yes the Honda 2HP is loud. much noise more so than most water cooled engines. if the engine you saw/heard had exhaust is above the water the shaft is to short for the boat (exhaust is just below the cavitation plate just above the propeller). my Suzuki 4HP (water cooled) is loud ... the difference with the Honda is hard to gauge ... both are too loud. i've though that one of the 'least loud' engines are the Honda 9.9. in general i keep the H2 motor below 2/3rd throttle and this helps a lot. next i try to sail more than i motor ... this helps a bunch ;-) :: Dave Scobie ________________________________ From: "bownez@juno.com" <bownez@juno.com> Sent: Thursday, September 5, 2013 8:23 PM Hi Dave, Do you find that the Honda 2hp is a bit noisy? One went past me in the marina last weekend and it sounded loud compared to the water cooled 4 to 6hp counterparts. Perhaps it exhausts above the waterline? Just curious. Bones