Need to make a decision on make of motor

[ris]

We are trying to decide on which 50 hp motor to buy for our . Honda does not make a 50 hp high thrust motor, you have to go up to a 60 hp. Do I really need the high thrust motor? Or will the standard honda 50 do the job. My other choice is the Yamaha 50 hp high thrust. We took a short ride on Herschel's mac which had the Yamaha 50 and it was nice. If you have the Honda or Yamaha would you please comment on fuel gph or mpg and how you like the motor. We know the Honda gets a little better gph at 2000 rpm than the Yamaha and much better gph at 4000. Honda has a better warranty. Yamaha is a little less expensive and can be worked on right in this little town of Frostproof where we live. The nearest Honda place is about an hour distance. The other boat motor dealers are even further away. So it needs to be the Honda or Yamaha. We are getting canvas which should be finished this week so next is the new motor. I just do not know about motors so thanks for your help.

[bahama bound]

There is a great tool for fuel economy of marine motors .just google fuel economy and the out board make and model and it pops up like a tach and shows gph through out the rpm range .i have used it alot .

[Catigale]

Buy based on your local support.

There is not enough differentiation in brands to assert technical superiority IMHO.

[gabid]

I replaced the nightmare 2 stroke outboard on my 4 years ago with Suzuki EFi 50 HP.
So far so good, I never had a problem.
I went to the closest outboard dealer in my area, he's selling Mercury and Suzuki. The Mercury was $500 cheaper but based on the dealer experience he has to fix all the time Mercury's in warranty but never had to fix a Suzuki.

[yukonbob]

Pretty sure the Yamaha weighs less. That would be my next pro/con. Suzukis are reliable and have great customer service, but weigh more than Yamaha's, and less or similar to Honda's. Suzuki parts are also expensive, don't know about Hondas

[kadet]

Buy based on your local support.

There is not enough differentiation in brands to assert technical superiority IMHO.

+1

[raycarlson]

up until 2010 at least mercury and yamaha 50hp and less were the same identical motor, built in the same chinese manufacturing plant, including the high thrust yammy and bigfoot merc, were identical, only different colors and name plate. go with who is in your area if you are not able to repair or work on the motor yourself. And dont get a 50, go with the 70 at least, you'll kick yourself in the butt later for not getting the bigger motor, and if you think you dont need it then dont get the 50 either, go with the 15 or a 25 and save the money if you only need power for departing dock.

[BOAT]

Really, the motor is not very important to me, and I know very little about motors, but there is one thing to consider that I like about the standard ETEC motors that come with the boats. The ETEC has a low profile, (low center of gravity) - now this is more than just a handy feature for getting in and out of the back of the boat - it also makes a little bit of a difference on the CG of the boat when you are sailing with the motor out of the water.

Having all the heavy stuff down as low as possible is always important in my book. I like the 4 stroke motors - (the seem quiet to me) but I rarely ever use a motor and those big black four stroke motors really tower up high in the air putting a lot more weight above the CG.

Is the motor really important to you?

[JotaErre]

My has a 50 HP 4-Stroke Yamaha. It has 17 years and works very well, I've never had a serious problem with it since I bought the boat 4 years ago.

My previous boat had a VERY old 2-Stroke Evinrude... it finally died (well, it could still be repaired, but it was not economical) after 33 years of pulling the boar around...

[dlandersson]

Buy based on your local support.

There is not enough differentiation in brands to assert technical superiority IMHO.

+1

+2

[BOAT]

Buy based on your local support.

There is not enough differentiation in brands to assert technical superiority IMHO.

+1

+2

Yeah, they are all really pretty much all the same, aren't they? It does not really matter anymore.

[bahama bound]

Only 2 scheduled services in the first 600 hours .1st at 300 hours ,can pull start etec up to 90 h.p .self winterizes itself with push of a button .

[BOAT]

Only 2 scheduled services in the first 600 hours .1st at 300 hours ,can pull start etec up to 90 h.p .self winterizes itself with push of a button .

wat'z a "winterize"?

[bahama bound]

They fog themselves for winter storage .

[BOAT]

They fog themselves for winter storage .

I don't see a "winter" button on my etec60 - just an up button and a down button. When in the "winter" are you supposed to push the button?