Outboard Motors

[graygun]

Thinking of buying a new one,30-40 hp range. I have a 1973 Mercury 9.8 and 1972 Johnson 25 that run but getting a bug for something new.

I find it's hard to get even price info and just talking to someone for a bit on the phone. :roll:

Anyone savvy about the new stuff...user,mechanic etc ?

 

[blume357]

4 stroke is the way to go... much cleaner and less problems... that's the extent of my knowledge.

Oh, and I think Hondas are good, at least that's what the experts at my sail club put on all the work boats.

 

[gunzo]

4 stroke is the only choice in many brands, the 2 stroke going the way of the dodo bird.

Hondas are great, also waay more expensive than all the rest. Yamaha a very popular choice.

This year,,,,, a very bad time to even find something, much less find a deal.

 

[kmoore]

I have been around all of them and used Honda, Mercury, Yamahas. I think there all good. They do have different operating features, different torque ratings and over all motor weights.
I say, see what's serviced/sold in your area. Just me as an example: if Honda did not have any dealers in 100 miles from my home, but Yamaha did. I would go with Yamaha.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Thinking of buying a new one,30-40 hp range. I have a 1973 Mercury 9.8 and 1972 Johnson 25 that run but getting a bug for something new.

I find it's hard to get even price info and just talking to someone for a bit on the phone. :roll:

Anyone savvy about the new stuff...user,mechanic etc ?

Well lets see now. You list HP from 9.8 to 40HP. That is a pretty big range for most boats. Have you got the boat yet or do you just want a new motor to look at??? You might want to get the best motor for the boat :wink:

 

[Gator89]

I have a lightly used, for its age, Yamaha 200 hp 2 stroke HPDI, on my boat, great motor, starts quickly, runs smooth.

I also see quite a few Suzuki motors on bosts. Another to consider is Tohatsu.

 

[Dave P.]

Pick a major brand with a good dealer network around where you live or
where the boats going to live. What's great in Maine is maybe not so much in Texas.
Plan on spending about equal money for equal power and features amongst
the major "name brands". Not sure one any better than others overall.
Going with a popular model should help with long term parts and service support.
Dave

 

[graygun]

Thinking of buying a new one,30-40 hp range. I have a 1973 Mercury 9.8 and 1972 Johnson 25 that run but getting a bug for something new.

I find it's hard to get even price info and just talking to someone for a bit on the phone. :roll:

Anyone savvy about the new stuff...user,mechanic etc ?

Well lets see now. You list HP from 9.8 to 40HP. That is a pretty big range for most boats. Have you got the boat yet or do you just want a new motor to look at??? You might want to get the best motor for the boat :wink:

I have a 14' aluminum Grumman fishing boat that's rated for 30 hp. I bought it used a few years ago for 600. It had a 4 hp Coleman (Parsun) and he threw-in a 15hp Chrysler that was inop. I sold the 4hp and gave the 15 away. He had a 14' aluminum jon boat with a 15 Mercury to go fishing with his wife.

I've owned a few boats,going back to the '60s. Largest was a 17' bowrider with a 140 MerCruiser.

This is old,bored guystuff,nowadays.

 

[graygun]

Yes,this is not a good time to buy,it seems.

2020 carryover effect

 

[graygun]

My 9.8 has phasemaker ignition which I had to rebuild except for the capacitor. In '74,they went to cdi on that model.

 

[krw]

Dave P is right! Buy a 4 Stroke that a dealer sells and services close by. There are lots of good motors on the market. I would not own an Evinrude because closest dealer is 90 mi away. I bought new boat 5 yrs ago, and wanted the Yamaha Vmax motor. Found boat I wanted rigged the way I wanted it with Mercury CT 115. Dealer is 20 mi away and have had great results with this motor. You could not give me a 2-Stroke anymore

 

[powder smoke]

50 hp Mariner on my 16ft runabout.About 20 years old runs like a watch.
Hope I did not just jynx myself! :roll:

 

[WAYNO]

Interesting the hatred of two-stroke motors. They start easier, are simpler, and remain serviceable with far less maintenance.

I understand the government forcing the market away from 2-strokes for EPA reasons, but that does not make them inferior.

I have had many boat and motor combinations over many decades. Every 2-stroke motor I ever owned was superior to the last Honda 4-stroke motors I owned. The 4-stroke motors always fought me on starting in cold weather and getting them to idle down to really slow trolling speeds was tough.

 

[graygun]

We are stuck with 4 stroke nowadays except I think Evinrude makes a large 2 stroke (Bombardier of Canada).

I'd rather have 2 stroke.

 

[Watchman]

Four stroke motors are generally much more efficient. And quieter. And don't smoke.

Two stroke motors are generally cheaper, and lighter for the same horsepower rating.

The more recent two stroke motors with direct oil injection are far better than the two strokes of old for economy and smoke concerns.

I've owned Mercury, Suzuki, Evinrude/Johnson (OMC), Chrysler and Nissan (Tohatsu) outboards. I like the Japanese motors best.

 

[Uncle Howie]

I definitely endorse a motor with local dealer support! “Better to have a dealer and not need them, than to need them and not have them!

In my part of the country, Yamaha and Mercury are tops, as far as popularity. Honda and Suzuki (both also excellent!) are in the second tier for popularity.

I have a 90hp 4-stroke Yamaha on a 2072 SeaArk tunnel hull jon boat.Wonderful motor!

Recently spent a week on a “25hp Maximum” lake, at the edge of the BWCA in MN, on the Canadian border. I was using a 15hp Yamaha 2-stroke, and it was wonderful! Smooth, quiet, easy starting. Recent (small/non oil-injected) Yamaha 2-strokes run a 100:1 mix ratio, as opposed to the 50:1 mix that many others traditionally use. Only half the oil consumption of the competition… 8)

AFAIK, E-Tec motors are out of production. https://boatingindustry.com/news/2020/05/28/brp-exits-outboard-motor-business/

I’ve used a LOT of outboards at work over the last twenty years. I’m a big Yamaha outboard fan…

 

[graygun]

Thanks Howie. Well,Evinrude is dead after 111 years of operation!

 

[graygun]

Yamaha seems to be the world leader from what I've seen. I'm trying to learn more of the various technologies of manufacturers.

 

[kmoore]

Just putting this out here since you mentioned smaller motors also.
Well when you dig down deep, you will find the smaller outboards have Yam, Mer and I beleive Suz. all marked with their names but use 1 brand of powerhead or engine. Tohatsu. That's in the about 15 hp and lower. It's so funny that people will curse one over another but they are the same engine the controls and how they work is different. But the same engine. My Mer 9.9 big foot XL shaft electric start and lift was about 3500.
I taught a buddy about Tohatsu and what I just printed. They have a dealer in his town and he saved a bunch of money over getting his favorite brand Mer. and is very happy after 3 years of use.

 

[graygun]

I remember reading that Mercurys were :

30 and under: Tohatsu
40-60: an unnamed factory in China
Above 60: Still made in Wisconsin

Nothing stays the same.

 

[kmoore]

Well that's better information than I remembered. Point is you know about that, many have no clue.
Good luck in your pick.

 

[sourdough44]

I went through the motor thing recently. I kinda wanted a lighter weight 2-stroke, Yamaha or so. The only option is used.

I ended up ordering one of the few/only I found in stock, an 8 HP Honda 4-stroke. I have to do more testing, not trying to race, but fine so far. I ordered from onlineoutboards or so in TN, FedEx freight to home, no problem.

 

[gramps]

I traded my 65 hp Yamaha WaveRunner for a 12 foot flat bottomed boat that came with a 1970’s 6 hp Johnson. It runs nice.
gramps

 

[powder smoke]

Interesting the hatred of two-stroke motors. They start easier, are simpler, and remain serviceable with far less maintenance.

I understand the government forcing the market away from 2-strokes for EPA reasons, but that does not make them inferior.

I have had many boat and motor combinations over many decades. Every 2-stroke motor I ever owned was superior to the last Honda 4-stroke motors I owned. The 4-stroke motors always fought me on starting in cold weather and getting them to idle down to really slow trolling speeds was tough.

I agree two stroke outboards is the way to go!

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

I was a Marine dealer years ago. We carried Princecraft boats (out of Canada) Klamath boats, and Alumaweld which had a lot of models from 18' to 28' offshore. The problem with deciding on the motors, and we were an Evinrude dealer (so that tells you how far back). A lot of older lighter boats and they are available from 14' to 18' and a 4 stroke can be a lot of weight for one of those. That's an important issue. For the smaller boat/lighter boats, I'd certainly stick with a 2 stroke. Getting up on step and result in the back of the boat sitting pretty low with a 4 stroke. We sold a guy an 18' Alumaweld and put a 40 HP for it. But the guy decided he needed a trolling motor in addition, and on step the back of the boat sometimes had water coming over the back. Scary deal.

Probably starting at 40 HP, is where I'd consider a 4 stroke, and a lot of that is determined by where you like to run and does that water way have HP restriction, or 2 stroke restrictions. For example the Kenai River (last I heard) was a 40 hp 4 stroke they were strongly encouraging people to run. Up there the big engine is the Yamaha, and the dealer there is very good. Having a dealer is a HUGE deal. Seems like there have been a lot of changes since I played the game.

 

[graygun]

Evinrude only went defunct last year but OMC and Johnson a few years earlier. Evinrude was bought by Bombardier Recreational Products of Canada when OMC went under. Johnson was already gone. Johnson and Evinrude were very reliable. Mercurys were too but OMC was better in that regard.

In the 60s some would say if you wanted mainly speed,buy Mercury,Johnson/Evinrude for reliability. Carl Kiekaefer (Mercury) was a speed nut and drove in NASCAR for a few years.

A 4-stroke 30 probably weighs around what a 50hp 2-stroke did.

My 14' is heavily-built with a thick transom;it should handle a 4-stroke 30-40 w/o problems.

 

[kmoore]

Yeah, my 9.9hp mer. twin cylinder 4-stoke weights a little more than my older mer. 2-stoke twin cylinder 25 hp.

 

[clintsfolly]

Just ordered a 6Hp Tohatsu. Been looking and every dealer for a 100 miles didn’t have a single motor. Had to get it online. The closest dealer to me carry them but hasn’t got a motor of any size in 18 months.

 

[graygun]

My 1973 9.8 Mercury 2-cycle only weighs 65 pounds.

Look at Mercury's web site and see how much they weigh. They sell 40hp in 3 cyl,4cyl and 3yl jet;the 40hp 4 cyl propped weighs 260 pounds. :shock:

 

[kmoore]

That's what I am saying my 9.9 4 stoke weights a lot. I have the manual for it, it lists my 9.9 at 114.4 lbs. The lightest model of 9.9 is listed at 80 lb that would be short shaft, pull start only. Electric start adds 10 lbs.
I don't have the 25 any longer but it was a long shaft, electric start made in 1988, I think it was just over 100 lbs. Now I could be off on that figure and am to lazy to look it up.