[Halibutt poker]

Ok dogs it’s time to get a new main motor for my 20’ raider. Currently has a 90 horse 2 stroke mercury on it. She pushes it just fine but is cold blooded as hell. And wanting to get away from 2 stroke oil. I have a 2020 4 stroke 25 horse Yamaha I’m putting on for a kicker”runs flawless”. Looking at a 115 since neither mercury or Yamaha sells a 135 that my boat is rated for. Both brands go from 115 to 150 with nothing in between. So in your opinion what is the best salt water motor. I fish salt 80 percent of the time. Thanks for your input. Good or bad

 

[army]

Historically I have been an inboard jet man with several yamaha kickers all great. For one season I owned a 2520 Parker with a 300hp Suzuki I really loved it. Someone from southern Cal wanted that boat more than me, I sold it. I ordered a new build and specified a 300 dual prop Suzuki. Covid delayed the build but the builder took in a very low hour (less than 100 hr) boat with a 300 Merc Verado/ I ran that last season without any problems. I am old but I have to see the water discharge to know it is running. Fuel consumption is awesome (remember most of my history is with large block inboard jets) I would by it again.

 

[darth baiter]

Always a good thing to consider is go with the brand that your local dealer you trust carries.

 

[Scouty]

Everything I’ve seen on recent posts is about availability. You will be limited on what you can get. Suzuki/Yami/Honda and modern Mercury all seem to have fans. Suzuki has a140 hp that is about the same weight as their 115. I’ve been a fan of Yamaha which is a bit lighter but would likely consider the Suzuki if I was shopping.

 

[jokofish]

You can’t really go wrong with any Hogg hhthheh three

 

[seekanddestroy]

I really like my Hondas

 

[Starr]

Availability will have a lot to do with your decision. I prefer Yamaha, but have heard they are a year out.

 

[Foreel]

Service is important unless you don't mind driving. And it looks like the supply train has come in with most brands being back in stock if you call around this year. With salmon season dead on the Westcoast I think finding whatever you want possible. Exciting for you to buy a new motor congrats have fun..when spending that kind of money don't feel bad about asking as many questions necessary from your dealer to make you feel completely comfortable about your purchase. If they roll their eyes or don't have time for you move on to the next dealer..good luck

 

[omp]

You are leaving out the Tohatsu and Honda line. Tohatsu = 5 year warranty Honda is same

115hp motor is 359lbs for 20” shaft 2.0L block from mercury. You can go with largest displacement or for lowest weight. They are all pretty decent now days.

 

[WillFish4Food51]

Not to get too far off topic. Does anyone here know how a boat builder comes up with the hp rating? Is it based on buoyancy of a hull versus weight of the average weight of outboard in that hp? Is it based on the torque and stress generated by the hp force on transom or bracket? Is it calculated by the boat manufacturer, Coast Guard, or a third party testing or certification lab or organization.

 

[fishnhunt13]

You are leaving out the Tohatsu and Honda line. Tohatsu = 5 year warranty Honda is same

115hp motor is 359lbs for 20” shaft 2.0L block from mercury. You can go with largest displacement or for lowest weight. They are all pretty decent now days.

In the mid range motors Honda is pretty easy to eliminate. It's a 121 pounds or 34% heavier than the Mercury. It's got to have a huge advantage to overcome that additional weight.

It really comes down a Ford vs Chevy question. Both Mercury (Tohatsu) and Yamaha are excellent motors. When I repowered several years ago it came down to a few factors: availability and price. At the time the decision was easy as Yamaha was over a grand more and nine months out on availability. I've been very happy with my Mercury.

If you do go with Mercury it's worth upgrading to the CT (command thrust) model. It's the 150 lower end on the 115 motor which has a bigger gear case and better gearing. This lets you run a bigger prop which will give you a much better hole shot when you're fully loaded. It was a $300 upgrade when I bought my motor.

 

[namu mac]

Availability,price and most of all service that is convenient.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[omp]

In the mid range motors Honda is pretty easy to eliminate. It's a 121 pounds or 34% heavier than the Mercury. It's got to have a huge advantage to overcome that additional weight.

It really comes down a Ford vs Chevy question. Both Mercury (Tohatsu) and Yamaha are excellent motors. When I repowered several years ago it came down to a few factors: availability and price. At the time the decision was easy as Yamaha was over a grand more and nine months out on availability. I've been very happy with my Mercury.

If you do go with Mercury it's worth upgrading to the CT (command thrust) model. It's the 150 lower end on the 115 motor which has a bigger gear case and better gearing. This lets you run a bigger prop which will give you a much better hole shot when you're fully loaded. It was a $300 upgrade when I bought my motor.

You are right, Honda is heavier in that hp range, but I buy a Honda for it's reliability and take the loss in weight.
Tohatsu then stands in it's own, with 5 year warranty. Believe up to 115 tohatsu is in house I think the bft Honda comes in at 150hp for tohatsu
That leaves the merc yammie suzy with their 3 year warranty. Find what's available and who can service it closesest to u.

 

[Halibutt poker]

Thank u all for the input. Both Yamaha and mercury were both pretty close to the same price. And neither mentioned a wait period for availability. Must be getting caught up.

 

[positize]

It's too bad that we can't test drive each motor before purchasing. Since I get the opportunity to ride in a relatively wide variety of vessels, there is one difference I really notice from motor to motor: noise at cruising speed. The 4 cylinder Yamaha engines are obnoxiously loud in my opinion: makes it very difficult to have a conversation at cruising speed. I know the Yamahas are popular, but I cringe when I see Yamaha's on a tender, knowing it's going to be an unpleasant, loud ride out to the ship I'm servicing. So to me, a quiet motor is king: Honda takes first place in this category, Mercury also very good. When you have a long trip back to port, a quiet motor that allows you to have a conversation at normal volume levels makes the trip a pleasure.

 

[Threeweight]

One thing to consider is the displacement of the motors. The HP rating tells you something, but a 115 hp motor built on a small displacement block (maybe also used in a 90 hp motor) isn't going to perform the same way that a 115 built on a larger displacement block (maybe also used for a 150). However, it will probably be lighter and get better fuel economy, while the larger displacement engine will generally produce more torque and have the low end power needed to turn taller props/move heavier loads/accelerate quickly.

I would also consider resale value. Japanese brands tend to hold their resale better. Historically, Merc's have been a little cheaper to buy new.

More than anything, I'd check Ifish and elsehwere about the reputation of the dealer's service department and after-the-sale support. I'd happily go with my 2nd or 3rd choice motor brand with a dealer that strongly backs their customers vs. going with my 1st choice and a dealer who develops amnesia when you drive off the lot.

 

[Pescadote]

Always been a Yamaha guy but I sure love my 250 Mercury I repowered with last summer.

 

[The Overfishin Condition]

We have Mercury 115 Command Thrusts in stock at Stevens Marine. With that you get the robust 2.1 liter displacement with the 150 lower unit/prop. With Mercury you don’t compromise on weight to get displacement.

We offer the five years of warranty on Mercs year around but that’s not all dealers.

Our pricing also tends to be very competitive because of the volume we do. Controls, cables and prop are free right now.

Even though they all say 115 on the back, performance will not be equal with the variance in displacement, smaller props, etc.

All EFI four strokes in this category are rather reliable these days.

I really do think Mercury does the best job with corrosion resistance these days.

It really comes down to splitting hairs on some of these. But Hondas are too heavy to even be in conversation, I think. Suzuki and Tohatsu seem fine but depending on where you are, parts and service can be scarce because overall market share and dealer/service network is limited. That would leave Yamaha for me and I think the Mercury with 5 years of warranty and 2.1 Liter for less weight than the Yamaha 1.8 liter with 3 years of warranty (Mercury probably also less money) are all factors in why you see a ton of the Merc’s out there. Plus you can get a matching EFI kicker.

Yes, I sell them so this is rather biased. But also mostly just facts. Shoot me a PM if you want to talk pricing and availability.

 

[Halibutt poker]

What salesman are you? From Tigard or Milwaukee? Would like to come talk to you personally. Or you can msg me 503-459-8992 thanks

 

[The Overfishin Condition]

I’m Nelson and I work at the Tigard store. I’ll shoot you a message.