The Yamaha 8, with its long tiller and smooth-shifting tiller-mounted shifter, shined in our test of four manual-start, short-shaft four-strokes.

In last month's issue we reviewed three four-horsepower four-stroke engines (which really amounted to six engines in all, since a couple of the same engines are sold under different names). We continue our outboard evaluations this month with a close look at four eight-horse four-strokes.

What We Tested

We tested this group of powerplants off Key Largo, FL. St. Petersburg-based Marlin Marine supplied a Honda, while Cannons Marina on Longboat Key let us borrow a Yamaha. Canadian conglomerate Bombardier shipped us its Johnson 8 via one of its Florida Keys Johnson dealers, Sandy Cove Marine. Rounding out our quartet was the newly designed Tohatsu 8. The manufacturer shipped it directly to…