Gettin a new motor

[Guest]

I gettin a new motor for the little (16')duck boat in the upcoming week. And I need to ask a few Q's. Heres what I'm lookin for 15 horse short shaft 4 stroke new probably merc, honda, or yamaha. well here goes nothing on the Q's!

1)Anybody know of any dealers in the north metro area that really truly stocks a bunch of small new motors like I am lookin at here?
Do they take care of customers?

2) Is there anything wrong with my selection above (4 stroke, merc,honda, yamaha...)

3) Any dealers not to go to?

4) Any other reccomendations?

I'm goin shoppin on friday so all info will be appreciated.

Thanx Again,
Mr. Fish

[AaronM]

I dont think there is anything wrong with those motors but I have a 2-stroke Johnson and its been the best thing since wheaties. Its never not worked, it starts fine every time. I've used a 4-stroke yamaha and a merc before and they had a lot going for them. The worst thing about them is how heavy they are. Those are some of my opinions and I hope they helped a bit.

[Guest]

Can't help you with dealers, but I can tell you I run a Honda 15 4 stroke on my 14ft duck boat, and kicker on big boat in summer. It is truly an amazing machine.
I hunted all season with the motor with some real cold mornings, and it always started by the 3rd pull and away I went. Surprisingly there is no such thing as "cold blooded" with my motor...it doesn't hesitate a bit.

I have heard a lot of complaints from owners of Merc 4 stroke motors being extremely cold blooded, lots of break downs, carb issues, and overall performance was very good.

[Guest]

I've had tremendous service from Mercury motors over the years, but my 2000 Merc 9.9 four-stroke that I use as a kicker on my 18 Targa is (as stated above) "cold blooded."

As a matter of fact, it is the hardest starting motor I've ever owned, and that's over a 40-year span. I have an 8 hp Merc that I use on my 14 rowboat that starts on first pull, even after the long winter -- but, that's a 2-cycle, not a four stroke.

I've not owned a Honda, but I have yet to meet an unhappy Honda owner.

[Guest]

I have a Nissan four stroke that is too small for you (5 hp) but there's something about 4-strokers I had to learn the hard way. Never, ever carry them by a handle on the front with them parallel to the ground with the prop down as you would a 2 stroke. Oil will leak into the cylinder and freeze your engine. If you lay it down on the starboard (gear shift side) it will allow water to run into the cylinder. I made the first mistake but not the second.

Just a word to the wise.

They are heavy but quiet and use one heck of a lot less fuel than a two-stroke.

[nut gather]

Have not heard any one comment on YAMAHA yet.
Two or four stoke.

[Biggestfish]

You sure did when CD brought up the Merc 4 stroke. I think all the 1st Merc 4 strokes were Yamaha bulk heads. Merc is now starting to use their own motors now as they switch over to EFI. I own a 2000 Merc 40 4 stroke with the Yamaha bulk head. It never ran right from the day I got it. Very rough idle and would aways want to cut out when I would go from no wake to wide open throttle.

I should have took it back right away..My fault for not doing that, but I didn't want to give up my boat in the middle of fishing season. Last year by the end of the season I no longer had a choice, it was running worse and worse... I had to take it in. Well I started asking around and found that this was a common problem for the Mercs and Yamahas.

Now this story does have a happy ending somewhat. I took the motor in and they cleaned and re-sinc the carbs. I had to pay for the work...not covered under warranty (I kept the repair bill in case there is a recall). The good news is the motor runs great now. Better than new. I hope this fix that was done to my motor will help someone else that is having the same problem.

What motor would I recomend.... I don't think you will go wrong with any of your choices. Just don't make my mistake and take it right back if you have any problems with it. Good Luck!

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Just Having Fun!
Love to Fish.

[workingfisherman]

biggest fisherman what did it cost you for
the tune up? I have a 1999 merc 4 stroke with
a yamaha power head in it, i think it could
use a tune up.also some dealers are better
than others on certin brands so what dealer
did you take motor to. thanks
my motor is a 50 hp

[Biggestfish]

It ended up being $225. It is aways the labor that kills ya. Hoots Marine in Ottertail MN did the work. They sell both Yamaha and Merc, so their service dept has good experience working on these motors. I have had very good luck with them, Very friendly to deal with and they will do what they can for ya. I am just really happy the motor finally runs like it should.

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Just Having Fun!
Love to Fish.

[Ely Lake Expert]

I have a 15 hp yamaha 4 stroke for my duck boat and I like it. It is a long shaft. It is a good running motor. I am not near the metro so I don't know what to tell you about a dealer.

Ely lake expert