Yamaha or Mercury or Honda 115 4 stroke

[Guest]

I will be purchasing a new rig this spring and I will be powering it with a 115 4 stroke.There are equally good dealers selling these motors in my area. Has there been a comparison artical of these motors? Also has there been any reliability problems? Thanks, tkwood

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[Guest]

I believe the Yamaha and Mercury 115 engines are the same. I understand the engine in the Mercury is a Yamaha. I could be wrong, but that is what I understand. Yamaha is an excellent choice.

You absolutely can't go wrong with Honda. I have never heard any problems with any Honda outboards.

What it comes to is which motor will look better on your boat? You can't go wrong with any of them. Which has the best warranty?

[mahannah]

Yamaha and Mercury four strokes have the same powerblocks. (Yamaha designs it.) The electronics on the motors differ though. I have heard from a marine mechanic that the Mercury's tend to have more electronic problems then the Yamahas.

[Guest]

I read something recently that said Mercury was no longer using Yamaha. The info did more than imply that Merc was now doing its own thing. It might have been in Great Lakes Angler.

One other consideration -- Honda consistently gets high marks by ratings groups and owners. If I were looking at a 115 four stroke, I'd seriously look at Honda (and I own four Mercury outboards). My 9.9 Merc 4-stroke kicker is the hardest starting beast I've ever owned (1999 model).

[Guest]

Clay is right i have a buddy who is a merc/yamaha mechanic. He said merc starting using their own parts and they have had problems with the 4 strokes ever since. The hondas and yamahas have good track records.

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[Ely Lake Expert]

Tkwood, well I have 3 yamahas 90hp,25hp,15hp and the have all work great for me. I have never had a merc of honda so I don't know the plusses and minuses of them. I just stick with what works and the Yamahas have worked for me.

Ely lake expert

[Guest]

Just wanted to add a little piece of info. A fly-in resort that I and some friends of the family have visited for many years got rid of all there Yamaha outboards and switched to Honda. They were constantly having to ship the Yamaha's out for repairs.

[duckbuster]

Curious to know how this group has found getting service on the Yamaha 4 Strokes in extreme northern MN or the maple leaf country of Canada. I just purchased the 4 Stroke and that is a concern I have. Thanks

[oilguy]

Ibought a 2001 yam 115 stroker last spring and it is, without question, a GREAT outboard. Instant starts in all weather and always runs perfecly. Fuel economy compared to any two stroke is amazing. My 18' pro v has a 42 gallon tank and you can fish for several days before having to re-fuel. I originally had the 13X19 yam aluminum prop and the loaded rig would run 42 MPH @ 5200 RPM. Didn't feel like I could run as much trim as I wanted. Have re-propped twice and am currently running a solas 13 3/8X15. Top speed loaded is 39MPH @ 5800 RPM. Can run a ton of trim and the boat handles great (for a lund) in rough water. Anyone have dealer questions in the Ottertail County area, I have some stories.

[Biggestfish]

I have a 2000 Merc 40 hp 4 stroke and was told when I bought it that it had the Yamaha Engine. I really like the motor except it runs a little ruff on low idle. It seems that the idle is set way too low, I recently talked to the dealer I bought in from and he said to bring it in and he would fix it right up for me... I guess I will see, the motor has the 3 year warrenty.

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Just having Fun.
Love to Fish.

[This message has been edited by Biggestfish (edited 03-09-2002).]

[Dan L]

One other thing to consider is the weight of a four stroke. To begin with four strokes are heavy. The Honda 115 HP weighs in at 500 pounds. That is 100 pounds heavier than Mercury or Yamaha.
I have run a Yamaha 115 HP four stroke for 2 full seasons. I can't imagine a better motor. It has been flawless. The weight has not been a problem but I would not want another 100 pounds on the back of my boat. I hae also read good things about suzuki's 115 HP four stroke. Te weight on that motor is simular to the Merc and Yamaha.