I am putting together a boat and the builder told me I can get a 150 Suzuki for 8-900 bucks less than a Yamaha. That would go into the upgrade the Garmin fund so it has my attention. The thing is I don’t think I have even seen a 150 Suzuki on the water lots of 140’s and I know they run well. So any one on CF run a 150 Suzuki? any thoughts? - The only performance bulletins comparing the 2 on the same boat has a 3 degree difference in prop pitch so no real apples to apples data. In the end I don’t really care about .2 mpg or 3 mph on the top end I just want the best motor for my money. thanks.
my suzuki 150s have been great mechanically. i was looking for yamaha when i bought my boat. the salesman took the cover off the suzukis and i was sold with the simplicity and ease of maintenance. have recently had problems with one main wiring harness losing power and one NMEA adapter from the engine going out, but i guess electronic problems now and again are universal.
the reason for the pitch discrepancies between the yami and zuke are because of the lower final drive ratio on the zuke. they swing a bigger screw slower.
the zuke 140s are built on a similar block to the 90-115’s and overrated power wise. the 150 is the same block as the 175.
I like my suzuki 150… my problems have all been fuel related… It’s pretty picky about it’s fuel, but such is life in this wonderful ethanol world we live in. I’ve had mine since 2009, and put 400hrs on it in the first 3 years… take care of it… it’ll take care of you…
“The Wet Dream”
20’ Pioneer 197
150hp Suzuki 4-Stroke
The Sea-Tow Cat boat had twin DF150’s on it and the guy told me that they were awesome motors…They had a ton of hours on them with no problems. One thinng I noticed is that they looked big…bigger than any 150’s I’ve seen.
DF150’s have noticeably more mid range torque than F150’s. Agree with someone above who said the zuki should be more than 900 bucks less than the Yamaha. A DF175 and F150 at a dealer should be nearly the same price…
Another real world difference is that the zuki’s have a timing chain rather than a belt like the yamaha’s. The timing belt has to be adjusted along with the valves every few 100 hrs. The zuki is going to run longer between valve adjustments and the chain doesn’t have as much risk of failure. The 4 cyl yams also tend to stall when going into and out of gear once they get a little use on them- unless you go in and have all the adjustments made by a mechanic. It’s my favorite (NOT) when maneuvering near a dock or over live bottom and a motor stalls while the boat is moving, and you’ve got to realize what happened as the boat’s unresponsive, go into neutral and then crank back up while crashing into a dock or overshooting where you wanted to anchor…
Suzuki’s just don’t do that. The knock on Suzuki’s has been slow parts and slow communication between Suzuki and dealers on support issues. Also, there were corrosion issues from the '04-'05 period. Yamaha’s v6 four strokes from the same period also have corrosion issues, but I have not heard of any of that with the F150’s.
Yamaha is the preferred brand in our local market due to dealer support and sales. The dealer support is 10x better because of sheer volume of authorized service locations and their competitive nature for your service and parts business.
My advice, if you’ll be keeping the boat longer than 5 years, is to buy the brand that you’ll have the most convenient and reliable service for if you won’t be servicing yourself.
If you’re keeping the boat for less than 5 years, you could see better resale locally with the Yamaha. 900.00 more would make sense. 2500.00 more up front is what it should be, and at that point it doesn’t make as much sense. You aren’t going to get 2500 more for a 4 year old boat with a Yamaha than the sa
zuke makes a great motor
they don’t like saltwater they still have internal corrosion issues they specifically say in their warranty that they do not cover corrosion
they have the worst warranty support of any brand of outboard we have ever dealt with
the extended warranty is an insurance plan through a different company, and it will only cover up to the amount you paid for the motor.
if there is only $900 difference I would definitely get the Yamaha, just for resale
i have a suzuki 175df, same block as 150. have had zero problems, it is a 2007. very good on fuel and rus just as smooth and quite as it did 7years ago.
No doubt that Suzuki is harder to deal with than Yamaha on warranty issues.
Let’s be fair though. If you’re going to say that Suzuki doesn’t cover corrosion, then we ought to also say that Yamaha’s warranty doesn’t cover “normal deterioration” (which arguably could also include corrosion); nor does Yamaha cover non-ignition electrical or rubber components after 1yr.
The concern for owners from showroom to 3 yrs of age would mostly be defects, would it not? Both companies’ exclusions refer to deterioration caused by ________ something other than a defect_____, the way I read the warranties.
Furthermore, years 2 and 3 of the Yamaha warranty do not cover any electrical components outside of the ignition system. (p. 71) So you’re telling me that fly by wire controls are only covered for a year? How about my charging system? How about my starter? How about my fuel pumps and sensors? Only covered for a year by Yamaha? Maybe they will just be nice and ignore the language in their warranty.
Equally concerning is their exclusion of coverage of any rubber hoses, clamps, etc. in the 2nd and 3rd years. I guess we can run the starch out of those things during the first year to see if any defects show up.
No such exclusions for electrical or rubber components are found in Suzuki’s warranty.
So while the warranty may be simpler and easier for a dealer to deal with, it may not necessarily provi
I dont think there is such a thing as a "bad" motor any more. Sort of like a Ford truck , some people swear byem and some atem.Who makes the best motor ? Probably Honda. If youve ever owned a pressure washer, generator, lawnmower etc. with a Honda motor youd know what I m talking about. But… they have the worst reputation for corrosion, dont know if theyve kept up with the latest designs, not as many dealers/ mechanics and honestly haven`t looked at them very closely because of all that.
I have looked at Suzuki pretty close and was considering the 140 because of the hp/ weight ratio for the re power of an 18 foot Parker.I talked to a close friend who is a boat mechanic about them. He said “come here and look at these”. He had three late model Suzuki s that were torn apart, the internal corrosion was unbelievable. Looked like they had been taken apart and left on the beach for five years.He said, just like Chris, they were great motors but you have to stay on them constantly.Never miss a flush, use a salt removal product and a corrosion inhibitor every time. Like you should do on any motor.If I re power the boat, I`ll probably still buy the Suzuki.
I think the only company that has a corrosion warranty is Mercury ( 3 year). Im going to be in the market for a 300hp soon and am looking at either the Yamaha or the Merc. Whats the opinion of them now?
The anodes are super easy to check and change on my Suzuki.
I would buy a Yamaha if all brands were the same money for the same HP. Yamaha is what everyone believes in and wants here. Mechanics want you to buy one because they want to work on them. They have become ubiquitous here because of that.
However, it is different elsewhere in the country and world, and times can change. Just look at OMC. Hopefully Yamaha doesn’t rest on their laurels.
I honestly ruled Yamaha out when comparing 300’s because of the price difference. It was over $2500 difference no matter how or who you priced with. It was more than that depending on who you wanted to buy from.
The problem I had with merc, if you’re talking about Verado, is that they’re even more limited than Suzuki in dealer and support presence here. Merc’s also tremendously harder for someone to work on at home, which I plan to do throughout the life of my motor- unless I can’t figure something out or a job is too big.
I cannot find one person who has not regretted owning a big verado either- unless they were pro staff or had some other affiliation with mercury.
Ask any owner of an F300 or DF300 what they think, and they’ll probably tell you it’s the best they’ve ever owned.
Didn’t know Yamaha had a warranty…I guess that’s because I never had to use it:stuck_out_tongue:!
Actually, my 06 F150 I bought new (200 Bay Scout)started making that whistling noise that ended up being the balancer they had so many problems with and Yamaha covered it about 3 or 4 months out of warranty. $900.00 repair…I was stoked with them saying they would cover it!
Would not have a problem buying a Zuke, with what I have seen and heard from folks tho.
If you want to see how popular Yammy’s are, go to the Broad River during Cobia season…guessing 80%. There is a reason for that.
As far as corrosion issues, what are y’alls thoughts on using Salt-Away??
Thank you everyone for your impute, Phin as always well explained. I plan on owning the boat for a long time, I do like to tinker with motors but I am no mechanic. I can change water pumps, oil’s and stuff like that but would be lost if I tried to pull a motor apart.
The boat is being made down in Tampa FL and the prices down there are completely different from up here the cheapest motor he offers is the 150 Etec -then Merc ,Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha (it’s most expensive). I went to buy an etec 6 years ago in Charleston and they wanted 2k more for one than a Yamaha. Ended up driving to Destin FL and buying my Yamaha vmax.
Thank you everyone for your impute, Phin as always well explained. I plan on owning the boat for a long time, I do like to tinker with motors but I am no mechanic. I can change water pumps, oil’s and stuff like that but would be lost if I tried to pull a motor apart.
The boat is being made down in Tampa FL and the prices down there are completely different from up here the cheapest motor he offers is the 150 Etec -then Merc ,Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha (it’s most expensive). I went to buy an etec 6 years ago in Charleston and they wanted 2k more for one than a Yamaha. Ended up driving to Destin FL and buying my Yamaha vmax.
A lot of good points to be made for both motors. Do your research and see what you think is best for you. I have a 18HP 4 stroke Tohatsu on my Jon boat that I bought in 2006. I service it myself yearly and take care of it. Can?t tell you how many times I have been asked 1) where did you buy that and 2) how does it run. Well that motor is old faithful, never broke down. Hell it is still running the original water pump. I know I should change it, but unlike me its pee stream is still going strong. Just because they aren?t 85% of the market doesn?t mean they are not a quality product. Go to Japan and see how many Yamahas you see. Almost all their commercial fisherman run Tohatsu’s.
A wise man once said “Do as I say not as I do” Good advice when I tell you that.
Tohatsu and Suzuki are the number one selling outboards in the world.
for a reason*
It would be foolish to ignore why Yamaha is so popular here though- popular enough to cost 20% more in general. There’s a reason, and it’s a good one. Whether that reason applies to you is up to you.
Yamaha is not a 20% better motor. I can promise you that; especially after I have been stuck offshore waiting on SeaTow due to yamaha’s breaking down.
I know of lots of nice boats built right down in Sarasota and Bradenton but curious about what you’re getting built in Tampa.
Have made a couple trips down there recently, and there are a lot of skilled and knowledgeable people in that area.
If Suzuki costs more than here and Yamaha costs less than here- I’d go with Yamaha, because that’s a better deal. If paying current SC prices, I’d go with Suzuki.
PHIN
as for the warranty
I base my response on personal experience with both companies
they are not even really comparable.
Yamaha will and does cover rubber seals during the warrany period such as lowerunit seal
it doesn’t cover water pumps
the extended warranty is the same as the regular warranty, except for the controls on the boat they are only covered during the regular warranty
the lawsuit for the f225 is for corrosion WAY out of the warranty period
Yamaha always covered them during the warranty period, and even up to a year after the warranty expired if the dealer called and asked.
Suzuki wont cover corrosion on a 6 month old motor with 50 hours.
factory tech support for Yamaha is far superior
factory training for local techs is much better
dealer network is huge for yamaha
I work on both Yamaha and Suzuki
YES they both break down
we see more internal corrosion issues with the zukes than the yamahas
I am certified for both Yamaha and Suzuki however we no longer do warranty work for suzuki
both have units that are easy to work on and both have units that are difficult to work on
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