I something tells me they only have one dealer in town.I don’t have technical knowledge either way between Mercury or Yamaha but when I was in Mexico we went out on the ocean for Dorado in an open boat with a local. When we met on the beach I noticed every single guide had a Big Yamaha outboard. A guy in another group that was also hiring a boat for the day said that’s how you tell the best equipment. They use their boats everyday and count on the motor to last and be trouble free Many miles out in the ocean. So I bought a Yamaha and have been overjoyed with it.
Mercury or Yamaha main motor
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
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I something tells me they only have one dealer in town.
When I sold my 130 hp Honda, the guy said man it sure is quiet and I was thinking man it’s three times as loud as when it was new that was with 2800 hours on the motor. I sold it for $2000 and replaced it with a 200 hp Honda. I told the guy if he ever had a problem with it, give me a call never heard a word out of him. That was 11 years ago the 200 horse now has 3100 hours on it. If you want the real story on outboard motors, look at all the military, Coast Guard, marine patrols people who make their living on the water every day and you’ll see a trend.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.
Actually, the last time I was down in Mexico, they were all sporting the same model of motor, and when I asked the Ponguero about it, he said the government gave them a good deal on them. As long as they would run charters or service tourist. Everybody had exactly the same power plant.I something tells me they only have one dealer in town.
There’s a definite connection between the Mexican panga fleet and yamaha. Some good reading if a person does some googling.
In Florida you watch you-tube and see almost 100% merc. Some of it comes down to dealers and pricing. It depends on what you want and $ you can get. and dealer in your area. and some luck. Honda's have always been reliable from what I have seen.
Hmm. Never thought about that aspect of it. Thank u puffinWhen I sold my 130 hp Honda, the guy said man it sure is quiet and I was thinking man it’s three times as loud as when it was new that was with 2800 hours on the motor. I sold it for $2000 and replaced it with a 200 hp Honda. I told the guy if he ever had a problem with it, give me a call never heard a word out of him. That was 11 years ago the 200 horse now has 3100 hours on it. If you want the real story on outboard motors, look at all the military, Coast Guard, marine patrols people who make their living on the water every day and you’ll see a trend.
Well, except the 200 I had that you could put your thumb through the middle section due to corrosion. Of course it was a 2005 or 2006 and Honda was having corrosion issues much like the same sized Yamahas of that era.In Florida you watch you-tube and see almost 100% merc. Some of it comes down to dealers and pricing. It depends on what you want and $ you can get. and dealer in your area. and some luck. Honda's have always been reliable from what I have seen.
In Florida you’ll also get a hurricane every few years that destroys everything. Do you want the expensive motor or the cheap motor to replace?In Florida you watch you-tube and see almost 100% merc. Some of it comes down to dealers and pricing. It depends on what you want and $ you can get. and dealer in your area. and some luck. Honda's have always been reliable from what I have seen.
The wife and I took a cruise through the Baltic Sea a couple years ago. We went into many ports in many countries. In these ports I noticed that some marinas had predominantly Yamaha motors while others had Mercs. My conclusion is that the predominant motor in a marina is heavily influenced by whichever dealer is most available. I ran Yamaha dirt bikes for many years problem free. My first outboard was a Yamaha. I am sure they are good reliable motors. I am on my 4th boat now and the last 3 have all been powered by Mercs, including the kickers, and I haven't had a problem with any of them (that I didn't cause myself) and this spans 20 years and countless hours. I firmly believe that the dealer and its service department should be a major consideration. Both in proximity to where you live and in its quality and dependability of service. No matter which brand you choose, the right dealer will make any problems you may experience either a nightmare or an annoyance that is quickly and satisfactorily solved. JFYI, I have been dealing at Stevens Marine in Tigard and have never had an issue or problem that they haven't solved quickly and satisfactorily.
If I were you I would get the 140 Suzuki first. Yamaha second. I have a 150 merc non verado 4 stroke and it has been flawless, easy to maintain myself. You can't go wrong with any of the 3. You might get unlucky with a lemon in any of those brands.
In a larger motor I went with Suzuki. The DF 300B swings counter rotating props. Zero problems so far. Gets good economy, tons of power and easy to maintain.
I would not recommend the fuel injected DF 25 Suzuki. Based on the reliable service 'Puffin' has had for going on 20+ years now Honda is damn near indestructible.
Sportcraft has been a rockstar for whatever service needs I have had. There is also a dealer in Vancouver.
I would not recommend the fuel injected DF 25 Suzuki. Based on the reliable service 'Puffin' has had for going on 20+ years now Honda is damn near indestructible.
Sportcraft has been a rockstar for whatever service needs I have had. There is also a dealer in Vancouver.
Huh? I watch a pile of Florida stuff, 1 guy has mercs, the rest run Yamahas and Suzukis.In Florida you watch you-tube and see almost 100% merc. Some of it comes down to dealers and pricing. It depends on what you want and $ you can get. and dealer in your area. and some luck. Honda's have always been reliable from what I have seen.
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Yamaha honda and suzuki are all great, couldn't give me a boat for free with anything else. Sportcraft is handsdown the best dealer for Honda and zuki, Greg's for Yamaha. Why go away from what works great, just walk through any marina and take notes.
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I guess I was an early adopter back in 2005 when I bought my 20' Hewes, I went with the Yamamerc 115. Most everybody in the PNW was running Yamaha or Honda at the time. Mercury didn't get a lot of love out there, unlike the east coast where Mercury was very prevalent. It's nice to see so many positive comments about Mercury here these days.
I repowered just over 8 years ago. I went with the then new 2.1L Mercury and have been thrilled with the low end torque, fuel economy and extremely easy maintenance. No valve maintenance ever, either. Here's a test I did shortly after the repower:
I repowered just over 8 years ago. I went with the then new 2.1L Mercury and have been thrilled with the low end torque, fuel economy and extremely easy maintenance. No valve maintenance ever, either. Here's a test I did shortly after the repower:
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Honda and outboard reliability? I didn’t know those terms were synonymous. Had a 9.9 that was completely junk and a 150 that was equally crappy. Bought both new. Both complete garbageYou 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.
Sounds like you have horrible luck. I’m on my second motor 3000 hours ea.Honda and outboard reliability? I didn’t know those terms were synonymous. Had a 9.9 that was completely junk and a 150 that was equally crappy. Bought both new. Both complete garbage
No doubt Honda’s have a good reputation for life duration. That said- the most corroded and nasty looking engines I have seen have been Honda’s. And I’m not talking high hour engines. The majority of Honda’s we take in on trade are unsellable on the retail market because of their corrosion. I think a good bit of it is superficial/cosmetic, or it must be for folks to get 3000 hours on them.Sounds like you have horrible luck. I’m on my second motor 3000 hours ea.
I’m envious of your hours on the water. Most folks, including myself, can only dream about logging that many hours out there!
I had a pair of mid 2000 vintage Honda 200s. One had corrosion so bad you could pinch off a piece of the aluminum mid section housing with your fingers. They were replaced with noisier Yamahas. Yamaha early 2000s in that same power range also had significant corrosion problems. Both manufacturers refused to accept responsibility. Never heard about Mercs having similar corrosion issues.
I have not touched a Honda older than 2010 so that is interesting to know they had corrosion issues. I also deal with fresh water only hereHonda and outboard reliability? I didn’t know those terms were synonymous. Had a 9.9 that was completely junk and a 150 that was equally crappy. Bought both new. Both complete garbage
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