Honda Stakes Its Claim to Reliability

We have long felt that Honda outboards have been underappreciated by the American boating public. There are numerous reasons for that but none of them have to do with the reliability or performance of its engines. Twenty years ago, the USCG put out the specs that the USCG required for its outboard engines and invited all of the outboard makers to submit their products. Only Honda outboards checked all of the boxes. The USCG was well aware that it would be putting thousands of hours on its small patrol boats so reliability, fuel efficiency and performance would be determining factors. While American recreational boaters average 50 to 75 hours a year on their engines, Coast Guard vessels could easily put that many hours on its vessels in a week.  

In order to better understand Honda’s outboards, early this spring we interviewed Jim Loftus, Director of Power and Marine Equipment/Senior Manager Strategic Planning for Honda of America. He is an engineer who has spent 27 years working for Honda. This is the first in a series of four interviews and taken together, they give a well-rounded insight into Honda’s attributes and corporate culture. After watching these videos, we think you’ll come away with a different view of its products.