HONDA 50 HP BF50D4LRTA OUTBOARD MOTOR

Description

Fifty horsepower is where a small boat stops feeling like a small boat. It is enough to get two or three adults and their gear up on plane without drama, enough to cross a lake when the wind picks up, and still light enough for a 16 foot hull. The Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale on this page is Honda’s 50 HP remote control four stroke with power trim and tilt and a 20 inch shaft. It is new in the factory crate and we deliver worldwide.

Everything you need to decide is on this page: model code, specifications, how it performs, which boats it fits, running costs, setup advice and the ordering process. The price and the cart button are at the top.

What the Honda BF50D4LRTA for Sale Is

The Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale is a 50 HP, 808 cc, three cylinder, fuel injected four stroke outboard. It is set up for remote steering and control, it has power trim and tilt, and it fits a 20 inch transom. It weighs about 214 pounds dry, produces 22 amps from its alternator with 17 amps going to battery charging, and uses Honda’s BLAST and Lean Burn systems. It is the most powerful motor in Honda’s 808 cc family, and it weighs no more than the 40.

Reading the Model Code

• BF: Honda four stroke outboard.
• 50: 50 horsepower.
• D4: series and type.
• L: 20 inch (508 mm) shaft.
• R: remote control.
• T: power trim and tilt.
• A: variant code.

Need a 25 inch shaft? The Honda BF50D4XRTA is the same motor with the extra long leg. Want the same engine at 40 HP? That is the Honda BF40D4LRTA.

Specifications of the Honda BF50D4LRTA for Sale

These are taken from Honda’s published data. See the Honda BF40 and BF50 specification page to check them yourself.

On the Water With the Honda BF50D4LRTA for Sale

Revs freely

The 50 is rated at 6,000 RPM, higher than the 40. It likes to rev, and it feels eager when you open it up. The three cylinder layout keeps it smooth all the way.

BLAST for quick planing

When you accelerate hard, BLAST advances timing and richens the mixture for a moment. The result is a faster, flatter climb onto plane. With a couple of people and gear aboard, you really notice it.

Lean Burn economy

At steady cruise, an oxygen sensor lets the engine run leaner. Honda says up to 20% better fuel economy at cruise than competitors. For a 50 HP motor, that means very modest fuel bills.

Quiet running

At idle and low speed, the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale is quiet enough that the loudest sound is often the water against the hull.

Boats That Match the Honda BF50D4LRTA for Sale

• Aluminium console boats from about 15 to 17 feet.
• Small fibreglass runabouts and older bowriders rated for 50 HP.
• Bass and panfish boats with a 20 inch transom.
• Small pontoons for relaxed cruising.
• RIBs used as tenders, dive boats or safety boats.

Check your capacity plate first. If your boat is rated for 60 and you run heavy loads, a Honda BF60A1LRT or the high thrust Honda BFP60A1LRT may suit you better.

Electrics

The 22 amp alternator gives 17 amps for charging. That covers a fish finder, GPS, lights and a livewell pump comfortably. NMEA 2000 compatibility lets you show engine data on a compatible display.

Maintenance

Service the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale after break-in, then every 100 hours or yearly. That means engine oil and filter, gearcase oil, plugs, fuel filter, anodes, grease points and a trim fluid check. The water pump impeller should be changed at the interval in the owner’s manual. Flush after salt or muddy water. Honda’s owner’s manuals are free online.

Warranty

Honda offers US recreational buyers a five year warranty, transferable and non-declining. Other countries follow local distributor terms. Details are on the Honda warranty page.

Ordering the Honda BF50D4LRTA for Sale

1. Add it to the cart, or contact us with questions.
2. We confirm stock, address and shipping method.
3. The motor ships in its Honda crate.
4. You get tracking.
5. Plan how to unload the crate when it arrives.

Import duties and taxes outside our country are paid by the buyer. We provide the paperwork.

Explore all Honda outboard motors, the 50 HP Honda outboards page, or our full shop.

Why the 50 Is Often the Smart Pick

People come to us asking for a 40 and leave with the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale surprisingly often. The reason is simple. The 50 uses the same engine, weighs the same and costs only a little more, yet it gives you a quarter more power. If your boat is rated for 50, you are carrying the same weight on the transom either way, so the extra performance is almost free.

That extra power shows up in real life in a few ways. You get on plane faster with a full load. You can hold a given speed at lower RPM, which is quieter and easier on the engine. You have more in reserve when the wind and waves pick up. And if you ever pull a tube or a small skier, the 50 handles it far better than the 40.

The only reasons to pick the 40 instead are a lower capacity rating, a tight budget, or the certainty that you will only ever use the boat gently. All fair reasons, but for most buyers, the 50 is the one they are happier with a year later.

What Comes in the Crate

The Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale arrives as a complete outboard on its 20 inch leg, with cowling, owner’s manual and Honda’s standard hardware. As a remote motor, it needs a control box, main harness, key switch, gauges or a display, steering, a battery and a propeller. If your boat had a compatible Honda remote setup before, some of those parts may carry over. If not, budget for them.

Check the crate carefully on arrival and photograph any transport damage before signing.

Break-In

For the first several hours, vary the throttle and avoid long periods at full throttle. Don’t hold one constant speed for long periods. Follow the owner’s manual for the exact procedure, then change the oil and filter and check the gearcase oil. It is an inexpensive step that helps the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale run well for years.

Choosing a Propeller

No prop is included. At wide open throttle with a normal load, the engine should reach 5,500 to 6,000 RPM. If it doesn’t, drop pitch. If it hits the rev limiter easily, go up. Light aluminium boats usually take more pitch than heavy boats or pontoons. Honda’s propeller selector gives you a sensible first choice.

Installing the Honda BF50D4LRTA for Sale

A remote motor needs proper rigging: mounting at the right height, steering, controls and harness, gauges or a display, battery cables and a fuel line with a water separating filter. I suggest a marine technician unless you have done this before. Start with the anti ventilation plate about level with the bottom of the hull, then adjust after a water test. Use through bolts, torque them correctly, and recheck them after the first few trips.

Repowering Tips

If you are replacing an older motor, check the transom for rot or cracks, replace old fuel hoses and the primer bulb, fit a water separating filter, check the steering, and consider a new battery. Coming from a two stroke, you will notice a huge drop in noise, smoke and fuel use with the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale.

Using Trim

Trim fully down to take off. Once on plane, trim out in small steps until the boat runs freely and the steering lightens, then stop before the bow bounces or the prop slips. Trim down in a head sea, slightly up in a following sea. It is the easiest way to get more speed and economy from any outboard.

Fuel and Storage

Keep fuel clean and fresh. Fit a water separating filter and change it regularly, buy fuel from busy stations, and stabilise it if the boat will sit. Before a long layup, change the oil, run stabilised fuel through, flush with fresh water, check the gearcase oil and store the motor trimmed down. In hot climates, run it every couple of weeks if possible.

Salt Water Care

Honda’s corrosion protection is good, but salt always wins against neglect. Flush after every trip, rinse the outside, check anodes each season, touch up chipped paint and use a corrosion inhibitor spray now and then. Do that and the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale will look and run well for a long time.

Service Near You

Honda has marine dealers and distributors in many countries, and routine parts are widely available. Look up your nearest service point on Honda’s dealer locator or through your local Honda distributor before ordering.

Common Mistakes

Wrong shaft length, ignoring the capacity plate, forgetting controls and harness, mounting on a damaged transom, never checking RPM after fitting a prop, skipping the first oil change and letting fuel go stale. Avoid those and the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale will reward you with years of trouble free boating.

Who Buys It

Anglers with 16 foot console boats, families with small runabouts, fishing camps and rental fleets, dive and tour operators with RIBs, and work boat owners. Most are replacing an older, noisier motor. The comment we hear most afterwards is simple: they can’t believe how quiet it is.

What Kind of Speed Can You Expect?

This is one of the first questions people ask, and the honest answer is that it depends. Hull shape, boat weight, load, propeller, motor height, trim and even water temperature all affect top speed. A light 15 foot aluminium boat with one person aboard will run a lot faster than a heavily loaded 17 footer with three people and a full fuel tank.

What I can say is that a well propped Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale on a suitable 20 inch transom boat gives you comfortable planing speed, a relaxed cruise and enough top end for most recreational use. If raw speed is your main goal, you probably want a bigger motor and a boat rated for it. If you want an easy going, economical boat that gets you where you are going without fuss, the 50 is a sweet spot.

For real numbers, Honda has published test results on many hulls. Browse the Honda performance tests and look for a boat similar to yours. Those tests list speed, RPM, fuel flow and the prop used, which is far more useful than a sales claim.

20 Inch or 25 Inch: Getting It Right

Honda builds the 50 in two shaft lengths, and ordering the wrong one is the most common and most expensive mistake online buyers make. Here is how to be sure.

Measure your transom height from the very top of the transom, where the motor clamps sit, straight down to the bottom of the hull at the centreline. If there is a notch in the transom, measure at the notch. Around 20 inches means an L shaft, which is the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale here. Around 25 inches means an X shaft, the BF50D4XRTA.

If you are replacing an existing outboard that ran well, you can also check its model code or measure from its mounting bracket to the anti ventilation plate. When in doubt, send us a photo with a tape measure in it. We would rather check than have you wait weeks for a motor that doesn’t fit.

Using the Honda BF50D4LRTA for Sale on a Small Pontoon

Small pontoons with a 20 inch transom are a common home for this motor. On a light pontoon with a few people, a 50 cruises nicely and uses very little fuel. A few pontoon specific tips help.

Pontoons push a lot of water, so they often need less propeller pitch than a V-hull. Some owners find a four blade prop grips better and reduces ventilation in turns. Keep weight balanced, because a tail heavy pontoon ploughs and wastes fuel. And trim the motor out a little once moving, which lifts the front of the tubes and often adds a few kilometres per hour.

If your pontoon is on the heavy side or you regularly carry a full crew, Honda’s BFP60A1LRT Power Thrust is built specifically for that kind of load, with a bigger prop and different gearing.

A Ten Year View of Ownership

When you buy a motor, it helps to think about what the next ten years will look like. With the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale, a typical owner who uses the boat regularly will do a basic service each year, replace the water pump impeller every few years depending on conditions, replace anodes as they wear, and replace wear items such as spark plugs and filters. Fuel costs stay low thanks to fuel injection and Lean Burn Control. Unexpected repairs are rare on well maintained Honda four strokes.

Compare that to an older two stroke or a cheaper motor that needs more frequent attention, and the Honda’s higher purchase price often evens out over time. Add the higher resale value that Honda motors tend to hold, and the numbers look even better.

Buying Online: A Short Checklist

• Confirm the transom height and shaft length.
• Check the capacity plate for maximum horsepower and weight.
• List the controls, harness, gauges and steering you will need.
• Plan a first propeller.
• Know how the crate will be unloaded.
• For international orders, check import duty and tax with a local broker.
• Find your nearest Honda service point.

With those boxes ticked, ordering the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale is quick and simple.

A Day Out With the Honda BF50D4LRTA for Sale

It is early, the lake is flat and the air is cool. You back the trailer in, lower the motor with the trim button and turn the key. It fires straight away with no choke and no smoke. You idle out past the no wake buoys, and the only sound is a soft hum from the back of the boat.

Clear of the buoys, you push the throttle forward. The bow lifts for a moment and then drops as the boat planes off, faster than your old motor ever managed. You trim out a little, and the boat settles into an easy cruise. Your fishing partner says something and you hear every word.

At the first spot, you ease back to idle. The motor ticks over smoothly, no stalling, no loading up. The fish finder has been running since you left the dock and the livewell pump comes on and off all morning. By early afternoon the wind has picked up, so you trim the bow down and the boat cuts through the chop instead of pounding. Back at the ramp, you tilt the motor, pull the boat and give it a quick flush with a hose. The fuel gauge has barely moved.

That is what owning the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale is like. It just does its job, day after day, without asking for much in return.

Why Buy From Us

We are an online outboard dealer that ships motors worldwide. We concentrate on proven brands such as Honda because we want customers who stay happy long after the sale. When you buy the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale from us, you get a genuine new motor in its factory crate, honest help choosing the right model and shaft length, advice on controls and props, and help with shipping documents. If something is not right, we want to hear about it.

New Versus Used

A used 50 can look tempting, but you rarely know how it was treated. Was it flushed after salt? Serviced on time? Ever run dry? A new Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale starts at zero hours with a clean history and factory coverage where it applies. For a motor you plan to keep, that certainty is worth paying for.

Safety First

Attach the kill switch lanyard every time you run the boat. Carry life jackets for everyone aboard, a way to call for help, a paddle, a bailer and a basic tool kit with a spare prop nut and plug. Check fuel and oil before you go and let someone know your plans. Honda’s safety tips are a good refresher at the start of every season, and they help you enjoy the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale with peace of mind.

Similar Honda Outboards

• Honda BF50D4XRTA: same motor, 25 inch shaft.
• Honda BF40D4LRTA: 40 HP remote.
• Honda BF40D4LHA: 40 HP tiller.
• Honda BF60A1LRT: 60 HP.
• Honda BFP60A1LRT: 60 HP Power Thrust.
• Honda BF30D3LRT: 30 HP.

Browse 40 HP, 60 HP and 75 HP Honda outboards too.

FAQ: Honda BF50D4LRTA for Sale

Is it new?

Yes. The Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale is brand new, crated, never mounted.

Shaft length?

20 inches. The 25 inch version is the BF50D4XRTA.

Does it have power trim?

Yes, power trim and tilt are standard.

Weight?

About 214 pounds dry.

Prop included?

No. We can advise on sizing.

Do you ship worldwide?

Yes. Contact us for an estimate.

Buy the Honda BF50D4LRTA for Sale

For a 20 inch transom boat rated at 50 HP, the Honda BF50D4LRTA for sale is light, lively, quiet and cheap to run. Add it to the cart or ask us anything first.

More choices are in our Honda outboards range.