that most owners fill a 12 litre portable tank and get a full day of fishing out of it.

Variable trolling lets you set the idle speed in small steps from the tiller. That’s useful when you want to hold a slow, steady speed for lures without fighting the throttle the whole time.

The bigger alternator also means you can run a small fish finder and charge a starting battery on the electric start models. The pull start model works fine with no battery at all, but it can still feed a little power to accessories if you add a rectifier kit.

Older F20s vs the Current Model

If you’ve been looking at every Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale you can find, you’ve probably seen a big spread in prices. A lot of that comes down to which generation of F20 it is.

Older carburettor F20s. For years the F20 used a 362 cc twin with a carburettor. They’re good motors and plenty are still running. The catch is the carb. Leave fuel in it over a long layup and it gums up, and then it won’t idle or won’t start. You also have a choke to work with on cold mornings.

Current EFI F20s. The newer F20 moved up to 432 cc and fuel injection, with the battery-less system on pull start models. It starts more easily, idles more smoothly, uses less fuel and copes much better with being left for a while. It also has the stronger alternator and variable trolling.

Every Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale in our stock is the current B-generation F20, so you get the EFI engine. If you’re comparing against an older one somewhere else that looks cheaper, keep that difference in mind. You’re often paying less up front and more later on carb work.

Fitting Your F20 to the Boat

If you buy a tiller Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale from us, it’s one of the easiest outboards to fit yourself. Here’s the basic process.

1. Check the transom. Make sure it’s solid with no soft spots, and that the height matches your shaft length.
2. Centre the motor. Hang it in the middle of the transom and tighten the clamp screws by hand, firmly.
3. Bolt it through. For a motor that stays on the boat, put bolts through the transom bracket holes as well. Clamp screws alone can work loose, and a lot of 20s have been lost over the side that way.
4. Set the height. The anti-ventilation plate (the flat plate just above the prop) should sit roughly level with the bottom of the hull, or slightly above it.
5. Set the trim pin. Start in the middle hole. If the bow ploughs, move it out a hole. If the bow rides too high and bounces, move it in.
6. Connect fuel and battery. Prime the fuel line with the bulb until it’s firm. On electric start models, connect the battery leads the right way round.
7. Run it in the water. Never run it dry. Check for the tell-tale water stream once it starts.

If you’re not comfortable doing this, any local outboard mechanic can fit it in an hour or so.

Choosing a Prop for Your Yamaha 20

The F20 comes with a standard aluminium prop that suits most boats. If you’re carrying heavy loads, or your boat is a bit too heavy and slow to get on the plane, a prop with less pitch helps it get up more easily. If the boat is light and the engine revs past its range at full throttle, a bit more pitch can give you more speed.

The rule is simple: at full throttle with a normal load, the engine should reach the top part of its rated rev range, not go over it and not fall short of it. If you tell us the boat, the load and how it runs now, we’ll suggest a prop to start with.

Is a 20 Enough, or Should You Go Bigger?

A common question from people looking at a Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale is whether they’d be happier with a 25 or 30. My honest answer: if your boat is light and you mostly fish rivers, lakes and sheltered bays with one or two people, 20 is plenty. If you carry three adults and gear, run into wind and chop, or your boat is on the heavy side, the 25 is worth the small extra weight. The Yamaha 25 HP uses a similar platform, so you’re not giving anything up in reliability.

Going smaller than 20 makes sense on tenders, canoes and very light boats where you just need to get from A to B. A 9.9 or 15 is lighter and easier to carry.

Buying a Yamaha 20 HP Outboard for Sale From Us

1. Choose your model. Use the table above. Note the code, especially the shaft length.
2. Contact us. Use the contact form or call or WhatsApp +1 209 690 5983. Tell us the model and the delivery address.
3. Get a quote. We confirm stock, send photos if you want, and price the shipping.
4. Pay and ship. We box the engine and send it, with tracking.

Every Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale here gets checked before it ships. We look over the cowl, the leg and the gearcase, check the oil and make sure nothing is missing from the box. If you want a particular photo, like the serial plate, ask before you pay.

What comes in the box

That depends on the unit. Tiller models are basically complete: you clamp them on, connect fuel and go. Electric start models need a battery. Ask us whether a fuel tank, fuel line or prop is included with the engine you’re looking at, and we’ll tell you exactly.

Worldwide Shipping on Every Yamaha 20 HP Outboard for Sale

We ship every Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale all over the world. A 20 HP outboard is small enough to go by air or courier in a lot of cases, which keeps it quick. We can also send it by sea, which is cheaper, especially if you’re buying more than one motor or adding it to a bigger order.

The engine is drained of fuel, packed upright in a strong carton or crate, and the leg and prop are protected. We send the paperwork your customs office needs. Import duty and local tax are set by your country and paid at your end, so it’s worth asking a local agent what to expect.

Looking After Your F20

Look after any Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale you buy, ours or anyone else’s, and it’ll easily run for many seasons. These are the basics.

• Flush it after salt water. A flush muff or a bucket of fresh water does the job.
• Change the oil. Follow the owner’s manual. The first service is the important one.
• Change the gear oil. Once a season is a good habit, and check for water in it.
• Use fresh fuel. Don’t leave fuel sitting for months. Fuel injection is more forgiving than a carb, but old fuel still causes problems.
• Check the anode and the prop. Replace the anode when it’s worn, and keep the prop free of dings and fishing line.

For safety gear and boating basics, the US Coast Guard boating safety site is a good place to start, and Discover Boating has easy guides for new owners. Yamaha’s own outboard site has manuals and service schedules, and there’s background on the company on Wikipedia.

Questions About a Yamaha 20 HP Outboard for Sale

Can one person carry a Yamaha F20?

The pull start short shaft model, at around 57 kg, is a lift for one strong person but much easier with two. The electric start and power tilt models are heavier and usually stay on the boat.

Do I need a battery?

Not on the manual start models. The fuel injection works without one. Electric start models need a battery to use the starter, though they still have a pull cord as backup.

Is the F20 good for salt water?

Yes. It has Yamaha’s corrosion protection, stainless parts and a multi-layer coating. Flush it after use and it’ll last a long time.

Can I fit a remote control?

Remote versions of the F20 exist, but the tiller models in our table are set up for tiller steering. If you want remote steering, ask us and we’ll look for the right model rather than converting a tiller.

What’s your return policy?

See our refund and return policy and terms and conditions. If anything isn’t clear, just ask.

How long does shipping take?

Courier and air freight are usually one to two weeks, depending on the country. Sea freight takes longer, often four to eight weeks. We give you a realistic estimate with your quote, not a best-case guess.

Can I buy two at once?

Yes. Some buyers order two of the same Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale, one as a spare or one for each boat. Shipping two together usually costs less per engine than sending them separately.

Will it work on my inflatable?

Most inflatables and RIBs rated for 20 HP take an F20 without trouble. Check the plate on the boat for the maximum power and engine weight, and pick the shaft length that matches the transom, which on most inflatables is the short 15 inch shaft.

How fast will it go?

That depends on the boat, the load and the prop. On a light aluminium boat with one or two people, most owners see a comfortable plane and a decent top speed for the size. Tell us your boat and we’ll give you an honest idea.

More Small Outboards and Guides

• All Yamaha outboards
• Yamaha 9.9 HP and Yamaha 30 HP
• Torqeedo Cruise electric outboards, if you’re thinking about going electric
• Evinrude 25 HP outboards
• The full shop

You can read what other buyers think on our reviews page, or find out more about us.

Get Your Yamaha 20 HP Outboard for Sale Today

If you’ve picked the Yamaha 20 HP outboard for sale that fits your boat, send us the model code and where it’s going. We’ll confirm stock and come back with a price including shipping. Reach us through the contact page, or call or WhatsApp +1 209 690 5983.

Still deciding between the short and long shaft, or between pull start and electric? Send us a photo of the transom and tell us about the boat. We’ll tell you which one to get.