Most commercial fishermen rely on diesel engines, but there are some inshore fishermen on every coast who still rely on gasoline-powered outboards. “People use Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda, sort of the Ford, Chevy, Dodge of outboards,” says the owner of Water’s Edge Marine in Kodiak, Alaska, who prefers to be called simply Suzuki Dave, a clear nod to the brand he deals in.

“I worked for a Suzuki dealer and learned how to work with it. I think it’s a great engine and when the opportunity to buy a dealership came up I jumped at it.” Suzuki’s big selling point is that they run lean, making them fuel efficient. But Dave says the biggest advantage of the Suzukis he sells to commercial fishermen is their ease of maintenance. “When it’s salmon season and the gillnet fishermen are catching fish, they can’t afford to lose days because of a breakdown,” Dave says. “I supply engines to many of the lodges here and recreational boats make up most of my business, but that means I have all the parts for the gillnet fishermen here too. They run anything from 60 to 200hp, the big V6 engines aren’t in such high demand.”

Another aspect Dave likes about Suzuki is the company’s willingness to stand behind its products. “They offer a lot of good faith support. If an engine is close to the end of its warranty and something breaks, they work with the dealer and the customer to find a solution.”

In another thread, Dave mentions Suzuki’s efforts to reduce microplastics in the ocean. As part of Suzuki’s new Clean Oceans program, new engines like the DF140 now have a microplastic filter in the cooling system, allowing operators to remove microplastics every time they use their engines. “I don’t know how much this actually helps,” Dave says. “But it does something and it certainly doesn’t do any harm.”

Jeff Bassett, who works with his wife Lauri at two gillnet sites on the west side of Kodiak, is already on his third Suzuki. “I just got it, the DF140. It’s the second Suzuki I’ve bought from Dave,” says Bassett. “I’m excited to see what shows up in the microplastic filter in the cooling system. We depend on the health of our oceans and the microplastic problem is a concern.”

Bassett says he’s enjoyed a Suzuki engine for about 10 years. “It’s good, we use it hard. And I’m impressed with the fuel efficiency. We use less than $2,000 worth of fuel in a season.”

Bassett is so loyal to Suzuki that he built his boat around the engine’s profile. He also likes the service. “You could call me a Suzuki guy, but a big reason is Dave. He fixes problems over the phone and sends out parts. The engine I bought from him in 2014 was also a new design and had a problem with the engine control unit. We figured it out and he sent the part right away. I’ve never had to send an engine in before. From here, it can get very expensive.”

As Suzuki Dave says, the different engine brands are quite similar. What makes Suzuki stand out on Kodiak is the service it offers.