Honda, Yamaha, Etec

[Capt. Dan]

...oir local dealers carry them all and the pricing is compeer able AND I have no real predilection onion... If shopping for a 150 to power your new toon, what would YOU buy?

[rdeterman]

Yamaha. Never ever had any issues with the ones ive owned!

[Seon]

+1 on Yamaha. Another thing to consider is having a very good mechanic near by. Mine is a 5 star Yamaha certified mechanic about 20 miles away.

[cwag911]

Our Honda has been fine for 8 years so far and no problems.

[TDJ2591]

You won't go wrong with either one. We love our Honda. It is super quiet and extremely smooth running. I believe itt's essentially a marine version of the Honda Accord engine, which is one of the most reliable and longest lasting auto engines made.

[lakerunner]

I think when I repower I will go back to a 4 stroke.

My ETec is good but expensive and not easy for owner to maintain. I run 100/1 mix and that oil is $45.00 a gallon. Plugs have to be Indexed and if one you buy won't index you can't get money back. Plugs are if I remember near 20 a pop.

The plus is near a 100 lbs lighter than a 90 4 stroke

[Strake]

Yamaha..... super reliable, great dealer network, bulletproof. While the Honda is a super quiet, reliable engine, they seem to be more expensive and the dealer network is not as great as the many Yamaha dealers and service centers.

[Capt. Dan]

All the Coast Guard boats seem to have them, that must mean something...

[Bamaman]

My Yamaha F150 is almost 3 years old, and never seen the shop. My old 115 hp Yamaha gave me 28 years with only $241 spent on it. They've also got a good dealer base, and parts are easy to come by if ever needed. Cannot say the same for Honda and ETEC.

[TDJ2591]

I agree that the downside to Honda is the limited dealer network. The factory rep told me recently that they are expanding their network. I've changed the Honda's plugs, fluids and filters myself and it's not needed any other service. It's so quiet that I have to be careful not to hit the starter when the engine is alredy idling, which is something the PO cautioned me about. It's nice to be able to carrry on a normal conversation or talk handsfree thru the bluetooth stereo while running at WOT.

[OldePharte]

I had a '92 Yamaha 250 and it was a POS as one had to rebuild the carbs - all 6 - every three years. I know, I know, the newer versions have fixed the issues and are better. But it left a sour taste and I went with a 150 Honda for the toon. I am hard on power stuff, i.e. I don't do much to them, and I love my little Honda. As others noted, it is super quiet. At full speed, the wind and water noises are louder than the engine. And mine isn't buried under a sunpad.

So, I guess whatever you can get for the price should be good.

[Woody]

I have no complaints at all with my Honda, but, as others have stated, they are all good. I would stick with the one that had the best local support if you were to ever need anything.

[MattGent]

All the Coast Guard boats seem to have them, that must mean something...

All the coast guard boats around here run Mercury Verados.

The Yamaha 150 has a pretty strong reputation. Anecdotally I've known of one that had a head gasket failure leading to hydro-lock, which was replaced under warranty. If you search on thehulltruth however you would find that they are on tons of boats, and rarely have a problem.

The Suzuki 140 has a similar strong reputation and is popular as a repower option. I just bought a Suzuki 30 for mine, but too new for a review.

[robster]

Our Yamaha 150HP 4-stroke 2010 model has 320 hours on it and hasn't even burped. On the NC/SC coast I see mainly Yamaha.

[Dude]

My 2014 yamaha has exactly 1.5 hours and no problems at all ! Lol

But seriously, I wanted the new Mercury 150 4 stroke (no timing belt) or a Honda. I ended up with a Yamaha because the boat was pre rigged for Yamaha.

I have found through my web surfing that Yamahas are very highly regarded and have the track record to back it up. I hope I have the same luck with mine.

Most impressive outboard I've seen? Suzuki 140 4 stroke on a rented tritoon. 1287 hours, used very hard with questionable maintenance. Ran great, impressive performance.