YAMAHA 2.5 HP F2.5SMHB OUTBOARD MOTOR

Description

We have the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale brand new, still in the box, and we ship it to buyers all over the world. It is the smallest motor Yamaha makes: a 2.5 horsepower four-stroke with a 15 inch shaft, a fuel tank built into the top and a weight of about 37 pounds. You can carry it with one hand. That is the whole point of it.

If you have a dinghy, a canoe with a side bracket, a small inflatable or a sailboat that needs a little push in and out of the harbour, this is the motor people buy. The Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale starts with a pull, sips fuel, and does not need a battery, a remote or a mechanic to set it up. The rest of this page covers the specs, what the model code means, which boats it suits, how to run it in and how ordering works.

Yamaha F2.5SMHB Specifications

Those are Yamaha’s published numbers for the F2.5, and the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale here matches them. If you want to check them against the source, Yamaha lists the whole F6, F4 and F2.5 portable range on its own site. I would always rather you double check than take a seller’s word for it.

What the Model Code Means

Yamaha’s codes look like gibberish until somebody explains them. Then they are easy.

• F means four-stroke.
• 2.5 is the horsepower.
• S is the shaft length. S is short, 15 inches.
• M means manual start. There is no electric start on a motor this small.
• H means tiller handle.
• B is the generation of the design.

So the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale on this page is the short shaft, pull start, tiller version. Its brother, the Yamaha F2.5LMHB, is exactly the same motor on a 20 inch leg. That is the only difference between them.

Which one you need depends on your transom, not on taste. Measure from the top of the transom, where the clamp brackets sit, straight down to the bottom of the hull. Around 15 inches, buy the short shaft. Around 20 inches, buy the long. Most inflatables, dinghies and small tenders are 15 inch boats, which is why the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale is the more common choice.

Who Actually Buys a 2.5 HP Outboard

Over the years the same few groups of people keep ordering these little motors. If you are wondering whether the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale fits your plans, you will probably see yourself in one of them.

Yacht and sailboat owners

This is the big one. If you keep a sailboat on a mooring, you need a way to get from the dock to the boat and back with groceries, kids and a bag of ice. Rowing is fine until the wind picks up or the tide turns against you. A 2.5 on the back of the tender fixes that, and because it weighs so little you can lift it on and off the stern rail without hurting your back. A lot of the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale orders we ship end up living on a pushpit bracket on a cruising yacht.

Inflatable and dinghy owners

Small inflatables have low horsepower ratings, often 2 to 5 HP. Putting a heavy motor on one makes the stern sit down and the whole boat feel wrong. At around 37 pounds, the motor does not upset the balance, and the 360 degree swivel means you can turn the motor all the way round to go backwards instead of needing a reverse gear.

Canoes, small jon boats and fishing punts

With a side mount bracket the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale pushes a square stern canoe or a light 10 foot jon boat along at a steady walking-to-jogging pace. It is plenty for getting across a pond or up a slow river to a fishing spot, and it is quiet enough that you are not scaring every fish in the place on the way.

Backup motors

Some people buy one as an emergency get-home motor for a bigger boat. If your main engine quits, a 2.5 will not make you fast, but it will get a small boat moving in calm water and that can be the difference between a long wait and getting home for dinner.

Living With the Motor: What It Is Like to Use

Starting

Pull start only, and the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale does not take much of a pull. Yamaha put a lot of work into making the small portables easy to start, and on a warm motor it usually goes first or second time. When it is cold, give it a little choke, a couple of pulls, push the choke back in. That is it. No battery to go flat over winter, no key to lose overboard.

Steering and reverse

The gearbox on the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale has forward and neutral, no reverse. Instead the whole motor swivels 360 degrees on its bracket. Want to back away from a dock? Twist the motor round so the prop faces the other way and off you go. It sounds odd if you have never done it, but after one afternoon it becomes second nature, and it means fewer parts inside the lower unit to wear out.

Fuel

The tank sits on top of the engine, so there are no fuel lines or separate cans to trip over in a small boat. It does not hold a lot, but a 2.5 uses very little. For a run out to the mooring and back you will barely see the level move. On longer trips just carry a small can of fresh fuel and top up when you stop.

Use fresh, clean unleaded. Old fuel is the number one reason small carburetted motors stop running well. If the motor will sit for more than a few weeks, add a stabiliser or run the carburettor dry. Do that and the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale you buy today will still start easily in five years.

Noise and smoke

The Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale is a four-stroke, so there is no oil to mix with the petrol and no blue smoke. It is far quieter than the old two-stroke dinghy motors, which matters a lot when you are coming back to an anchorage late in the evening and everyone else is trying to enjoy a quiet sunset.

Carrying it

There is a built-in carry handle and the motor has resting pads so you can lay it down on the right side without oil getting where it should not. Yamaha marks which side is which. Lay it down on the wrong side and you can get oil into places it causes trouble, so take thirty seconds to look at the label the first time.

How Fast Will It Go?

People ask this a lot, and the honest answer is: not very, and that is fine. A 2.5 is a displacement motor. On a typical 8 to 10 foot inflatable with one adult it will push the boat at a comfortable pace, somewhere around 4 to 5 knots depending on load, hull and conditions. Add a second person and some gear and it slows down a bit.

The Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale will not get a dinghy up on the plane. If you need that, look at the Yamaha F6SMHA or step up again to the 8 and 9.9 HP twins. But if you just want to get places without rowing, and you want something you can lift with one arm, the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale here is about as good as it gets.

Why Pick Yamaha for a Small Outboard

There are other 2.5 HP motors out there, and some of them are cheaper. I would not tell you they are all bad. But there are reasons the Yamaha keeps selling.

• Parts are everywhere. Yamaha has dealers in almost every country with a coastline. If you need a spark plug, an impeller or a propeller in a small port town, there is a good chance somebody nearby has it.
• It is simple. One cylinder, one carburettor, splash lubrication, no electronics to fail. A reasonably handy owner can do most of the servicing on a kitchen table.
• It holds its value. Used Yamaha portables sell quickly and for good money. If you ever upgrade, you will get a fair amount back.
• It is light. Some competitors in this size are noticeably heavier. When you are lifting the motor off a pitching tender, every pound counts.

For all of those reasons we keep the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale as a regular stock item rather than something we order in occasionally.

Setting Up the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for Sale on Your Boat

The Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale is one of the few outboards most owners can fit themselves. There is no wiring and no steering cable. Here is how to do it properly.

1. Check the boat’s rating. Look at the capacity plate or the manufacturer’s sticker. Do not exceed the maximum horsepower or weight.
2. Centre the motor. Clamp it in the middle of the transom unless your boat is designed for an offset mount.
3. Set the height. The anti-cavitation plate, the flat plate just above the propeller, should sit roughly level with the bottom of the hull or slightly below it. Too high and the prop sucks air. Too low and you get drag and spray.
4. Tighten the clamps. Hand tight, then a bit more. Check them again after the first run. Lots of people tie a light safety line from the motor to the boat too. A motor this light is easy to lose over the side if a clamp works loose.
5. Set the tilt pin. Adjust it so the motor’s leg is roughly vertical when the boat is loaded the way you normally run it.

That is genuinely all there is to it. Once the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale is on the transom, add fuel, open the vent on the tank cap, and start it in neutral.

Breaking In a New Motor

Yamaha asks for a break-in period on new engines, including the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale, and it is worth doing. The full procedure is in the owner’s manual, which you can also download from Yamaha’s owner’s manual library. In short:

• For the first part of the break-in, run at low to medium throttle and keep changing the speed.
• Avoid long runs at full throttle until the break-in hours are done.
• Do not let it idle for very long periods either. Variety is the goal.
• Check the oil level before every outing during the break-in.

After the break-in, change the engine oil. Fresh oil after those first hours carries away the tiny bits of metal that come off while the parts settle in. It is the cheapest insurance you can buy for a new Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale.

Looking After It

Small motors like the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale get neglected because they are small. Do not let that happen. A few habits will keep it running for many years.

After every trip

• If you have been in salt water, flush the cooling system with fresh water. A flushing attachment or simply running it in a tub of fresh water works.
• Rinse the outside, especially around the clamps and the lower unit.
• Check that cooling water was coming out of the tell-tale while you were running. If the stream gets weak, the water intake may be blocked or the impeller is getting tired.

Every season

• Change the engine oil. Yamaha recommends its own Yamalube 4M, but any quality four-stroke marine oil of the right grade will do.
• Change the gear oil in the lower unit.
• Check or replace the spark plug.
• Grease the swivel and clamp screws.
• Look at the propeller for chips and bends.

Storing it

Store the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale upright or laid on the correct side, somewhere dry. Drain the carburettor or run it dry before a long lay-up. That one habit saves more small outboards than anything else.

If you would rather not do the work yourself, any Yamaha dealer can service it. The Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale is a common motor and every marine shop knows it.

What Comes in the Box

When the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale arrives, you open the box and find the motor itself, assembled and ready to clamp on, with the propeller already fitted. There is an owner’s manual, a small tool kit on most shipments, and the factory paperwork. The crankcase is shipped dry or with a small amount of oil depending on the batch, so read the tag on the cowling and check the dipstick before you fill the tank. That little check takes a minute and it is the most important thing you will do on day one.

You do not need a battery, a fuel line, a primer bulb, a remote box or a key. Everything the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale needs to run is on the motor. Just add oil if required, add fresh fuel, and it is ready to go.

Running Costs, Honestly

One of the best things about a motor this size is how little it costs to keep. Here is roughly what owning one looks like over a season.

• Fuel. A 2.5 burns very little. Most tender owners use a few litres in a whole weekend of runs to and from the mooring.
• Oil. Well under a litre for an oil change. One bottle of four-stroke oil lasts a long time.
• Gear oil. A small tube once a season.
• Spark plug. Cheap, and it lasts a long time if the fuel is clean.
• Impeller. Every few seasons, more often if you run in sandy or silty water.

Compare that with the hassle and cost of a seized old two-stroke, or of buying a cheap unbranded motor that needs a part nobody stocks. Spending a little more on the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale up front tends to save money over the years you own it.

Accessories Worth Thinking About

You can run the motor exactly as it comes. A few owners like to add things, though, and these are the ones I would actually spend money on.

• A motor bracket for the yacht’s stern rail. Somewhere safe to park the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale when you are underway on the big boat.
• A cover. Sun and salt spray fade and dry out the cowling. A simple cover stops that.
• A flushing muff or a tub. Makes the freshwater flush after a salt water trip quick and painless.
• A safety lanyard line. Tie the motor to the boat. Clamps do loosen, and outboards do go swimming.
• A small jerry can. For fresh fuel on longer trips. Keep it sealed and out of the sun.

None of these are required. They just make life with the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale a little easier, which is the whole idea of buying a small portable in the first place.

Compared With Other Small Yamaha Portables

Not sure the 2.5 is right? Here is how it stacks up against the next sizes up.

The F4 and F6 are a fair bit heavier than the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale. That extra weight buys you more push and a proper reverse gear, but if you lift the motor on and off a lot, the 2.5 is far easier to live with. Have a look at the Yamaha F4SMHA if you want the middle ground.

You can also browse our whole 2.5 HP Yamaha section, or the full Yamaha outboards range.

Ordering the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for Sale From Us

We sell new outboard motors online and we ship worldwide. Here is how an order normally goes.

1. Add it to the cart or, if you have questions first, send us a message.
2. We confirm the order, your address and the best shipping route to you.
3. We pack it. The motor ships in its factory box with extra protection added.
4. You get tracking as soon as it leaves us.
5. It arrives. At this size it fits in a normal parcel delivery, so there is no forklift needed at your end.

International buyers pay any import duty and local taxes that their own country charges. We provide the paperwork customs needs. If you are not sure what the charges will be, ask a local customs broker before you order so there are no surprises.

You can read our refund and return policy and terms and conditions before you buy. If you want to get to know us a little first, there is an about us page and our customer reviews.

Common Questions About the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for Sale

Is it new?

Yes. Every Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale on our site is new, in the original box, never run.

Does it come with a propeller?

Yes. Yamaha includes a standard propeller with its smaller portables.

Does the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale have reverse?

No reverse gear. You swivel the motor around 360 degrees to go backwards. It works well and keeps the gearbox simple.

Can I use the Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale in salt water?

Yes. Just flush it with fresh water after use and keep an eye on corrosion around the clamps and lower unit.

Do I need oil mixed with the fuel?

No. It is a four-stroke with its own oil in the crankcase. Put plain unleaded in the tank.

What if my transom is 20 inches?

Then you want the long shaft version, the F2.5LMHB. Do not try to make a short shaft work on a tall transom. The prop will not be deep enough and it will ventilate.

Can I take it on a plane or in a car?

In a car, yes, easily, as long as you drain the fuel and lay it down on the correct side. Airlines have strict rules about anything that has held fuel, so check with your airline before trying to fly with a motor.

How long does shipping take?

It depends on where you are. Once we confirm the order we give you an estimate for your address, then tracking once it ships.

The Short Version

If you need a light, simple, reliable motor for a tender, an inflatable or a canoe, you do not need to overthink it. The Yamaha F2.5SMHB for sale here is a proven little four-stroke from a company with parts and service in almost every corner of the world. It starts easily, it is quiet, it uses hardly any fuel and you can carry it with one hand.

Add it to your cart when you are ready, or ask us anything first. And if it turns out you need a bit more power, have a look around the shop. We stock the full Yamaha portable line from 2.5 HP up to 25 HP.