help me please- I am somewhat new to “modern boating” and in the question of why has Yamaha seemed to dominate the charleston outboard 90 HP and up market,
I think that Johnson/evinrudes decline was due to the 80s 90s VRO oil pump issues followed by Fitch complications, followed by their engine parts outsourcing causing asembly problems followed by going bankrupt.
but for MERCURY outboards- (I had a mercruiser sterndrive w/o many ENGINE problems (dont like the drive)) what did/ is Mercury doing wrong/not as good that causes so few bigger newer mercs to be sold? National sales numbers for Merc Yam seem to be about the same , but not here in chas and not places I have been in the Carrib- mostly YAmaha
What problems exist with 90 hp up mercs that cause people to not buy them here in chas?
More than likely because it is easier to get parts and mx done on a yamaha than a merc in this region. In the pacific northwest, merc has the market. In the NE I see a lot of hondas. There are some very strong opinions on this site but I like anything that powers my boat
the biggest difference is the electrical components
yamaha has a very low electrical failure rate, and mercury has a very high failure rate.
yamaha also uses less fuel
Please clarify Chris. Everything I’ve read says Opti’s are the most fuel efficient of all, including 4 strokes? Not by a huge margin, but I don’t think the above statement is accurate. Am I mistaken?
There are no 2 stroke motors in production that get better fuel economy then a four stroke. Most people forget when they compare the two that along with fuel consumption a 2 stroke has to also have 2 stroke oil. Mercury reqires you to ruin synthetic oil which is at the the cheapest around $30 per gallon.
I was comparing a 90 merc carbed 2 stroke to a 90 yamaha carbed 2 stroke
I was just assuming he was talking about used boats. not sure why, just what I thought.
WD- That is not what a considerable amount of research indicates. Opti’s appear to be the most fuel efficient, again not by a wide margin but, that is a fact. Yes the recommend oil is pricey, but an Opti burns no more than 50% compared to a comprable carbed 2 stroke. Then you could get into ringfree, quickleen, oil,oil filters,oil disposal, maintenace costs blah blah blah.
Yamaha’s do seem to be the most reliable, but that is a subjective statement. Fuel burn you can measure.
An opti is not a carbed but a fuel injected motor so wouldn’t you compare it to a DI motor and not a carbed motor? Also all outboard manufacturers are suggesting you to run some type of fuel conditioner or ringfree type stuff. As far as oil changes per year if you cahnge your oil every 80 hours which averages around once a year then you are spending around 60 dollars to change your oil. All motors need to be service yearly so that is null. I sell ranger boats and I can get a ranger with a etec, mercury, or yamaha. I currently have a z520 with the new SHO and one with an opti. Both running a 25 fury and they are equipped exactly the same even same color the SHO will burn less fuel then the opti.
I’ll take back statement about Opti’s being the MOST fuel efficient as factual. I was wrong. It appears to depend on the horsepower being discussed. My point is that you can’t say 4 strokes, or Yamahas are the most fuel efficient across the board. They seem to have the edge in higher hp, but Opti has the edge in mid-range. Sorry the links aren’t live. You’ll have to cut and paste to view
I clicked on those links. I like a good debate but those boats are no where even comparable. A run a bout and a 1760 Key west are two different style boats. Plus the run a bout is a lot less and a different hull
the biggest difference is the electrical components
yamaha has a very low electrical failure rate, and mercury has a very high failure rate.
yamaha also uses less fuel
The KW hull is only 50 lbs heavier. Both are V-hulls. I would say that makes them very comprable
Glass master is running a 19 pitch with 5 gals of fuel and one person
Key west is running a 17 pitch with 23 gals of fuel and two people and a poling platform. Also depending on how how much RPMs you run is where you see a difference in Fuel consumption.
I think I’ve made my point, and you’ve made yours. Of course there are a hundred variables that can effect things. I’m just pointing out the results as you did. In your comparison the 225 was turning a 23 and the Opti a 17, and the Opti was running in a 2-3 ft chop, Yammy running smooth water and I could go on…
I know your never going to admit a Yamaha 4stroke is anything but the best in every category so I’m going to stop here.
BTW… I’m no mechanic, no where near, never will be , but, I’m well aware that RPM’s effect fuel consumption
man I didn’t even see that on the mercury flats boat. I know when the chop picks up people run smaller props but why would mercury do a performance report in that unfavorable of conditions. That makes me wonder about who did the actual test.
Btw it kind of seem sin your posts I may have gotten under your skinbut I was merely having a gentlemens debate and not trying to argue. Sorry if I may have gotten to you.
Just admit it you two, Force is the best, most powerful, lightest, most fuel efficient, longest lasting outboard motor ever built. I know Chris V will agree with me
NP WD. I appreciate you recognizing my point about the tests not being the most “scientific”. I was starting to think I was debating against Yamaha tunnel vision and maybe got irked about a lack of objectivity, but now I see that’s not the case
You hear anything about Yamaha making this SHO in mid range HP? I know the bass boat sector is where a lot of the $ is, but it seems a 115 and a 150 would be popular w/ both smaller bass boats and SW flats and bay boats
They are working on the Inline 4s right now. I also heard there will be a new inline 4 200 for the flats boats. I am running a 4 stroke 150 with a few upgrades to make it run a little faster and new cowlen. We should know omething about the new Vmax F150 by next years boat show season. I know the F70 is doing real well and we should also see a change in the 90,60, and 50 too.
