The removable engine is installed on a ship or boat. The engine of a small board is broadly classified depending on where on the boat it is placed. An outboard engine, which consists of an engine, a drive unit (that moves to the left and the righto steer the boat), and a propeller, is mounted outside the boat. An in-out (inboard-outdrive) engine has an engine inside the ship and the driver outside the boat. An inboard engine has only the propeller outside the boat.
An outboard has the advantages that the space of the boat can be effectively used and that maintainability is good. An outboard engine installed outside the ship allows effective use of the space in the boat. In addition, maintainability is good in that it can be easily repaired if it fails because the engine is exposed. Outboard engines vary depending on the number of engine strokes, such as two strokes or four strokes, the number of cylinders, difference in horsepower, and differences in design and materials. In response to these differences, Tohatsu Marine manufacturers more than 700 types of engines with different specifications. The energy from the engine is conveyed to the propeller and converted into power. Tohatsu Marine offers both engines to which a propeller, one of the important parts, procured from a specialized manufacturer is attached and propeller-less engines with no propeller. Like engines, propellers come in various types depending on the material and the number of blades, so that a propeller best-suited to usage can be chosen.
They can easily be attached to or removed from a board and excel in transportability. For a long time after the first outboard engine was made, only small outboard engines were available. At this time, the biggest features of an outboard engine were that it could be easily attached or removed from the boat and transported. Today’s outboard engines for small-size boats inherit these features but the weight per output has been dramatically improved. Tohatsu Marine manufacturers two brands of outboard engines. Tohatsu outboard engines use few parts, are of simple construction, and offer the feature of excellent workability. In contrast, U.S. Mercury features high-performance engines of good design in a wide range of engines including super large engine of 300 horsepower.
As Okaya factory became old and production increased, relocation to Komagane City, which had invited the factory, was decided. Okayama factory was constructed in 1943 as a refuge for people who fled the war from Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, could take. Since then, it played an extremely important role as a production base. It was repeatedly expanded and refurbished. However, it became too old and small to catch up with increased production. Ten years passed in 2015 since Komagane factory had started its operation in 2005. This factory has dramatically increased production of engines by enhancing efficiency through introduction of robots, automation, and new production systems, making itself a first-class outboard engine-manufacturing factory. Komagane City attracts many sightseers every year as a sightseeing spot that commands splendid views of the mountains of the Central Alps. The attractiveness of Komagane is introduced here.
Tohatsu Marine’s outboard engines are used in more than 120 countries or 200 regions of the world, mainly in North America and Europe. Generally, outboard engines are used in advanced countries for pleasure purposes such as marine leisure and for fishing boats and business used in developing nations.
