Motor hours?

I’ve been driving the Mrs. crazy the last few weeks after deciding to finally upgrade my boat this year. During this learning process I have changed my mind several times on the what boat/motor combo to look at. I was leaning 4 stroke for sure but have seen a few used rigs with Merc Optimax on them and now and wondering how they compare to a 4S and what is a lot of hours on a motor? Is 300-400 a ton or reasonable??

On a 4 stroke, it is barely broken in. I’m expecting 5,000 hours out of my Yamaha 150. It isn’t likely to reach that in my life time. I use less than 100 hours a year on the big motor and most are on the kicker.

I’ve had a Yamaha 115 4stk with over 10,000 hrs on it. It’s still running great and not one repair bill that I know of.

How exactly do you check the hours? I have a 2000 yamaha 2 stroke, 60hp.

From what I have heard from the fishing community I would steer clear of the optimax. Depending on what year it is and what HP, but they have had issues with them.

300-400 hours isn’t bad at all. I bet I put that many hours on my motor in less than 2 years and it’s a 2005 and still going strong.

99 to about 2005 optis in the big blocks were the ones that had issues. 200 hp and up. I have a 125 opti, and it’s great, but it’s a 2012. The issues with those big blocks was actually a part sourcing issue, where injectors were going bad, motors that had injectors replaced actually did much better.

I like the growl of my 2002 225 opti, gas mileage is very good, oil consumption is about a gallon of oil to a 50 gallon tank of gas. I haven’t had any issues this motor and I have owned it since new. 4 stroke outboards have come along way since they have been introduced so the choice is yours. If I had to replace my current motor, it will be with a 250 proxs optimax

blank wrote:

How exactly do you check the hours? I have a 2000 yamaha 2 stroke, 60hp.

Is it attached to a Yamaha gauge at your dash? Mine is recorded at the gauge and is accurate unless someone turns the key 1/2 way and left it for a period of time without actually starting the motor. If not, your service place can hook it up to their computer to read your motors computer.

The motor will need computer controlled ignition to be able to pull the hours off it. Unless someone put an hour meter on it.

SuperDave1959 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>blank wrote:</div>
How exactly do you check the hours? I have a 2000 yamaha 2 stroke, 60hp.

Is it attached to a Yamaha gauge at your dash? Mine is recorded at the gauge and is accurate unless someone turns the key 1/2 way and left it for a period of time without actually starting the motor. If not, your service place can hook it up to their computer to read your motors computer.

Thanks. No gauge on mine. I was thinking I would probably have to take it in to get it read. No issues with the motor at all, but I am curious as to how many hours are on it.

blank wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>SuperDave1959 wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>blank wrote:</div>
How exactly do you check the hours? I have a 2000 yamaha 2 stroke, 60hp.

Is it attached to a Yamaha gauge at your dash? Mine is recorded at the gauge and is accurate unless someone turns the key 1/2 way and left it for a period of time without actually starting the motor. If not, your service place can hook it up to their computer to read your motors computer.

Thanks. No gauge on mine. I was thinking I would probably have to take it in to get it read. No issues with the motor at all, but I am curious as to how many hours are on it.

When you take it in, they can mount a very inexpensive meter under the cowling that attaches to an ignition wire or spark plug. That is how I read my hours on my kicker motor. It would be helpful for you to use for maintenance intervals.

I am looking at 2001 150hp OPTI, I don’t think that has the issues as the big block did?

I would guess 100 hours a season is a reasonably high average in the north where they are stored for up to six months a year. I bet most average Joes don’t do more than 50 hours a season.

I’m under 300 hours in three seasons fishing bigger waters, on Mille Lacs thee weekends a month, and occasionally Vermilion. Within those 300 hours I put on 100 miles in a three day weekend on Vermilion once. We covered a lot of water that the average boater isn’t going to do. My hour figures are read from a Mercury smart gauge system.

There are diehards that put on a few hundred a year, also probably guides.

That said, 400 hours on a 4 stroke is on the light side. You should get many more years out of one.