Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Had a mercruiser before this motor and it lasted 11 years with no failers did change the plugs once but the old ones still looked good. The new owner is not having any problems either.

I just took my Mercury Verado out on the lake Thursday and all I can say is WOW. I love the fly by wire shifting it is so smooth. The power steering is great. At no wake speed the motor does not even sound like it is running.

Ok...

If I understand everyone correctly... service close to home is more important than manufacturer these days. We bought a boat today and the salesman pushed the Suzuki over the Mercury for the single reason of the "idiot" lights. The Suzuki motor comes with a warning light for the helm regarding low oil, overheating, and one or two other items. I sort of like this, but I don't like the idea of paying someone to haul the boat an 90 miles because the motor needs repaired. Don't have a truck yet. There's a Merc dealer that's 'local', 45 miles away. So. I guess I should go with the Merc 115 rather than the Suzuki 115...

I would grab the Merc over the Suzy.... I wouldn't mind going 90 miles for a Honda or Yami.

HandymanHerb wrote:Yea but don't try an E-tec, I don't want the prices to go up becuase of high demand

The owner of my local marina thinks the new Evinrude E-tec is the best thing since sliced bread.

I have yet to hear a bad thing about them, I just don't want to buy oil and gas..

Ron Burgundy wrote:

HandymanHerb wrote:Yea but don't try an E-tec, I don't want the prices to go up becuase of high demand

The owner of my local marina thinks the new Evinrude E-tec is the best thing since sliced bread.

Saw it today on TV. That is what Babe Winkleman runs on his boat.

rrhodes wrote:I have yet to hear a bad thing about them, I just don't want to buy oil and gas..

Rick unless you go to Electric. Your going to buy oil and Gas! Hate to be a bearer of bad news but that's just a fact. After having both I/O and Outboards. I personally prefer the Outboard by far. I think I prefer the 2cycle over the four. Smaller and lighter unless you want to go into the over 90 Hp class. Then of course you must go to the four cycle.

cbavier wrote:

rrhodes wrote:I have yet to hear a bad thing about them, I just don't want to buy oil and gas..

Rick unless you go to Electric. Your going to buy oil and Gas! Hate to be a bearer of bad news but that's just a fact. After having both I/O and Outboards. I personally prefer the Outboard by far. I think I prefer the 2cycle over the four. Smaller and lighter unless you want to go into the over 90 Hp class. Then of course you must go to the four cycle.

Okay let me be more specific. I don't want to buy 2 stroke oil and gas.... I buy 6 quarts of oil per season and if I have to refill that oil I have bigger problems.

All motors today are very good. Most have 3 year warranties and at times offer free another 2 or 3 years. Decide if you want 2 or 4 stroke. 2 stroke are half the weight of a 4, but I heard Yammie has a 4 that compares in weight to a 2 stroke. I have always preferred a Merc. now I think a E-tec 2 stroke or Yamaha 4 stroke is how I would go. When Merc used our Oklahoma Mercruiser plant as a bargaining chip against the Union in fondle lock and when the union caved they closed the Oklahoma plant. So Merc can screw itself before I ever buy another.

Buy service and warranty, all will serve you well

cbavier wrote:

Ron Burgundy wrote:

HandymanHerb wrote:Yea but don't try an E-tec, I don't want the prices to go up becuase of high demand

The owner of my local marina thinks the new Evinrude E-tec is the best thing since sliced bread.

Saw it today on TV. That is what Babe Winkleman runs on his boat.

I would defiantly run one if mine was free an they paid my mortgage! Lol but a lot of like them only bad thing I heard is noise an still deal with oil!

The owner of my local marina thinks the new Evinrude E-tec is the best thing since sliced bread.[/quote]

Saw it today on TV. That is what Babe Winkleman runs on his boat.[/quote]
I would defiantly run one if mine was free an they paid my mortgage! Lol but a lot of like them only bad thing I heard is noise an still deal with oil![/quote]


Yea I know what your saying. I noticed almost all the 2011 Bass Tournament boats had Mercruisers on them too. It's the same thing. Corporate Sponsors. Same way with all their fishing equipment. EVERYTHING! The fisherman don't buy anything. Probably even their entry fees are paid by the sponsors.

I went with an I/O after having several boats with O/B's. There are things I like about O/B's, but for as much time as we spend on the swim plateform on the back of the toon the I/O was a better choice for us. No motor to get in the way when you are on the back of the boat, and the drive and prop are underneath the swim plateform. Something else to think about.

I know four of the Bassmaster Elite professional fishermen, and they make their living on the lake. Most tournament fishermen run Mercruiser Optimax 250 hp on their 21' bassboats--getting about 72-74 mph with 52 gallons of gas and all of their tackle. These guys are not completely objective, as sponsors are often providing their engines and boats--and most trade for new boats yearly.

Factory Mercury and Yamaha mechanics (and parts trucks) are at every Bassmaster Elite tournament providing free warranty work.

The pros talk very highly of Mercury and Yamaha outboards, however they question the durability of E-Techs in a high mileage, high speed situation.

I have a 26 year old Yamaha 115 two stroke on my 24' Starcraft pontoon, and it's been very durable and trouble free. I'm also very impressed with the larger Yamaha 4 strokes, especially the new 200-250 hp SHO motors. They're somewhat pricy, however someone buying a high performance tri-toon should really look into this top quality line of motors. With gas prices spiking, 4 strokes are even more attractive--and their torque curve is perfectly suited for pontoon boats. My next boat will be a 4 stroke of some kind.

By the way, I think the Mercury 115 4 stroke powerhead is Yamaha supplied--put on a Mercury lower unit. You cannot go wrong there. I don't know about the source of Mercury's other 4 strokes.

2875RLXIO wrote:I went with an I/O after having several boats with O/B's. There are things I like about O/B's, but for as much time as we spend on the swim plateform on the back of the toon the I/O was a better choice for us. No motor to get in the way when you are on the back of the boat, and the drive and prop are underneath the swim plateform. Something else to think about.

I like having an I/O for the same reasons. I have a Volvo 5.0 engine, which i replaced with a brand new engine 2 seasons ago. I hope to God that it never needs service, my mechanic hates it. Who in their right minds mounts the fuel filter UNDER the engine? Volvo! Why does Volvo change part numbers for their parts nearly every year WITHOUT changing the part itself??? Even their own service manual says part numbers change without notice, and so do the parts! The engine runs great (well, not right now...) just parts and support difficult at best. For me, never again a Volvo powered boat.

Bamaman wrote:...By the way, I think the Mercury 115 4 stroke powerhead is Yamaha supplied--put on a Mercury lower unit. You cannot go wrong there. I don't know about the source of Mercury's other 4 strokes.

I'm pretty sure Yamaha hasn't had anything to do with Merc in a number of years now. In the early-2000s they had some kind of deal going on with Yamaha providing some Mercury blocks but that ended a few years ago. Today, my understanding is that Mercs under 40hp are rebadged Tohatsus, the 40s-60s are made in China and 75s & up are pure Mercury (though guaranteed they outsource a lot of it).


As for choosing a brand, really, I don't have a clue. Pretty sure my next motor will be the one I got the best deal on, though deep down I'd feel most comfortable with a Yamaha or Honda.


LC.