Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

[Lundman]

After I get some money issues taken care of and an RV sold,I have serious plans of purchasing another Lund A-14 Utility-V boat with small 15 HP motor
like I had before(was considering pontoon,but they are out of the question
moneywise). With gas prices as they are I am giving the four stroke motors very serious consideration. I have a choice of the 15 HP Tohatsu-built
Mercury or 15 HP Honda BF15. I would like your views on these two motors,...
even though I am giving Mercury another chance at proving they can be reliable. As for Merc's small four stroke motors,are they hard starting like the
old two strokes or do they start easier since they are four strokes? What about the Honda? Does it start easy with its auto start enrichment system
or is it, too ,cold natured? I was at a dealer while back who had a Honda in
a test tank on the showroom floor. He went to demonstrate it and while trying
to get it started,it would die the first two or three attempts and then it finally
decided to stay running. Kind of turned me off to Hondas so to speak. Right
now I am leaning towards Mercury,but would still welcome your opinions of Honda.

 

[JB]

Re: Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

Those are both very good engines, Lundman, but my opinion is that the Honda is a better one.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

The Honda has a better warranty. They both start, run and last the same.

 

[gss036]

Re: Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

I would have to go w/Honda since I've been running one since 1993 w/several thousand (3 to 4) hours. One theromostat change and one impeller change, all saltwater usage. I use it for trolling for salmon.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

If you ever have to carry one, you'll appreciate the Merc more.

 

[Skinnywater]

Re: Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

I'll lay a little bit of objectivity here.

I really like the Honda products. From lawn mowers to automobiles and of course the two outboards I've owned.
The Honda marine dealership network is pretty solid outhere, so it is little wonder why 98% of the small trolling motors that the professional guides use on their jetboats are Hondas.
Honda has an excellent reputation out here.

However, I have too many close friends that have small Hondas that pride themselves with the ability to pull the start rope half distance to get a quick start and instant smooth idle, so I see a possible red flag.

"I was at a dealer while back who had a Honda in
a test tank on the showroom floor. He went to demonstrate it and while trying
to get it started,it would die the first two or three attempts and then it finally
decided to stay running."

The red flag is the dealer that has a demonstrator that is obviously in need of adjustments or repair.
The Tohatsu I'm told is a very good outboard and has a solid reputation. The problem is that the Tohatsu dealership network is poor out here and Mercury isn't that popular in this area.

So my point is, it's important to have good service for the product you buy.
Your Mercury dealer may be a better one than the Honda dealer you visited.
This should be a very important consideration to you.

While the Honda demonstrator that needed restarted may get the excuse that it needed to be broken in, it would be a poor excuse, since both of my brand new Hondas started fast and stayed running out of the box.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

Out of the thousands upon thousands of new engines I have sold, under nine different labels, one thing has been very consistent....They all start out of the box, when started correctly, with very few exceptions. The only brand I personally worried about when we would test run one was the West Bend/Chrysler/Force.

 

[hitace]

Re: Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

the mercs ben around since the 1930s hard to fight with experience.honda is still kinda new to the outboard world but yea they both are great outboards.and should last a long time

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

Honda hands down...(and I'm a Merc freak)

 

[Lundman]

Re: Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

Thanks for the input,guys. But I have also been wondering what is happening,
or may happen to,Johnson. You know BRP has really scaled back that line in
order to focus all efforts on the E-TEC. I say that because before I thought about starting this post that I was going to include Johnson,...since I am more a Johnson fan. But I ask what would the marine industry be like without
Johnson around. But since Johnson is close to being almost non- existent,I have to go Merc or Honda. Johnson has been around too darn long for BRP to
get rid of the brand. Nothing wrong with Evinrude E-TEC,but I would much
rather have a Johnson carbureted two stroke over the Merc or Honda four
stroke. Deep down in my heart,I really am a Johnson guy,and I don't want to see this brand go by the wayside. But BRP has me running back to Merc or
maybe a Honda for power. Chances are I will go to Mercury.

 

[studlymandingo]

Fire up the Merc

Fire up the Merc

As for Merc's small four stroke motors,are they hard starting like the
old two strokes or do they start easier since they are four strokes?

Huh??? I have an '86 Merc; I pump the primer bulb, bump the enricher a couple of times, and she starts instantly.​

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Fire up the Merc

Re: Fire up the Merc

from what i understand from my trip last week, there are no more johnsons being built. when stock is gone it's gone. buying new i would go with Honda, had one on a sailboat years ago, super little engine. when i was still building Homes, all my gas equipment was honda. never a starting problem.

 

[hitace]

Re: Fire up the Merc

Re: Fire up the Merc

hey LUNDMAN i know how you feel about the Johnson outboards I'm probally one of there biggest fans my house is coverd with Johnson outboard clocks and stickers and so are my clothes them Johnson carbureted two stroke were really amazing outboards and always will be.i just seen a 15 HP 1998 Johnson carbureted two stroke brand new never ben used on ebay it was just sold yesterday.just one day late heres the link it is probally going to be the last OMC johny ever that would be not used also theres this guy who rebuilds johnsons from the ground up so there just like new they also come with a one year warranty.Hard to believe a brand with the history and equity of Johnson could just whither away.i have bought a 2007 sea hunt boat that came with a 115 yamah.i told the dealer how much for the 2000 150 OMC johnson 2 stroke he said this old thing i said what will it take for you to get rid of that jap motor and put on that johny he said ill give it to for free il just keep the yamaha.so i was so happy and also the johnson had never ben used it ben sitting there all them years.so you dont need to get a merc you can buy a rebuild johny thats just like new

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-...egoryZ111123QQihZ003QQitemZ130116811411QQrdZ1

heres the history of johnson

http://www.boats.com/news-reviews/article/outboard-expert-johnson-history

heres the death of johnson
http://www.boats.com/news-reviews/article/johnson-outboard-future

 

[hitace]

Re: Fire up the Merc

Re: Fire up the Merc

heres the guy who rebuilds outboard he does not have any small johnys rebuild right now but you can always buy a used one and have it rebuild

http://stores.ebay.com/1OUTBOARD

 

[hitace]

Re: Fire up the Merc

Re: Fire up the Merc

oh and one more thing heres a slide show of OMC johny/rude outboards its really sad to watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PoGduMYrfY

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

Hitace..... Stop trying to hijack threads! Your reply is nowhere near the subject and it is sickening.

Stop trying to confuse people.

The honda has a great reputation. Consider how much use the motor will get versus what is to be spent.

 

[hitace]

Re: Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

just rember when race time comes you will only see 2 stroke

 

[pecheux]

Re: Mercury vs. Honda,.. which small motor is best

In my opinion the best motor is the one sold by either the dealer who is closest to your place ... or the one who welcomes you best.

I m a johnson fan myself and I would buy a 2 stroke engine any time ... but if you want 4 trokes then let's say Honda has more experience in building 4 strokes engines than Merc.

Now remember (or double check) that a 4 strokes OB has less response than a 2 strokes OB. One dealer in my region where I was shoping for a 15 hp told me that a 15 hp 4 strokes would be the equivalent of a 9.9 hp 2 strokes in performance mounted on a 14 foot boat and that if I wanted the equivalent of a 15 hp 2 strokes I should shop for 20 hp.

Seems this theory applies mainly to small engines as the performance difference is less apparent as the hp's go up the scale.

Good luck in your purchase.