What's the infatuation?

[eyepatrol]

So why is there such an infatuation with Yamaha motors? All these dealers and manufacturers rigging their boats with Yamaha motors. I have been a Mercury fan for as long as I can remember (and still am), but why are there soooo many boats being pre-rigged with Yamahas? Are they less expensive than Mercs?

[LMITOUT]

They're popular, and that's probably the main reason the dealer is going to do what they can to appeal the customer's demand by rigging their boats with them. They get high ratings from the various consumer watchdog groups and you don't hear a lot of grumblings about their durability. I think Mercury took a big hit in their creditability with the Opti-Max fiasco some years ago. They had a bad reputation for failure and that may have swayed people away to other brands.

I was a Mercury fan too, and my last boat had one that I was completely satisfied with, but going from a 2-stroke to a 4-stroke there was no other choice in my book......especially with the options that the Yamaha offered with their tiller handle. It was a no-brainer to get the gray one.

[311Hemi]

I have been a Merc fan my whole life. I have only known the small Merc tillers, but friends have had larger 2 strokes. A good buddy of mine got a smaller Yami 4 stroke a couple years ago and I was sold.

I picked up a used boat this spring with a Yami F115....I love the outboard and don't know if I would want anything else. It's reliable, quiet, fuel/oil efficient, and starts right away. It also has great resale value. I was really surprised to be able to easily hold a conversion at WOT across the lake. I am sure the mercs are nice as well, but not sure why I would want one over the Yami? Though...you might be able to twist my arm into trying a Verado!

What do you like so much about Mercs?

Maybe it's like sleds...I have always been a Polaris fan until a buddy got a Skidoo Rev and I got a chance to ride it. Since then the last 3 sleds I have purchased have been Skidoo's!

[eyepatrol]

Well, I don't want to get into the whole debate of "it's made here" or "it's made there", but Merc has the American name and I'm a big fan of the black color for a motor. E-tecs have nice motor hoods too. Yamahas are just plain 'ol grey on their 4-strokes and HPDI's. But that's beyond the point I guess. The thing is, you can't find many new or used boats out there with a good Merc on it. Everyone has got to put a Yammi on for whatever reason.

My folks have the Merc 115 4-stroke. It's extremely quiet and nice fuel efficiency, but it's gutless. I don't know if the Yamaha 4-strokes are similar....gutless.....but I'd take the supercharged Verado any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

I'm just tired of seing the same 'ol grey Yammi on nearly every boat out there that I'd be interested in buying. Really limits a person's selection on used and sometimes, new boats.

[JimBuck]

I've only owned Mercury brand motors. However, I have run several Yamaha's on guide/resort boats and they are absolutely great. Super quiet, great throttle response and very reliable. They are popular because it's just a good motor. Similar to how the "Classic 50's" Merc's are still everywhere.

[Ufatz]

The reason you see so many Yamaha's is simple: they are good solid, dependable outboard motors. Travel to exotic regions and you'll almost always find Yamaha's. They have to depend on a motor when its 200 miles to the nearest dealer.

The Yamaha 115 4-stroke of recent years is practically a classic. Mine starts so quickly I still have my hand on the key and its running!!! Pushes a 1750 Fishhawk with three guys as fast as we need to go.

[solbes]

Comparing a N.A. Yamaha and a Supercharged Verado is kind of strange? Two completely different animals with differing weights, complexity, cost, and application.

Yamahas are popular because of their reliability, their history in the 4stroke outboard development, and their smooth power at any RPM. I absolutely love mine, and feel I made the best choice. I paid a tiny bit extra to de-rig the 400 lb monster merc 75 so I could put on a "grey" motor.

[bassphish2005]

ok,I have a 1996 90hp Johnson and think it is the -bomb-

No problems/plenty of power/ and grunts and roars like a good 2 stroke should....and the smell of burning 2 cycle oil......makes me feel alive?

[LMITOUT]

Call me crazy, but I do miss the 2-stroke smell on a cool, crisp morning when idling away from the dock. It's just one of those things that adds to the experience, and I swear that first whiff would drop the blood pressure a few points and set the tone for the day.

[solbes]

Guess I don't miss it at all? It's probably the easy starting and quiet that I like more though, than the absence of smoke.

Anyway, back to Mercs. I think their Optimax and Verado lines are pretty sweet. I just don't understand why the didn't make a separate motor in the 75 and 90 hp range, rather than just taking the smallest Verado block and deleting the supercharger.

Merc seems to own the larger HP market along with Evinrude and Yamaha to a smaller extent. Yamaha seems to own a lot of share in the 75-115 class.

[midex717]

Lmitout, When was the Optimax fiasco that Merc had that you mentioned above? I have a 2004 Opti on my Fishhawk, and haven't yet had any issues with it. Just curious when that occured, was it in very early models of the Optimax?

She's has been a great motor so far, is it something that I need to worry about?

Thanks!

[LMITOUT]

The early models had some powerhead issues and it was pretty well known that there was something not quite right with the design. It was during that time period where Merc wanted to push the efficient 2-strokes (Opti's) while the rest of the companies saw 4-stroke technology as the path to follow. I want to say it was around 2000 to 2002?

After their issues were resolved I think the Opti has been a pretty decent engine since then, but it was that bad stretch which I believe caused people to shy away from Merc's for a while.

I don't think you have anything to worry about. I know of a few Opti owners who are quite happy with their engines. I also know of one that has had his in the shop numerous times and I believe it's one of those early models.

[MuskieJunkie]

Over the years I've had 3 boats with Mercury OBs and finally decided I was done with them. Bad fuel economy, repairs, noise, and being very hard to start were the main turn offs.

I had a 90 HP 2 stroke carb that wasn't very old and most of the time to get it started you had to pump the fuel ball, throttle it up, and feather the choke. Even when it was warm.

Now I have a Yamaha F115 (although I've only had it for 3 days) and really like it. Starts perfectly every time, very quiet (as someone else stated you can have a conversation at 30 mph in a normal tone of voice), and from the little experience I have with it, it has gotten very good gas mileage. All the things I didn't like about the mercs....

[Walleye Guy]

My brother-in-law was telling me that when Yamaha motors first became popular they measured their HP in a different way compared to their competitors. At the propeller shaft versus the powerhead or something like that. That supposedly gave a Yamaha more actual HP and speed compared to a similarily rated competitors' motors. I'm not sure if that was exactly true or if I have the story correct.

I don't own a Yamaha but the ones I have run have been great. I have owned two Mercs (35 & 90). The 90 2-stroke was a great motor. Cold blooded on the days first start up. The rest of the day it ran strong and started easily. I now run a 150 EFI Suzuki and that has been a really great motor so far.

I think OB's are like cars. Very few manufacturers make bad ones. Some are just a little better than others.

[boatfixer]

All outboards have been prop shaft rated since 1983.

Its a Ford vs Chevy thing. They all have pros and cons.

[Northlander]

So why is there such an infatuation with Yamaha motors? All these dealers and manufacturers rigging their boats with Yamaha motors. I have been a Mercury fan for as long as I can remember (and still am), but why are there soooo many boats being pre-rigged with Yamahas? Are they less expensive than Mercs?

Because they are good motors! My last 2 have been awesome. Quiet, clean and nice looking.

[thedeadsea]

Because they are powerful and bullet proof. Other than a Suzuki I wouldn't own any other OB.

[fishorgolf]

Here's another reason. The resort I go on Lac Suel runs Yamaha's on there boats and every year or so a group of Yam tech's come to the resort and start tuning all there Yam's and even clients Yamaha's (no matter how old they are) at no cost to anybody. Pretty impressive IMO.

[BoxMN]

The early models had some powerhead issues and it was pretty well known that there was something not quite right with the design. It was during that time period where Merc wanted to push the efficient 2-strokes (Opti's) while the rest of the companies saw 4-stroke technology as the path to follow. I want to say it was around 2000 to 2002?

Just to add to that, it was only the 200 and 225 hp motors that had this issue. The 135/150/175 hp in all years were pretty bullet proof, and still are. I didn't have one of them, just knew a bunch about them at the time

I like all brand motors, but have never been let down by my black motors - can't say the same about my non-black motor, but I still use and like it. (also, my motors are now all "old" by most people's standards, ha!)

[Mid-Lake Rock]

Add customer service to the list of reasons why they are great. I had a seal go bad on the lower unit of my F75. I am the second owner and the warranty expired. The mechanic called Yamaha and they paid for a new seal kit and the labor to repair it. Not many companies are going to pay $400 for work on a product that is past warranty and on the second owner.

I also like having this conversation after putting the boat in the water. Buddy parks the truck and comes walking over to the water.

Buddy: What's wrong with your motor?

Me: What? There's nothing wrong.

Buddy: Why isn't it running?

Me: It is running. (Grin on my face).

[Duffman]

Suzuki guy here. When I was vacationing in Mexico a couple of winters ago I noticed one thing....85% of the outboards I saw were Yamaha's. These were on boats that run hard day after day. Honda and Suzuki made up the remaining 15% of outboards I saw. Didn't see a single Mercury outboard or one Evinrude outboard. Just an observation.

[Chode2235]

Yeah, we have an old 150hp XR4 merc, and that thing has been a beast since we got it (1990). Idles poorly, burns fuel like crazy, smokes, sputters, and floods out. Although it runs like a champ at WOT. And there is something about that merc sound, you can pick them out anywhere.

I love going up to my buddies place in riding in his Yamaha powered boat. Theyre quiet, responsive, and all the things our old merc is not.

Granted there is 20 years of tech between the two, but the yammy is built for all RPMs not just when redlining.

[Musky_Madness]

Keep in mind you are talking about an old Merc from the pre-1990's. Didn't all engines run like savages back then? I have a 150 Optimax and wouldn't trade it for anything. Nice jet black cowl with a stainless prop...beautiful! Not to mention that Mercury growl when get on plane or come back down. Fuel economy on the new Optimax's are very very good and would probably surprise most of the 4 stroke guys. As mentioned before though, this is an endless debate and the big motor manufacturers now are all running similar products probably running same parts in some instances.

[311Hemi]

I have a 150 Optimax and wouldn't trade it for anything.

So I would assume if someone offered you a Yamaha F150 in the same year (100% perfect running condition/same hours/equal SS prop) and you did not have to pay anything for the re-rigging or controls, you would not think of switching it up?

[bottomdweller]

Wow you guys got my blood pressure going. I just purchased a 2000 warrior with a 200 opti on it. Should I be frantic? What do I need to look for? The motor was gone thru by the dealer and everything checked out. Its been running good. Does not get the boat going as fast as I think it should but other than that I like it.