Opti or Verado?

Hey guys I’ve been looking at the new Lund 1875 ProV and don’t know which motor to get if I buy this boat. I was leaning towards the 175 Opti ProXS because I want a little more torque to ride waves and I think the Opti would troll down a little slower with the smartcraft gauges then the verado would. I like the weight it saves but I don’t know alot about the motor. Is it as reliable as the verado is? Do 2 strokes still have problems starting in cold weather? I’m not so much worried sbout top end speed either. Thanks

4 stroke all the way sir. My 2 cents.

Ryan

I have a 150 opti xps on a alumacraft dominator. GREAT motor no troubles, sips oil, and the performance is awsome.Starts great all year round.They are offering a extended warranty for free now. Just one mans opinion

I hated my Verado. I wouldn’t have shed a tear if I could have watched it fall off the transom and sink to the bottom. If you really want to stick with Merc, I would go Opti. Otherwise if you want to stick with a 175, I’d consider Evinrude or Suzuki.

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I hated my Verado. I wouldn’t have shed a tear if I could have watched it fall off the transom and sink to the bottom.

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Can you elabotate. Which one you have, What dont you like about it. I have a 150 verado on a 1850 tyee. its sweet! No more 2 strokes for me.

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Which one you have, What dont you like about it. I have a 150 verado on a 1850 tyee. its sweet! No more 2 strokes for me.

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Here’s a brief synopsis. Merc’s Customer Service stunk it up on this one as well. My Verado kept me off the water on 4 separate occasions.

My Verado was “making oil” due to a faulty thermostat. The outboard never got up to operating temp. Merc techs told my dealer to have me do another break in with a super charge of Quickclean. In the end I had 2 full oil changes, new plugs, thermostat, hoses, clamps etc that Merc told my dealer to do then they said they wouldn’t warranty any of it.

My dealer wouldn’t have done most of it if Merc Techs hadn’t told them to.

In the end it was around $500-$600 bucks that I was on the hook for. The dealer felt so bad they refunded the labor costs to me. The dealer was not happy at all with Merc. They were seriously considering dumping Merc and switching to Yamaha as they have had great customer service from them.

I understand this is one incident but I gave Merc $15,000 or whatever a Verado is worth and they wouldn’t honor a couple hundred dollars in parts.

On top of all that, this was bad experience #3 with the Verado. I had a fuel pump failure and an electrical failure as well that Merc did honor the warranty. However all these bad experiences added together got to be to much.

I see so many guys loving their Verado. Perhaps I got a lemon.

Come to find out recently a lot of guys are having issues with the Verado “making oil”.

I had a 2009 Verado 150.

Along those lines. What’s so special about Verado oil and Verado plugs that makes them so expensive? Please tell me it’s something other than the Merc label on the side.

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Along those lines. What’s so special about Verado oil and Verado plugs that makes them so expensive? Please tell me it’s something other than the Merc label on the side.

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I work for the U.W. Madison, Wisconsin. In the Mechanical Engineering building next door, they have a Verado Engine cut in half for demonstration purposes. It is by far one of the coolest and most complicated outboard engines I’ve ever seen. The super charger is awesome.

But, other than looks, I’ve never been in a boat with a Verado on the back so that’s where my expertise begins & ends!

Just wanted to share that with ya all.

Boog

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Along those lines. What’s so special about Verado oil and Verado plugs that makes them so expensive? Please tell me it’s something other than the Merc label on the side.

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I work for the U.W. Madison, Wisconsin. In the Mechanical Engineering building next door, they have a Verado Engine cut in half for demonstration purposes. It is by far one of the coolest and most complicated outboard engines I’ve ever seen. The super charger is awesome.

But, other than looks, I’ve never been in a boat with a Verado on the back so that’s where my expertise begins & ends!

Just wanted to share that with ya all.

Boog

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I believe that’s actually one of the big reasons I disliked the Verado. It’s OVERLY sophisticated. Many many things to go wrong/break.

They hate cold water, at least mine did. The computers put the outboard into guardian mode at the slightest hint of a problem.

Batteries; Huge issue here. The Verado needs 2 AGM batteries to operate if it has the electronic power steering. The computers draw that much power. $500-$600 in bats just to run the silly thing.

If you are running a 36v trolling system, that’s 5 bats in the boat.

Overall I was not impressed in the least with that Verado. I will say WHEN it was running. It was a rocket.

Ok lets talk Optimax, the Opti is not your typical 2 stroke it is a Direct Injected 2 Stroke, way different than your typical carbed 2 stroke. An Opti is like starting any other modern injected engine you turn the key and go, no hard starting etc….. I have a 200 Opti and its awesome. No smoke at start up etc, you don’t smell the oil while idling etc…

If you go to Mercs Website they have engine tests so you can compare fuel efficiency numbers and speeds.

Oh yah I had a Yamaha 4 stroke 115 that “made” oil also so it happens to em all.

The DI Opti typically will have more grunt out of the hole, I didn’t drink the 4 stroke Kool Aid.

I totally agree w/moreyes. I’ve had an Opti since 07 and never had an issue (except when I ran across a sand bar). They run awesome in the cold, and the “brainbox” works great. IMO

I have a 150 Opti and I love it. I fish till the river freezes up. It always starts good in cold weather.It is 4 years old and only thing I put on it is a power pack and that was free.

I have a 225 opti and love it. Cold weather, no such thing. Uses oil and gas, but that BC I use the boat a lot. Always been a dependable motor for me. Mercury has always been good for me.
As for Wades problems, hes the first of all the guys that I heard of with Verados problems. Might of been the motor wasnt happy with the boat it was on JK. I know the next boat I look for I am going to strongly look for a Verado. As for troll down speed with either motor I wouldnt do with a 150, maybe try and find a kicker. I always see guys with 125+ motors with trolling bags or something to slow them down. This depends on what kind of trolling you are doing.
Wallster ><((((>

I have a 175 Verado Big Tiller. Over 1200 hours. Granted I have had a Couple of Issues ie: Fuel float (Ethanol issue) and wiring harness (Hundreds of hours of back trolling). Overall No oil issues, No lower unit issues, No blown power heads, Great performance and Great trolling. I do all the maitenance myself; oil, fuel, lower unit done on suggested time frames. Can’t say enough about the big tiller I only use regular Starting/deep cycle batteries never any problems. For me Four Stroke all the way.

You may want to look into the new 150 Four Stroke. Looks like a pretty awesome motor. Sounds like they built it like a tank and not much heavier than an Opti.

I have a 2008 and Merc has always covered repairs under warranty and Lybacks Marine has done those repairs. They have been great at getting me back on the water quick.

JT

I will throw my .02 in here and give you an answer that is different that what you want to hear. I will first qualify why I have the opinion that I do.

I have been in the marine industry for approx 20 years and have sold outboards at the worlds largest Merc dealer, worlds largest Honda OB dealer, largest Johnson/Evinrude dealer in the western US, and the 4th largest Yamaha dealer in the US. I have sold and gotten feedback from the sale of thousands of Mercs, Yamahas, Johnsons, Evinrudes, Suzukis, Hondas and Mariners. I have sold OB’s to guides, Eskimos to hunt whales, law enforcement, fire departments, lodges, trappers, military, search and rescue, commercial fisherman, and weekend warriors to name but a few. I have seen what works and what does not work and what causes the owner uneccesary expense and anxiety.

“If I had to spend my hard earned money today to buy an outboard it would only be a 4 stroke built by either Yamaha or Suzuki”

You can do as you choose but after several decades of experience with every brand of outboard the choice in my mind is crystal clear. There is simply no outboard made that can compete in the real world day in and day out with Yamaha or Suzuki for rock solid reliability, performance, longevity and fuel economy.
However if you are going to be hunting whales I have been told by several Eskimos that “the Honda is the only outboard the whales can’t hear”

It is your money spend it wisely!

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However if you are going to be hunting whales I have been told by several Eskimos that “the Honda is the only outboard the whales can’t hear”

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However if you are going to be hunting whales I have been told by several Eskimos that “the Honda is the only outboard the whales can’t hear”

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I will never look at a guy running a Honda the same way!

FDR

Throw the harpon, Na Nuk!

My Opti has been very good to me for going on 5 years now, although I have had 2 issues during that time. ( internal reservoir, and fuel pump) Otherwise, she has been a start and go engine for me. Lots of power.

If I had to replace it, I would be a hard call of another Opti versus a Yamaha, so I understand your quandary.

You just have to go with your gut…