Suzuki DF6A 6HP Outboard Motor 4 Stroke

Well, I wasn’t planning on buying another outboard this year but as luck would have it I ended up with a bit of spare cash so bought myself an early birthday present.  The Suzuki 6HP 4 Stroke outboard motor or to give it it’s full name the Suzuki DF6A.  I’d been looking at this particular model for a while now mainly because of its weight.  My current Yamaha 9.9 4 stroke was a bit on the heavy side (43kg) and a bit difficult to manhandle from my vehicle to the boat and back again.  I’m not as young as I used to be and my back certainly feel it when carrying a 40KG plus engine.  

The Suzuki 6HP 4 stroke outboard motor, according to the spec sheet weighs in at only 23.5 KG, now that’s more like it.  As a boat fishing enthusiast, I don’t really need too much speed from an engine.  I just need to get to the fishing grounds a mile or so out so a lighter, not so powerful engine should get the job done and not cause back issues.  Another interesting feature, according to the Suzuki specification sheet, is that this outboard can be stored in any one of three ways, front, port or starboard sides.  So You longer need to remember which way up to store it (obviously not on its head).

Anyway, I placed my order in with my usual outboard supplier and it arrived a few days later.  Here is the unboxing video:

I set up the new Suzuki engine in my usual bin of water and began the running-in process.  The process is as follows:

  1. 5 minutes of idling to warm up the engine.
  2. Idling speed or lowest in-gear speed for 15 minutes.
  3. Operate in gear up to half throttle for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
  4. Next hour up to three-quarter throttle (avoiding full throttle).
  5. Remaining 7 hours any speed but avoid using full throttle for more than 5 minutes at a time.

I carried out steps 1, 2 and 3 in a bin of water before taking it out on the open sea for step 4 (video to follow).

The first start up:

A few pics:

 

Here are a few specs on the Suzuki DF6A outboard model:

Fresh Water Flushing System

Shallow Water Drive

Over-Rev. Limiter

Offset Driveshaft (Standard)

Lightweight 23.5kg

Shaft Length – S: (15ins) 381mm

Weight – S: 23.5kg

Starting System – Manual

Fuel Delivery System – Carburetor

Engine Type – OHV

Bore x Stroke – 60.4 x 48mm

Piston Displacement – 138cm3

Maximum Output – 4.4kW

Full Throttle Operating System – 4750-5750rpm

Steering – Tiller

Ignition System – Digital CDI

Oil Pan Capacity – 0.7 litres

Propellor – Bushing Type

Trim Method – Manual Trim & Tilt

Gear Shift – F-N-R

Gear Ratio – 1.92:1

Exhaust – Above Prop Hub Exhaust

Propeller Selection (Diameter) – 7.5

Propeller Selection (Pitch) – 6-7 (Alloy)

Fuel Tank Capacity – Integral 1L (remote connection)

Warranty – Limited 5 years for recreational use

4 thoughts on “Suzuki DF6A 6HP Outboard Motor 4 Stroke

  • September 11, 2017 at 7:52 pm
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    Hi Stuart,

    Just wondering if you would be selling your Yamaha 9.9hp now and if so at what price?

    Reply
    • September 12, 2017 at 7:29 pm
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      Hi Tom, Unfortunately not. Thanks for asking though. As it’s practically new I’ll be keeping it for my Honwave T40. I just need to get a trailer sorted and somewhere to store it.
      Regards Stuart

      Reply
  • September 11, 2017 at 9:37 pm
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    As always – extremely useful post + video. Good job.
    I’m about to start my off shore fishing adventure and I’m sorry for any silly questions here and every post, every video, every advice is more than precious.
    I consider to buy Honwave T40 + 6 HP outboard but there are couple of decent outboard brands out there and it make me slightly confused. Why have you chosen Suzuki rather than Honda, Mercury, Tohatsu… etc.? Do you think the Suzuki is worth a penny and it is a good first choice? Do you think 6 HP will be enough to get from point A to B in good weather conditions (a mile or 2 off the Poole Harbour) carrying 2 people (me and my wife) + some fishing gear? Why not 5 HP or much more expensive 8 HP? I’ve never ever used inflatable boat before hence my questions 🙂
    Adam

    Reply
    • September 12, 2017 at 7:26 pm
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      Hi Adam,

      You’re more than welcome to ask as many questions as you like. I’m no expert but I’ll tell you my opinion based on my current boating experience.
      I went for the Suzuki 6HP engine as at the time it came up as the lightest 6HP 4 stroke I could find at 23KG. Weight was more important to me than brand so that’s why I purchased that engine.
      I tried the Suzuki 6HP on my Honwave T40 last week and it was pretty slow. In fact there’s a couple of videos on my Youtube channel of it in action. It did the job but wasn’t fast.
      A 9.9HP or higher is more suitable for a boat of that size. I’ll probably use the 6HP on my smaller Seapro airdeck inflatable and get a trailer for my T40 if I can. Hope that helps.
      Regards Stuart

      Reply

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