F20SWHB 20 hp 15

Description

We have the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale, new in its crate and ready to ship worldwide. It is Yamaha’s 20 horsepower four-stroke with a 15 inch short shaft, tiller steering, electric start and a manual pull cord as backup. The 432 cc twin uses Yamaha’s battery-less fuel injection, and a 16 amp alternator charges your battery while you run. It weighs about 130 pounds.

This model gives you the best of both worlds. Day to day, you turn a key and the motor starts. If the battery is ever flat, the pull cord still starts it, and because the fuel injection does not depend on the battery, the engine runs perfectly either way. For fishing boats where you stop and start all day, for tenders used by a whole crew and for anyone who prefers key start, the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale is a smart choice. Everything you need to know is below.

Yamaha F20SWHB Specifications

Yamaha lists the F20 range on its 25, 20 and 15 HP portables page. The Yamaha F20SWHB for sale is the short shaft tiller model with electric start and a pull backup.

The Model Code

F is four-stroke. 20 is horsepower. S is the 15 inch short shaft. W is electric start with a manual pull backup. H is tiller handle. B is the generation. The pull start only version is the Yamaha F20SMHB. On a 20 inch shaft, the equivalent is the Yamaha F20LWHB, and with power tilt the Yamaha F20LWPHB.

Electric Start With a Backup

The W in the model code is worth understanding. Some electric start motors have no pull cord at all, which means a flat battery leaves you stuck. The Yamaha F20SWHB for sale keeps a manual pull cord as well as the electric starter. Most of the time you use the key. If the battery ever runs down, whether from electronics left on or simply age, you reach for the cord and pull. Because Yamaha’s fuel injection powers itself from the engine’s own generator, the motor starts and runs normally with the pull cord even if the battery is completely flat.

For a boat you rely on to get home, that backup matters. It is also a comfort on a tender or a work boat where the battery may not get the attention it deserves.

The 16 Amp Alternator

The F20 platform has a strong 16 amp alternator for a motor this size. While the engine runs, it charges your battery, which can also power a fish finder, GPS, navigation lights, a bilge pump or a small livewell pump. For many owners, one battery charged by the motor covers a full day of fishing electronics. That makes the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale a practical choice for anglers who want to run a modern sounder without a separate charging system.

Boats That Suit It

Fishing boats

On a 14 to 16 foot aluminium boat, jon boat or skiff with a 15 inch transom, the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale is a great fishing motor. It gets you to the spot fast, trolls smoothly thanks to the EFI, restarts with a key every time you move and charges the battery for your electronics.

RIBs and inflatables

On RIBs and inflatables from about 11 to 14 feet rated for 20 HP or more, it gives brisk planing with a full crew. As a yacht tender motor, key start means anyone aboard can run the tender.

Skiffs and small runabouts

Light skiffs with a 15 inch transom suit the 20 well, and the alternator can run lights for evening trips.

Shared boats

On boats used by several people, such as club boats, rental boats or work dinghies, key start makes life easier for everyone, and the pull backup means nobody is ever stuck.

How It Runs

Turn the key with the motor in neutral and the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale starts straight away. There is no choke to fiddle with, because the fuel injection handles cold starts automatically. The 432 cc twin settles into a smooth, steady idle. Open the throttle and the response is clean and immediate, so the boat gets onto the plane without hesitation. Shift at idle; reverse is strong. The tiller has adjustable steering friction so the motor holds a straight course. Yamaha also offers a Variable Trolling RPM Switch on this platform as an option, which lets you fine-tune idle speed for trolling.

Battery and Electrical

The Yamaha F20SWHB for sale needs a 12 volt marine starting battery in a proper box, secured so it cannot slide. Connect it with the right cables and a fuse. Keep the terminals clean and tight, especially in salt air. If you run electronics, fit a battery switch so you can isolate the starter circuit, and turn electronics off during long drifts with the engine off. Over winter, take the battery home and keep it charged.

Fuel

The Yamaha F20SWHB for sale runs from a separate portable tank with a primer bulb hose. Open the vent, squeeze the bulb until firm and start. Use fresh unleaded with no more than 10 percent ethanol, and keep the fuel filter in good condition, because fuel injection relies on clean fuel. Add stabiliser if the boat will sit for weeks.

Fitting the Motor

Before fitting the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale, check your boat’s capacity plate for horsepower and engine weight. At about 130 pounds, the motor is a two-person lift or a job for a hoist. Clamp it in the centre of the transom with the anti-cavitation plate at or just below the bottom of the hull, tighten the clamps and through-bolt it for a permanent installation. Fit a safety line. Set the trim rod so the leg is vertical when running. Mount and connect the battery, connect the fuel, check the oil, start in neutral and confirm the cooling water stream.

Break-In

For the first hours, run the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale at varied low and medium throttle, add short bursts higher later, avoid long full-throttle runs and check the oil before each trip. Change the oil at the end of the break-in. The procedure is in the owner’s manual, available on Yamaha’s owner’s manual page.

Maintenance

After salt water use, flush with fresh water and rinse the outside. Each season, change the engine oil and gear oil, check the plugs, grease the clamp screws, swivel and tilt points, check the prop and anode, replace the fuel filter as recommended, and clean and tighten the battery and wiring connections. Every few seasons, replace the water pump impeller. Before winter, stabilise the fuel, change the oil, flush, store the motor upright and keep the battery charged.

With fuel injection, there is no carburettor to clean, which removes the most common cause of hard starting after storage.

Troubleshooting

If the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale will not crank, check that it is in neutral, the battery is charged and the fuse and connections are good. If the battery is flat, use the pull cord. If it cranks but will not start, check the fuel vent, hose, primer bulb, fuel freshness and kill switch clip. If it starts then dies, open the tank vent. If it runs rough, check the fuel filter for water or dirt. If the cooling stream is weak, clear the tell-tale outlet and check the intake and impeller.

A Day of Fishing

You launch, connect the tank, squeeze the bulb and turn the key. The Yamaha F20SWHB for sale fires instantly. You run across the lake on the plane to the first point, then drop to trolling speed. The EFI holds a steady idle, and the fish finder runs off the battery the motor is charging. You drift a bank with the motor off, then turn the key and run back up for another drift. By mid-afternoon you have started the motor a dozen times and never touched the pull cord. On the way back, a light rain starts and you are home in minutes.

A Day on a Tender

On a cruising yacht, the tender with the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale sits at the stern. Each time someone needs to go ashore, they climb in, turn the key and go. The 20 gets a loaded tender onto the plane, so even a distant beach is only a few minutes away. In the evening, the alternator has kept the battery topped up for the tender’s navigation light on the trip back to the yacht. Overnight, the motor is tilted up and locked to the transom.

Pull Start or Electric Start?

The pull start F20SMHB is a little lighter and cheaper and needs no battery. The Yamaha F20SWHB for sale adds the convenience of key start, the ability to charge a battery for electronics and a pull cord as backup. If you start the motor only a few times per trip and run no electronics, the pull start is enough. If you start often, run a fish finder or share the boat with others, the electric start is worth it.

15, 20 or 25?

The Yamaha 15 is lighter and carburetted. The 20 and 25 share the 432 cc EFI platform. The Yamaha F20SWHB for sale gives you noticeably more power than a 15 with modern fuel injection, at a lower price than a 25. If your boat is rated for 25 HP and you want maximum performance, look at the Yamaha F25SWHC. If 20 HP suits your boat, the F20 is a great balance of power, weight and cost.

Running Electronics

With its 16 amp alternator, the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale can support a reasonable electronics setup. Fuse every accessory, run wires neatly away from the bilge, fit a battery switch and consider a second battery if you run a big sounder, livewell pump and lights for long periods with the engine off.

Common Mistakes

Check the oil before the first start. Use plain unleaded only. Shift only at idle. Keep the fuel and fuel filter clean. Flush after salt water. Fit a safety line. Keep the battery charged and the connections clean. And remember the pull cord exists, so a flat battery never strands you.

Choosing a Propeller

The standard prop suits most boats. If yours is heavy or always loaded, a lower pitch helps the engine reach its 5,000 to 6,000 rpm full throttle range. Yamaha’s online prop selector is a good starting point, and we can help you choose.

Hot and Cold Climates

EFI starts reliably in heat and cold. In hot places, keep fuel fresh and shaded, tilt the motor out of the water when moored and check the battery often. In cold places, keep the battery charged, drain all water before frost and change the gear oil before winter.

Salt Water Care

Flush after every salt water trip, rinse the outside, check the anode each season and spray the powerhead and electrical connections with corrosion protection now and then. Salt air attacks battery terminals and wiring plugs, so keep them clean and greased.

Lifting and Trailering

At about 130 pounds, use two people or a hoist and keep the leg pointing down. When trailering with the motor on, support the leg with a transom saver.

What Comes in the Crate

The motor arrives assembled with the propeller fitted, the owner’s manual and the factory paperwork. A battery is normally separate, and a fuel tank may or may not be included, so ask us. Check the oil tag and level before the first start.

Warranty Notes

Yamaha’s factory warranty terms vary by country and type of use. Ask your local Yamaha dealer what they honour, and keep your invoice and serial number safe.

A Season of Ownership

In spring, the battery comes back from storage fully charged and goes into its box. The owner checks the oil, connects fresh fuel and turns the key. With fuel injection and no carburettor to gum up, the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale normally starts straight away. Through the summer it runs to fishing spots, tows a child on a tube, carries crew ashore and powers the fish finder. After salt water trips, it gets a freshwater flush. In autumn, the oil and gear oil are changed, the fuel is stabilised, the fuel filter checked, the motor flushed and stored, and the battery goes home on a charger. Every few seasons, the impeller is replaced.

Teaching New Drivers

Key start makes the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale a very easy motor to teach. Set a few rules for anyone who runs the boat: start in neutral with the kill cord clipped on, check for the cooling water stream, idle down before shifting, look behind before reversing and tilt up before reaching the shallows. Show them where the pull cord is in case the battery is ever flat. With those habits, the whole family or crew can use the boat safely.

Getting Better Fuel Economy

Fuel injection already meters fuel precisely, but a few habits help the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale go further. Trim the boat to run level with the weight spread sensibly, keep the hull and prop clean, cruise a little below full throttle and match the propeller to your normal load. Small things, but they add up over a season.

Before You Order

Measure your transom from the top to the bottom of the hull, check your boat’s capacity plate and decide where the battery will sit. If the transom is about 15 inches and the boat is rated for 20 HP or more, the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale is a good match. For a 20 inch transom, choose the F20LWHB or F20LWPHB. Send us a photo of the transom and capacity plate if you would like us to confirm before you order the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale.

Running Costs

The Yamaha F20SWHB for sale is economical. EFI meters fuel precisely, so consumption at cruise is modest and very low when trolling. Oil changes are small and wear parts are inexpensive and widely available. The battery is the only extra cost compared with the pull start model.

Why Yamaha

Yamaha’s dealers and parts reach almost every country with boats. The F20 platform is modern, light and proven, and Yamaha outboards hold their value well. That is why we keep the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale in stock.

20 HP Versions Compared

Browse the full Yamaha outboard range or the 25 HP Yamaha section.

Ordering

Add the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale to your cart and check out, or contact us first. We confirm stock and delivery, pack the motor with extra protection and send tracking once it ships worldwide. International buyers pay their own import duty and taxes; we provide the paperwork customs needs. See our refund and return policy, terms and conditions, reviews and about us page. More advice is on our blog.

FAQ: Yamaha F20SWHB for Sale

Is the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale new?

Yes, new and crated.

Is the Yamaha F20SWHB electric start?

Yes, with a manual pull cord as backup.

Will it start with a flat battery?

Yes, with the pull cord. The fuel injection does not need the battery to run.

Is the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale fuel injected?

Yes, battery-less EFI.

What transom height does the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale fit?

About 15 inches.

Does the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale charge a battery?

Yes, through a 16 amp alternator.

Is the prop included?

Yes.

Is the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale good in salt water?

Yes, with a freshwater flush after use.

Who We Are

We are an online dealer of new outboard motors and we ship worldwide. We keep popular Yamaha models in regular stock so you are not left waiting, and every question is answered by someone who knows outboards. We pack each motor carefully in its factory crate with extra protection, and we provide the paperwork international buyers need to clear customs smoothly. If you want to talk through whether a 20 HP electric start motor is right for your boat, or which battery and fuel tank to pair it with, just send us a message and we will give you a straight answer.

Final Word

Owners who move from a carburetted motor to fuel injection often say the biggest change is simply not thinking about starting any more. Turn the key, it runs, every time, in any weather. That alone makes a day on the water more relaxed.

If you want a modern fuel injected 20 with key start convenience and a pull cord for peace of mind, the Yamaha F20SWHB for sale is the one to choose for a 15 inch transom. Measure your transom, check your boat’s rating and add it to your cart, or ask us anything first. Everything else we stock is in the shop.