Outboard question: Yamaha vs. Mercury

[chh]

Bill, I don't know whether you're old enough to remember, as I do, when a 35 hp outboard was a BIG one. Do you remembrer 1958, when Johnson/Evinrude came out with the V-4 50 hp that was the biggest outboard on the market?

We (my Dad) had a 35 hp Evinrude on a 16' Texas made Fiesta boat. Before trading for that boat and motor (because it was deeper and had a windshield), we had a 40 hp Evinrude on a 14' Texas made Falcon boat. That one was really fast for its day. And in the '50s, the reputation of the outboards (whether right or not) was that the Mercury was the fastest, most powerful choice for racing and you could expect to work on it all the time. The Johnson/Evinrude was for fishing, reliability, and dependability.

One of my first boats was and old ski boat had a 50hp Merc on it, 4 cylinder with dual carbs. Most people anymore would not think that you could ski with 50 hp engine and 4 people in a boat. Gave $400 or $500 for that one and traded it in 2 years later for a newer bass boat. I bet the stainless prop on my current boat probably costs nearly as much as that whole rig did.
The "new" boat had a new 75 hp Chrysler outboard on it. From that one I learned the meaning of the phrase, "A boat is a hole in the water that you pour money into!"

 

[Bird]

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything good about a Chrysler outboard. I've had 2 friends and one brother who have owned them; briefly.

And for 5 years (1959-64) I had a friend and co-worker who was an avid water skier. His rig was a 14' wooden Yellow Jacket boat with a 30 hp Johnson.

And my last couple of years in high school, my best friend had older brothers who had a cabin and 3 little aluminum boats with Wizard outboards at Lake Texoma. I think those Wizards were made by Mercury for Western Auto, but they worked for us when we used to camp on the islands in the lake.

 

[Tig]

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything good about a Chrysler outboard. I've had 2 friends and one brother who have owned them; briefly.

I spotted a Chrysler on a younger friend's lake last summer. When I pointed it out he told me that it still ran great. I told him that statement confused me because when they were new in the 70s they didn't run great, I only remember them being towed or paddled.
That being said I am currently shopping to replace my 1966 33hp Evinrude. It's been in my family since new. Total maintenance list for the past 20 years; a set of spark plugs, one carb rebuild, an o ring and fuel line for the tank, new hub for the prop. That adds up to just over $100. Can't beat that and it still runs great, I just want a new boat.

 

[Diamondpilot]

mc's alpha drives are easy to work on and plenty of cheap parts out there. The sx volvo drives parts are more expensive but they very rarly have problems. Only problem I can think of is the shift shaft seal on the upper... ran across three with the lip on the seal that was flipped. mc actually stole the cone clutch system for there bravos!
One thing I like about the sx volvo is the amount of lube they hold compared to the mc drive... with the more volume of lube the drive runs much cooler... between the cone clutch and lube volume it is a sweet drive.
But the older volvo drives kinda sucked... the drive itself was fine jsut there tilt system... worm gear tilt motor and there stupid reverse lock system that always fails.
As far as engines go a chevy is a chevy and a ford is a ford in either brand.

a little off topic... : /

Yea, I have a 383 Stroker with a Bravo III on my Ebbtide 2300 Mystique and its always broken. Only 75 hours on it and spent probally 25 nights in the water and major corrosion problems on the drive. Shifts ruff also. Not major stuff but still a pain. Does run like a scalded dog with the 383 Stroker.

I have Twin Volvo SX Drive with 5.0L GXI engines on a 2800 Wellcraft Mystique and never a single problem. Love the impellers and Bosh electronics plus the stainless construction on the Volvo's. The Alpah impeller is a joke and the Bravo's got the impeller 3/4's right but not very easy to change. The electronics on the Mers just seem to be marinized cheap GM parts that are prone to breaking.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

I've seen more than my share of idiots thats for sure.Early morning with water like glass hardly any boats out nothing like it.I believe the morning commute is far more dangerous.

There is a guy on our lake with a 28'ish pontoon with twin 250's. The fastest pontoon in North America I have been told. I have never been on it but my friend went for a ride and said they hit 83mph GPS and the guy said its done 86. I can remember my uncle having a 28' pontoon with a 55 Johnson when I was a kid and we would tube behind it.

Chris

 

[Bird]

Steve, in '78, I bought a one year old 15' fiberglass bass boat with a 55 hp Johnson. Very shortly after that, a friend and neighbor bought a 15' fiberglass bass boat with a 55 hp Chrysler. One morning, 4 of us took both boats to the Brazos River above Lake Whitney and got there before the bait house opened. So we trolled 3 miles down river and back to the launching ramp. We both had two 6 gallon gas tanks, so when we got back, he went and got one of his tanks filled. So when we started again he had 2 full tanks. We trolled until he said we were going to have to go get gas because he was about out. I hadn't used all my first tank yet. Anyway, my Johnson was so much faster than his Chrysler that I ran off and left him. I got to the gas docks, filled the one tank I'd been using, got a soft drink, and decided I'd better go look for him. I found him a couple of miles up river where he had run out of gas, and I towed him to the gas docks.

Very soon after that, his sons talked him into trading for a 17' bass boat with a 115 hp Evinrude.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I had a Yamaha F150 (4 stroke) on a 20 ft CC that was an awesome motor. I currently have a 20 HP 4 stroke Honda on a small LUnd that has also been superb. I'd look hard at Suzuki too. Also, lots of people like the direct inject 2 strokes but personally I think if you need to sell these days a 4 stroke is a lot more marketable IMO.

All that said, the number one mistake most people make when purchasing an outboard is to underpower. remember, you want a minimum of 80% of the max recommended HP for what the boat is rated for. That smaller motor might look good pricewise but once you fill up the boat with fuel, a few large friends and fishing gear it will be a dog if it is underpowered.

Very good point. The first big boat I owned was a 1998 Rinker 270 Fiesta Vee. It weighed 8,600# in the water and was powered by a 496 Merc with a Bravo III drive 375HP. My friend had the same boat with a 350 Merc with 260HP and the same drive. His took a mile to get on plane and would run 35mph wide open. Had to run 4,000+ RPM's to keep it on plane. Mine would run 35mph at 3,200 RPM and would run 53mph wide open. His was a 4 barrel and mine was a MPI engine.

We took them on a river trip together back when gas was $2 on the river, a $1.25 on the road. I filled my boat up after a day of running for $70, he had them stop the pump at $100 and still was a 1/8 tank shy of full. My motor cost $1000 more but in 10 river trips I would earn it back. When we sold our boats he got $24,000 I got $26,300 a year later, so it made me $1,300 once you figure in the upfront cost and in the long run figure in all the gas I saved way more. He also blew up one motor which I am sure from running at high RPM's all the time.

Chris

 

[Bird]

There is a guy on our lake with a 28'ish pontoon with twin 250's. The fastest pontoon in North America I have been told. I have never been on it but my friend went for a ride and said they hit 83mph GPS and the guy said its done 86. I can remember my uncle having a 28' pontoon with a 55 Johnson when I was a kid and we would tube behind it.

Chris

Hard to imagine a pontoon boat going that fast. I have a cousin who bought a used 28' pontoon boat with a 55 hp oil injection Evinrude a little over 20 years ago. In fact, I fished with him quite a bit that summer. But he oil injection quit working and he never took care of it, so the motor died after a few years and he bought a new 50 hp Honda to put on it. But I asked him about it recently and it's sitting outside by his shop; hasn't had the registration renewed now in over 10 years. I'm one of those who would have sold it to get it out of the way if I weren't going to use it, but he's just the opposite; never get rid of anything.

 

[chh]

Steve, in '78, I bought a one year old 15' fiberglass bass boat with a 55 hp Johnson. Very shortly after that, a friend and neighbor bought a 15' fiberglass bass boat with a 55 hp Chrysler. One morning, 4 of us took both boats to the Brazos River above Lake Whitney and got there before the bait house opened. So we trolled 3 miles down river and back to the launching ramp. We both had two 6 gallon gas tanks, so when we got back, he went and got one of his tanks filled. So when we started again he had 2 full tanks. We trolled until he said we were going to have to go get gas because he was about out. I hadn't used all my first tank yet. Anyway, my Johnson was so much faster than his Chrysler that I ran off and left him. I got to the gas docks, filled the one tank I'd been using, got a soft drink, and decided I'd better go look for him. I found him a couple of miles up river where he had run out of gas, and I towed him to the gas docks.

Very soon after that, his sons talked him into trading for a 17' bass boat with a 115 hp Evinrude.

The 50 hp Merc I traded off only had one 6 gallon can, we could ski and run around Lake Eufala until we were too tired to ski anymore on a tank. The Chrysler would run circles around it, but 2 to maybe 2 1/2 hrs would drink a 6 gallon tank. I owned it about 5 years before the powerhead shelled out. Sold it to a friend of a friend that had a good outboard(Evinrude?) on a bad hull. I was told it all looked very nice and ran well after he used it as a winter project.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Hard to imagine a pontoon boat going that fast. I have a cousin who bought a used 28' pontoon boat with a 55 hp oil injection Evinrude a little over 20 years ago. In fact, I fished with him quite a bit that summer. But he oil injection quit working and he never took care of it, so the motor died after a few years and he bought a new 50 hp Honda to put on it. But I asked him about it recently and it's sitting outside by his shop; hasn't had the registration renewed now in over 10 years. I'm one of those who would have sold it to get it out of the way if I weren't going to use it, but he's just the opposite; never get rid of anything.

Can not find a article on that guys boat but here is one that will run in the 80's also..

...:::Victory Marine LLC - We Sell New Lund Boats:::...

Chris