Need Feedback on 225 HP & 250 HP owners............

[Bronze Back]

I have only owned/purchased 1 boat in my lifetime                    (90 HP Johnson & Ranger Cherokee 207)and want to hear from boat owners who have owned  both 225 HP & 250 HP outboard motors.If i decide to purchase a new boat & motor i want to leave no stone unturned.Reliability is most likely my biggest concern,JD Power and Associates ranked Honda,Mercury,and MerCruiser Highest in customer satisfaction in 2006 (boat owners that reported fewer engine related problems).I go to Bass & Walleye boats for information on boat & outboard motor testing and their findings,but
want to hear from owners who use them every week.Is their any other websites that would give me some information that would help me on this subject?I am leaning toward 2 outboard manufacturers,
but want to keep an open mind and compare all information i can gather before i make my decision.It would be a big step up and a big investment and i want to get it right the first time!Thank you in advance for your imput!

[blakstr1]

www.bassboatcentral.com huge forum with experts for every manufacturer, plus you might even find people that have the same rig your looking at with idnetical equipment, tons of info.

(not that I condone or even recommend navigating away from the #1 FISHING MIRACLE SITE, a.k.a GLBass.com!  "if you build it they will come")



(since I couldn't swing the $13,000 to buy GLBass.com, I had to settle for GLBass.com as a shortcut, but I sure do APPRECIATE the endorsement!!! djk)

[motocross269]

It's great that you are taking the time to do some research..BBC is a great website as blake stated.  Just remember that it is going to be like a chevy vs ford vs dodge battle...Everyone is going to love what they have.  I just bought a used motor and I called a couple of marinas and talked to the service reps..These guys work on all of the different manufactures and they have a pretty good handle on the weaknesses of different brands.  Now is a great time to buy new with the warranties available.  I think Evinrude and Mercury have a 5 year warranty now...

[Eric]

I have now had all 3 brands.  I had no real big issues with any of them, but I would be very hard pressed to not stick with yamaha.  I can't really think of anything negative to say about that motor and how it has performed for me.  It think the only thing I would avoid would be the any brand of the first generation direct injection motors. 

[blakstr1]

Just remember that it is going to be like a chevy vs ford vs dodge battle...Everyone is going to love what they have. 

Oh yeah, great point i should've mentioned that!  thanks for the assist B 

[smbassman]

I am a Merc fan myself and can't imagine owning anything different.  So my recommendation would be the Pro XS in either 225 or 250.  Awesome power, fuel economy, cheap oil, the best/strongest lower unit and JD Powers seems to like them.

But in reality, they all make good motors. 

[REEL_MAN]

Rufus is the only one I know that has a big Honda 225 4 stroke, Maybe he can tell you about performance and reliability he has had.

REEL_MAN

[djkimmel]

I've only had two of the newer high tech motors - I was lucky and only had two minor problems with my old Opti (before it fell off, but to be fair, though it fell off in the third year I owned it, it was run into low speed by a car the first month I owned it) during the time they were not doing so well.

Since then, I've owned the Yamaha V-Max 225 HPDI and had 0 issues with it. Better low end torque and same top end as my old regular Opti had. About the same on gas and better on oil. Looks like Mercury has improved quite a bit (Yamaha was the JD Power champ for several years and still doing well, particularly in the 4 Stroke) in several areas.

But I truly believe my Yamaha  has that turn the key reliability that gives me the confidence that I can fish every day I want and get there and back everywhere I want to go. Three years and it starts every time I turn the key - hot, cold, ran yesterday, or not ran in 2 months. I really like that... a lot!

[Bronze Back]

DJ,

Yamaha outboards have only a 2* rating where Evinrude&Mercury has a 3* rating for emissions,not sure if it's a big deal or not?I am
not sure if the tournament incentives (highest finish with that brand)are a deciding factor when purchasing an outboard motor,or because Mercury has the most outboard motors on the water by
far (Yamaha,Evinrude,Honda,Suzuki combined do not have as many outboard motors on the water)is the reason they offer those incentives to lure perspective outboard motor purchases? The biggest problem i have is that the outboard motor manufacturers
will release their product to the public unproven, and as consumers we are the test guniea pigs!You're not the only one who was run into by a car!

[rufus]

Ah yes, my Honda. If you want to hide, don't buy one. I have someone at every tourney saying they saw me here or there. As far as reliability, I can't complain too much. I am the second owner and it blew up 4 months after I bought it. Apparently there was a oil pump issue that has now been taken care of. They replaced the powerhead at no charge, but it did take them 3 months due to the fact the rep had not stopped in to okay it. The low end toruqe is not very good. It is very slow out of the hole and has a little trouble when the 'wells are full. I do have four very heavy AGM batteries in the back that do not help. Top end speed will average 3-7 mph less than the equivalent 2 stroke 225. As far as maintenance, the oil is very easy to change and I do that 3 times a year. The gas mileage is phenomenal. When fishing out of Elizabeth Park I have ran to Stag Island and back with several stops along the way and I still have a half tank of gas so I ususally burn 20-24 gallons on a long trip like this. I do not think another outboard will equal it on fuel economy. If you fish a lot of big water and want to save a little gas money, I would recommend one. If you don't I would go with a Yamaha HPDI. Good Luck on your decision.

[BryanP]

I agree on the Yamaha HPDI.  That's what I've run for the past 3 years without any issues.  When I decide to sell this one and get a new boat, no doubt I'll get another Yamaha. 

FWIW--I'd take what you read in Bass and Walleye Boats with a grain of salt as far as motor tests go.

[djkimmel]

Getting market share is expensive for everyone. All you can do is try things and see what happens. Tournament incentives have proven very successful for some companies.

The industry is very competitive and small so I have felt too that new technology seems rushed some time, but the HPDI has been out for quite a while now and seems pretty stable, and I have to reiterate that Yamaha really does have turn the key reliability over the long haul - very important to my limited fishing time and budget.

I think the reliability has forced the other companies to strengthen up their game - good for all of us regardless of the outboard we happen to prefer.

[Bronze Back]

DJ,

Competition is a good thing when 1 company steps up to the plate the rest better grab a bat too, otherwise they will hit it out of the park! As Brian said take anything with a grain of salt and try to read between the lines,but get all the information one can get before making a big decision. PS; Don't be afraid to ask questions! 

[djkimmel]

This is the 'No Question is a Dumb Question' forum!