Which brand?

I would say that if honda is having those troubles, it would be very easy to document in this day and age. There would be scores screaming from the mountain top about how horrible they are. But, this isn't happening. I don't know if the parts are bad or not; they could very well be. Something though, doesn't make sense. I have a lot of hours on my bf 45s and while they have not been perfect engines, they have been very dependable and good. I think with few exceptions, buying any of the major brand's outboards will likely work out fine. I'd by the one with local support from the local guy, but that is just me.
 
My experience with Honda products, including numerous motorcycles, outboards, cars, and generators, has been positive over many years. For me they have been great products and I don't hesitate to go back to them. That being said, if I were to re-power our 25 cruiser from it's present 150 Honda I would probably consider something else based on the scarcity of Honda dealers, parts, and mechanics around our local central NY boating area.
 
I should chime in here to tell you that I repowered my 25 with a 175 E-Tec last fall.

My boat is fairly heavy. The E-Tec will push it a little past 30 knots. Fuel economy at 6 knots seems very impressive although we haven't taken a long enough trip yet to really test it.

Had a 70 E-Tec on my motor sailer and fuel economy and performance there was my reason for this motor.

Good luck!

Tom
 
I have owned and worked on:

ETEC 90
Honda 90 EFI
Honda BF150 (2)
Yamaha F150

Of the four I put Yamaha on top for design, engineering, quality, ease of maintenance. I have 802 hours on the Yamaha 150 and inside it looks new. The Honda 150s have 900 hours on them and look like it. Water is able to get under the cowlings of all the Honda I have owned making corrosion control a recurring task. I keep trying to find a corrosion problem on the Yamaha and was finally rewarded with a trim sensor that needed about a hour to remove clean up and replace. That was after 6 years in salt water. The ETEC was the one engine that suffered from design and engineering problems that made maintenance harder than it should be. I work with another boat with twin ETEC 200s that has similar problems not to mention it likes to consume parts, fuel, and expensive oil at a much greater rate than the older Honda 150s running beside it on the same type hull.


Service availability being equal, I would pick Yamaha. I don't have any experience with Suzuki, so can't comment.
 
I have had four Yamaha outboards a Hi thrust 4 stroke 10hp, a 4 stroke 2.5 hp dink motor which we still have ,a Saltwater II 115 hp on a previous boat and our current 150hp 4 stroke. Keep good fuel, run ring free on a regular basis and maintain them they will run a longtime has been our experience.
Yamaha's have good corrosion resistance,usually lighter and faster than a comparable Honda.
I have great respect however for Honda in general. We have a Honda Civic,CRV and a couple Honda generators a 2000 watt and a 3000 watt. Plus my wife's Yamaha student model piano. But for a boat motor I'm liking Yamaha no surprises. People come up to us all the time at launch ramps and docks and say I love you boat and that our 150 Yamaha is a good motor. For me that says a lot.
Yamaha outboards in our area at least, have more dealers and I think boats with Yamaha have better resale value because they are so widely accepted.
When I bought my boat, a repected dealer on this site who will remain nameless said don't let them sell you a Suzuki outboard. It was not the dealer I purchased the boat from. I have no exerience with Suzuki but I think they are a good engine, just not for me.
Some folks like the ETEC's but some say that for cruising they emmit a different sound that some find annoying. Some have said the are like a race motor not as nice as a 4 stroke for at least our style of cruising. I do know that being down wind of two stroke exhaust is something I won't ever miss. Where go in Mexico (Holbox and Isla Mujueres) is almost all Yamaha Enduro 2 stroke outboards as the want the simplist of mechanical systems. Yamaha parts are little more expensive but other than that you don't hear too much bad about the brand.
D.D.
 
Being down wind from an E-Tec is no different than being down wind from a four stroke. The E-tec's are not like the two strokes of old.

We're lucky, that as a dealer we can sell four different lines (Evinrude, Suzuki, Yamaha, and now (ugh) Mercury) so we can fit the right motor to a boat based on customers' use.
 
Matt Gurnsey":2ekp4mw4 said:
...as a dealer we can sell four different lines (Evinrude, Suzuki, Yamaha, and now (ugh) Mercury)...
Click to expand...

What's wrong with Merc? I've never particularly liked them, but there's no good reason for that. I've also noticed that very few (non Brunswick) boats in the San Juans seem to have Mercs and there aren't many C-Dorys with them.

And on a different topic...the USCG is beginning to replace their response boat-small (RB-S...those 25 foot SAFE boats that we've all seen around) with a newer model. Once again, they've selected Honda BF225's to power the boats. I'd venture to guess that they put more hours on Honda outboards than just about anyone else and they must have given reliable service or another company would have gotten their business. Granted, the USCG doesn't have to worry about dealer support or availability and our C-Dory's use smaller engines, but this does seem like a pretty good endorsement of Honda.
 
Tom and Susan use that engine but then the 27s are not very numerous.

I had one good Merc, the later 3.5hp unit :) Oh wait, that was a Tohatsu.

I still cringe a bit when I hear the word "Force" and outboard in the same sentence but I guess Mercs have had their ups and downs and are likely relatively solid these days.

I really look at the details more than the brand personally but I am still brand bias of course. I love the the latest Yamaha 70 and Honda 60 and most dream of boats to mount one or two on.

If you are mechanically handy and willing to carry some basic spares, I think the service availability importance withers away some. We have Hondas on the boat and service options are limited in the south sound. We have made due with our own maintenance and haulouts in the past and paid for a tech to come out once in the beginning. I still wouldn't hesitate to put another honda on a boat down here.

I would like to know more about folks experience with Suzuki outboards. I have never owned one but am driving my 8th Suzuki car and have owned a couple of two wheelers as well with nothing but increasing admiration for the underdog but dependable brand.
 
Aurelia":16kxc5yd said:
I would like to know more about folks experience with Suzuki outboards. I have never owned one but am driving my 8th Suzuki car and have owned a couple of two wheelers as well with nothing but increasing admiration for the underdog but dependable brand.
Click to expand...
Hi Greg, sorry to hear you're selling your beautiful boat but understandable. To answer your question, as an owner of a Suzuki 90hp for the past 7 years, I love the Suzi. Always reliable, always starts right up even after months of sitting in the winter. We've always kept it regularly maintained and it purrs like a kitten, especially at idle.
As a dealer described when comparing this model Suzuki 90hp vs a Yamaha 90hp, "it's a brute". However this model is heavier, I hear the hp is actually closer to 100hp. The newer models are smaller blocks I believe.

When we first bought C-Dancer in 2005, the factory recommended we power with the Suzuki over the Honda, the main reason being that it was fuel-injected. I was hesitant at first because the majority of the C-Dories at that time were being powered with Hondas. But I'm so glad we stuck with the FI Suzuki over the carbeurated Hondas. The only problem we've ever had was a bad relay switch for the tilt/trim. No mechanical problems whatsoever (knock on wood). I would recommend Suzuki's highly.
 
Jazzmaniac,
I thought you had a rough weekend a while back and had to get towed in? StarCraft Tom came to your aid as I remember Blown fuse or something on your engines ignition? Maybe it was someone else.
D.D.
 
Will-C":1bi1u1be said:
Jazzmaniac,
I thought you had a rough weekend a while back and had to get towed in? StarCraft Tom came to your aid as I remember Blown fuse or something on your engines ignition? Maybe it was someone else.
D.D.
Click to expand...
True, except that was totally my fault. A wire got loose at the back of the helm and when trying to reconnect, I shorted the wires causing the fuse to short. I couldn't find the fuse, therefore we had to get home on the kicker. No tow involved. The only reason I asked Tom and Susan to try towing us was to get us back to our mechanic before they closed. That lasted about 50 yards. The kicker got us back just fine. Not the fault of the engine, the fault of the operator. :embarrased

Good memory though. The point being, if you want to count that episode, the only problem I've ever had with the engine was electrical in nature, one in which I caused myself and the other which was definitely an engine electrical relay problem. Probably a $15 part that was covered by warranty. No mechancal problems to speak of. (As I said, knock on wood) Not to say Suzukis don't have mechanical challenges but in MY experience, we haven't had a major problem...yet and hopefully not in the near future as well.

As far as engine choice, it's the same argument as Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge et al. From what I've heard, the modern 4-strokes are pretty darn reliable these days. I would feel comfortable going with a Yamaha, Honda, Nissan/Tohatsu or even a 4-stroke Mercury. E-tec as well although I'd prefer a 4-stroke, fully realizing that it's built with "modern" 2-stroke technology.
 
Does Toyota make outboards under another name (like Yamaha)?

The Ford/Chevy/Dodge debate goes somewhat differently when you include Nissan and, particularly, Toyota.

Toyota Truck owners are far and away more loyal and brand conscious than Nissan, Suzuki, Subaru, Jeep, Ford, Chevy, Dodge, etc. Their claim: 300k-400k mile Toyota Trucks (!)

Are any of the Toyota engines running around in outboard engine cowls?

We know that most of the Hondas, Suzukis, etc. are automobile motors stood on end and converted to marine use.

Is the Yamaha a Toyota in disguise? :?:

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Joe,
I have not had any issues with floor mats or my outboards throttle sticking wide open. So I'm guessing Toyota does not build Yamaha outboards or pianos. :lol:
D.D.
 
Hey Larry, Dave:

Thanks for the answers and humor! :lol:

Believe it or not, I was reflecting on this question about a half hour after writing it, and seem to remember asking it, or something like it before (!) De Ja' Vu !!! :smileo

Our Journey Around the Great Circle of Boating Questions Continues!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Will-C":32mue4wh said:
Joe,
I have not had any issues with floor mats or my outboards throttle sticking wide open. So I'm guessing Toyota does not build Yamaha outboards or pianos. :lol:
D.D.
Click to expand...

Oh and the spare tire carrier doesn't rust away from the frame either (brother's taco) and go rolling down the road. And in the case of my 1985 toyota pu, the entire pickup doesn't rust away leaving only the frame and drivetrain. On the bright side, at least it got better gas mileage year after year due to the decrease in weight. And you didn't need airconditioning as you could see through the floor in spots.....Nice....And this was after only about 120,000 miles and tens years of use...Or can we start with my wife's 1994 runner that we bought brand new that went through head gaskets 4 times in about 200,000 or miles with that wonderful 3.0 v6 they made. End rant....the only thing worse was the Chevy Malibu we traded the 4-runner for.....yuk...
 
Give someone a good product and 1 out of 10 will talk about it.
Give someone a bad product and 9 out of 10 will talk about it.

:roll: 8) :wink: :mrgreen: :| :oops: :thdown :thup :cat :dog

What ever is back there, if there are 2, there is half the chance of getting stranded.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

IMGP1255.highlight.jpg
 
Jazzmaniac,
You mentioned Suzuki's mechanical challenges, not pick on Suzuki but some might be interested in what these challeges were. I agree the the new 4 stroke outboards all seem to be pretty well built. Now days I say the little things make the difference. For one changing my oil on our 150 Yamaha is a mess unless you use one of those oil extractors. But the oil filter change is easy.
D.D.
 
Will-C,

Honestly, I don't know of any mechanical challenges with Suzuki. My point was that all engines at one time or another may have a mechanical challenge because they are machines and not built to last forever and that Suzuki is no different than any other brand in that respect.
 
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