Outboard question: Yamaha vs. Mercury

[farmboy12]

I'm hoping some of you boaters could chime in on this.

My grandfather is looking at boats. He hasn't decided the style, but knows that it'll be medium size, and run on an outboard between 100-150hp. His question is: which of these makes (Yamaha or Mercury), would be better for a boat of this size. Thanks for your help!


Kyle

 

[BigD23]

A friend of mine owns a boat shop...Heard Mercury is having some problems...Yamaha has been a good motor...Don't own either, only basing it on friends who own/use 'em. Good luck.

Don

 

[nspec]

Performance wise, I don't think you'll find much difference. Maintenance wise, a Mercury is a Chevy and a Yamaha is a Honda. I own a 200 Yamaha and would never look at another brand. Much more refined and sophisticated than a Merc. Smooth as silk and totally trouble free.

 

[Altex]

It's not really a matter of the boat that size. Both make good motors in that range size. Mercs are more popular and maybe a bit lower in cost but Yamis are great quality and I've heard less complaints about them. But then again, there's probably more available Merc servicers if anything goes wrong.

Some other things to consider are 2 or 4 stroke. 2 stroke is the most popular but more are getting the 4 stroke becuase of mileage and cleaner running engine. With 2 strokes you won't have to change the oil and more power on the hole shot. Also, 4 strokes are heavier, i.e. added weight to the boat. Tilt and Trim are other things to consider so you can plane correctly.

Anyway, I'm not an expert on boats. I used to work Part Time at Bass Pro Shops when I was in college for a few years. I've heard from many customers opinions (at times, even if I didn't want to) and used to go fishing with some of them.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I do not sell outboards, inboards only, but just had a customer looking at a pontoon boat. After researching it for him the best motor for his needs was a 150HP Suzuki. Like the others said Mercury is not doing so well, just like the Big 3. They screwed up in the 70's and 80's outsourcing some of the products to the Japaneses and now they have the technology and have passed them up.

Look at Honda, Suzuki, Nissan, and Yamaha. The Nissan's are not very popular in North America so that would probably be last on my list. Tohatsu makes many of Mercury's outboards for them and also sells the same engines under there own name plate for much less. Tohatsu Outboards: Authorized North American Distributor for Tohatsu Outboard Motors, Parts, & Accessories. I would give them strong consideration.

As others also mentioned the 2/4 stroke debate. A 2 stroke winds up quicker but is not as clean and because of that they are being outlawed on many water ways so do your research. The 4 strokes of 5 years ago were heavy and sluggish but they have really improved in the last 2-3 years.

Chris

 

[chh]

I have a 75 hp Yamaha 4 stroke and love it. The most fuel efficient outboard I have ever owned. Heavier than a 2 stroke but so quiet that you don't hardly know it is running. Absolutely no comparison between it and the old mercs I've owned. Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki are all supposed to be great engines.

 

[Scooby074]

My cousin has a Merc on his whaler. Very Noisy. And its not really good on fuel (relatively). Hes strongly thinking about trading it on a honda. I have a friend that has a little honda <10hp on his fishing boat. It runs great and is very quiet. It also gets great milage. Yamahas arent really big in my area yet. Most people who run the small engines use the little hondas. 4 stroke, nice and quiet, and have that honda reliability.

 

[Tig]

High end two strokes are direct port injected while four stoke are not. That makes them about equivalent in fuel economy. A non DPI 2 stoke will not get equivalent economy.
Been looking at this stuff quite a bit lately as I shop for a boat.
Checkout Whaler central if you want to read the subject get discussed to death.
Me, I'm currently looking at a Honda 4 stroke.

 

[bwmarine]

Personally I like the yamaha better, well built motors. I find I do a lot more service on the mercs than the yams.
Both are actually pretty nice motors, you might want to take in consideration of the closest parts/service facility as you will need to service it occasionally.

 

[farmboy12]

Thanks for the comments everyone! I'll tell him that Yamaha is preferred out of the two, and that he should look at a few others, especially Honda.


Kyle