Yamaha and Mercury 4 strokes
 

I know I asked opinions on the etec a while back but still in limbo The price on the etec is a killer. I've also been looking at the Yamaha F25 and the Mercury 4 strokes as well I like the Yamaha but the Merc comes in at $1000 cheaper on the sticker price. Anyone running either of these what are your thoughts.

had a 15 hp merc 4 strk
 

purchased from bass pro, didnt like it !


vibrations not gd starting even though it was brand new


made in china

'nuff said


TBD


.... sld and bought honda !


being a gear head, happier than pig in chit with the new honda

I was told they were made by Tohatsu.

alls i know ...
 

from the paper work that came with it - made in china !


personally id buy yam or honda, ones that are still being made in japan, they truly will last a lifetime

Never thought much about mercury outboards until I got one for work. I’m running a 75hp merc and love it. Nice and quiet and hasn’t caused me much grief other than leaving me on the lake once due to an issue with the fuel lines that dealt with the way dealer set the boat up.

Very happy with my Merc 60hp 4-stroke. Its a 2006 model. Look under the hood it’s well built. Quite and clean power. My only wish is that it were a 75hp....

I have a new Merc 20, made by Tohatsu in Japan. Very happy with it so far. Paid 3200 new for it.

Hands down I'd go Yamaha

For whats its worth, most commercial lodges run either Johnson or Yamaha. I've been running Johnson ( 2-strokes) for 30-years now. Never once in all that time have I had a breakdown that left me on the water, and I have 9 of them. I've hear that you have to pull the power head off Hondas to change the water pump. Im not sure if that is actually true, but if it is, I wouldnt have one.

My main is a 2 stroke 150 and my kicker is a 6hp 4 stroke both Yammy's would not trade for nothing. Kicker is super quite. The big un, well we can still talk with an elevated voice at WOT :sHa_shakeshout:

I bought a new 4 stroke 20 Merc 2 years ago no complaints start with one pull and quiet.

The new Yamaha 25 hp is lighter than all the others,
I wanted a Yamaha at the time couldn't find one close to me, should mention the gas tank and hoses are an extra $125 I thought that was strange salesman told me it's so you can choose what size gas tank you want.

I Like the 4 stroke no mixing clean and quiet if I was buying this year I would go Yammy

Ya I had one dealer tell me the 25 Merc doesn't come with a prop! He said it was so you can choose what pitch you want. His price was 1100 higher than his competition and I would have to cough an extra $125 to make it move. Sorta like making tires optional on a new car.

Another thing to watch for is the set up fee, I made the deal on a 20 Merc while I was signing the final papers I noticed the price jumped $320 ??? oh that's for mounting it on your boat and setting the carb.
I declined the offer of them mounting my new portable motor told them I'll do it myself they wouldn't relent, packed up my boat went to another dealer same price with no fee.

4 stroke 25 Merc here. 2 years no issues.

Why are you not considering Suzuki? All the shootouts I’ve seen have them very close to etec and ahead of Yamaha

No real reason ,I guess I should find a dealer for them as well

suzuki's are eff'n
 

Heavy


i had a 9 hp and i think it weighed in at 150 lbs


quiet a lift arnd the garage to and from the 12' lund


not near as nice running or startering as my honda either


just my 2 cents




TBD

According to the specs the Suzuki 25 hp is about 10 lbs heavier than the Yamaha and 10 lbs lighter than the Merc and about 45lbs lighter than the Honda. This motor will be permanently mounted to the boat and I can't afford a Honda,I think they sell em by the pound I had a Honda 15 hp 4 stroke and the only way I could move it around was with a wheeler cart

I have the new Yamaha F25 tiller. The push button rpm control is very nice.

Suzuki 20 hp are the lightest in there class, 97lbs with pull start. 136lb for the 25 hp. Not sure where you are pulling 150lbs. for a 9 hp from?

Take a stroll down Guide's Row in any west coast marina.

I can pretty well guarantee you will not see any Merc's and damn few Hondas (there are reasons).

You will see both Suzi's (becoming even more common the past few years) and a Yammies.

Cheers,
Nog

I would be buying the etec in the for sale section....

Running suzuki now for 10 years. A 150 and a 9.9. Not a hick up so far and it was thousands less than a Yamaha. Mercury is good until they break. Then look out. That from a marine mechanic. I know a fellow that has a 175 etec. In fact I was out fishing with him. Nothing not to like as far as I could tell.

If it had electric start I would too.

30 hp merc--ten years goin strong

I did have a 70 hp Yamaha 4-stroke, and it was a smooth, quiet and flawless as a car engine. It readily do it again. I think their great reputation is well earned.

25 hp and under, I'd probably try a Japanese Tohatsu/Mercury. Globally, Tohatsu is huge in the commercial fishing market and they're priced very attractively. According to my sources, Mercs of 30 hp and over are made in China, while 25 hp and under are Tohatsu under the paint.

Evinrude Etecs were just offering 10 year warranty. Not sure if the promotion is still running.

I have run a Yamaha 25 four stroke for about 15 years, and Mercury outboards for the past 5. Both brands have ran well for me and had standard maintenance like any other brand. Small Mercs are made by Tohatsu (who also make the smaller Evinrude and Suzuki outboards) and their weight is in line with any other brands of the same size. I think the 9.9 is around 88 lbs.

The factors I would look at are your price point and servicing dealer. You need to be comfortable with both of those.

I check them out I know they are lighter than the other brands in most hp category’s too.

Talked to the guy at Free Spirit marine, they are a Suzuki dealer. He told me Forty hp and up great motors ,but Suzuki switched to Taiwan for their smaller outboards and he said the quality is just not there on those motors anymore.