Mercury, Yamaha, Honda…does it matter

This is probably asking for a Chevy/Ford/Dodge debate, but just wondering if there are any legit resources out there for outboard ratings, reviews, etc…? Looking in the 50-60HP range and most of the boats that fit the function of fishing/family come standard with Merc or Yamaha on the back. Wondering if it’s like anything with a motor; routine maintenance, care and following the manual go a long way to reliability and longevity? Or is there a way to find out what years/models to avoid?

I’m not partial to a brand, just want something reliable without going in blind.

Seems like everyone has a horror story or a flawless experience with every brand…what’s yours?

I would highly recommend a silver cowl!!!!

I run a Yamaha. In the past I have had a Force, Suzuki, Mercury, Mariner and they have all run. You didn’t say if you are looking new or used. If new they all have the big warranties as you hit the Northwest Sportshow. If used how it was used and maintained is more important then the brand. Today they all are good. Not everybody treats their equipment well and thats what you need to find out.

Good luck.

Not entirely off topic, but the BIL is having a he!! Of a time trying to find a good used Suzuki 140 cylinder head. He has found and tested 3 and all 3 have been cracked. All 3 in similar places. All 3 damaged similar to the original. He is having a 4th one tested now. That’s a total of 5 heads.

Bad material, QC, engineering, casting…who knows. Perhaps they all overheated at one point.

I believe all manufacturers are capable of poor quality at some point.

He could go remanufactured to the tune of $3k.

gixxer01 wrote:

Not entirely off topic, but the BIL is having a he!! Of a time trying to find a good used Suzuki 140 cylinder head. He has found and tested 3 and all 3 have been cracked. All 3 in similar places. All 3 damaged similar to the original. He is having a 4th one tested now. That’s a total of 5 heads.

Bad material, QC, engineering, casting…who knows. Perhaps they all overheated at one point.

I believe all manufacturers are capable of poor quality at some point.

He could go remanufactured to the tune of $3k.

What year is his motor?

2003

gixxer01 wrote:

Not entirely off topic, but the BIL is having a he!! Of a time trying to find a good used Suzuki 140 cylinder head. He has found and tested 3 and all 3 have been cracked. All 3 in similar places. All 3 damaged similar to the original. He is having a 4th one tested now. That’s a total of 5 heads.

Bad material, QC, engineering, casting…who knows. Perhaps they all overheated at one point.

I believe all manufacturers are capable of poor quality at some point.

He could go remanufactured to the tune of $3k.

gixxer01 wrote:

Not entirely off topic, but the BIL is having a he!! Of a time trying to find a good used Suzuki 140 cylinder head. He has found and tested 3 and all 3 have been cracked. All 3 in similar places. All 3 damaged similar to the original. He is having a 4th one tested now. That’s a total of 5 heads.

Bad material, QC, engineering, casting…who knows. Perhaps they all overheated at one point.

I believe all manufacturers are capable of poor quality at some point.

He could go remanufactured to the tune of $3k.

gixxer01 wrote:

Not entirely off topic, but the BIL is having a he!! Of a time trying to find a good used Suzuki 140 cylinder head. He has found and tested 3 and all 3 have been cracked. All 3 in similar places. All 3 damaged similar to the original. He is having a 4th one tested now. That’s a total of 5 heads.

Bad material, QC, engineering, casting…who knows. Perhaps they all overheated at one point.

I believe all manufacturers are capable of poor quality at some point.

He could go remanufactured to the tune of $3k.

There is a place in Grand Rapids Mich that has all kind of outboard motor parts. It is Vans. Might be worth a try

Honda 40 bought new in 2001, not one hiccup.

I bought my boat new in July of 2004 with both a Yamaha main and kicker. Service was no problem and close. Now that I live in Utah, I’m struggling to find a quality Yamaha service shop. The one that I’m trying this year is about 50 miles away. If all your choices were rated as equal at the end of the day, I’d want to know that I had a 4 or 5 star service shop close to me.

skinnywater wrote:

This is probably asking for a Chevy/Ford/Dodge debate, but just wondering if there are any legit resources out there for outboard ratings, reviews, etc…?

There are. BoatTest.com does outboard reviews, but you have to take this with a grain of salt because, they are reviewing brand new outboards that are dealer prepped and then turning in the keys. So highly unlikely to have any real problems. It’s not like they are putting 5 years of hard use on them and THEN telling us what they think.

Also, you have to consider the source of personal reviews. Compared to saltwater near-shore and offshore anglers, freshwater walleye guys put very, very few hours on outboards. Even less up here in the frozen tundra. So even someone who’s reporting 5 years of trouble-free ownership probably has less than 150 actual hours on the outboard. That’s not even broken in. A lot of saltwater guys put that on in a few months. So even “good” reviews don’t necessarily equate to a good outboard because a motor that sits in the garage is unlikely to experience a problem.

My personal opinion is that like cars these days, they’re all pretty good. Nothing mechanical can be fail-proof, but comparing today’s outboards, they are all very, very good and reliable. Every maker has good outboards and every maker has made some not so good outboards, even the venurated Yamaha. IMO it’s more about use and maintenance than brand.

Also, most outboards are way more hurt by lack of use than overuse.

Grouse

They are all good these days . However dealers and customer service are variable . I would pick a dealer you like then buy what brand they sell .

Same as everyone else says, they’re all pretty solid. There ARE differences, but they’re relatively minor. At the same time, I always tell customers that it’s YOUR purchase, so YOU get to choose where to draw the line in the sand. Mercurys are good, but Verados generally come with power steering pumps that can cause a need for an additional battery. Yamahas are rock solid, but you pay a relatively small amount more for them. Evinrude ETec G2s are the kings of the two stroke world, but you hear a little bit more about them having issues because they’re so technologically advanced (again, it’s a small difference, maybe a few percent more issue-prone? And that’s all hersay, I don’t have any real stats). Hondas are reliable, but they’re a little heavier on average. So again, like everyone’s said, they’re all pretty solid, but if you get picky enough, you can find differences. Like other people have stated, these days the most important part of a boat/motor buying experience is the dealer, you want a reliable one who stands by their products and customers.

I’m also of the opinion that in general, the Mercs and Yammys are both good motors, and have personally owned both and have been satisfied. But since a previous poster brought up the Evinrude, I will add that I put a 90 HP ETEC on the back of my new 2017 Lund, and after one season of use , no regrets. Was going to put a Yammy on it, and my dealer suggested I also take a look at the ETECs. My decision was based on generally favorable experience and performance reviews found on the internet, lower cost due to BRP incentives, 10-year warranty, easy winterization, first scheduled maintenance is 3 years or 300 hours, and 55 lbs. lighter. I average a bit over 5 mpg. And when I started the motor for the first time this year a couple days ago on Pool 9 in 25 degree temps, it fired up instantly with no smoke from last falls winterization. The 90hp and under ETECs are not the new G2s, so that technology has been around for a while. So you have the good problem of having to pick a motor from a field of several fine choices, and hope you don’t get a lemon.