Who builds the BEST outboard ??

[CATransplant]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

There are too many variables for there to be one answer for this question. It's sort of like asking which car is the best car. There is no answer, because the needs of every driver are different.

Same with outboards. Too many questions would have to be asked about how you will use the outboard, whether there is a dealer in your area, what size outboard are you talking about...and many many more.

The answer is that there is no answer.

 

[Kymasabe]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

Reminds me of "The Matrix", "...there is no spoon"!

Point well made CATransplant, there probably is no right answer as Haskindm mentioned, "best" can be defined so many ways.
I haven't heard from a technician yet who could have shed alot of light on the subject...which brands come in for maintenance, which one comes in for failures, what failures are they seeing most commonly, etc.

So, thank you all for your input.

 

[Kev144]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

IF you want a real motor I'd gladly sell you a chevy 1075 CI 1300 HP motor but you can only have a mercruiser racing outdrive

Joking aside. They are all good really. Asking a question like this is going to give you brand bias though. I'm starting to like the yammies now days.

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

Yamaha...Here's my Yammy story. Bought my last new boat in 1986. CC with a 90 Yamaha. I live in Florida, no season, we can boat whenever. I was living on the water near Boca Grande and the Peace river. I fished hard and fished often. Usually kept the boat trailered. Every time I used it I washed and flushed the motor. Every other year it got anew set of plugs and new impeller. I did that routine for ten years. That motor never saw a dealer or repair shop. Never rebuilt or adjusted the carbs. Never touched the oil injection system. Never had tilt/trim problems. Never used Salt away. Never used Sea foam.

I blew up a four year old Mercury, and never could get a six year old Evinrude to start or run properly.

Just bought my boat used and the only requirement was that it had a Yamaha. And it does.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

I agree with jevery on this one.

...

... anyone got an Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Milk Duds, or Goobers they want to share?

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

I like to be different, so I am going out on a limb, and choose a Yamato 302 as my wish motor for my inflatable.

There are probably a dozen reasons that someone will point out why this is not a good idea, but so be it.

 

[jevery]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

I dunno, the power curve looks kinda peaky to me

Might try to jump in the boat with you when you hit the gas.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

I dunno, the power curve looks kinda peaky to me

Might try to jump in the boat with you when you hit the gas.

Oh but I like Peaky motors. I am really only interested in that part of the curve, the peaky part.

All or nothing!

 

[greenhorn1]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

i dont know about anyone but i like johnson

 

[jevery]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

They were the best selling outboards for some years. Must have been doing something right. Didn't particulatly mind seeing Chrysler and Force go down the tubes, but I kinda miss the Seahorse.

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

The Honda motors have been chosen for the fifth straight year as the NMMA motor that rates the best. This a Customer Satisfaction Index award that tracks customer response to marine motor inquirys. The categories were frequency of repair, performance, fuel eficiency and quietness at cruise.

 

[redtech]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

this has been a fun topic to read and i thought it was dead
read here often but seldom sign in
so as a tech that has worked on most brands all i can say is this
there all good motors today, can't complain to much about any of them but can complain about all of them.
no really good answer but if you want horror stories about all the manufactures you can get them

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

... if you want horror stories about all the manufactures you can get them

OK, lets begin alphabetically.

What not to buy, is often better advice, than what to buy. My mom is buying a new motor in the next couple of months.

What makes and models should she avoid?

 

[dajohnson53]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

..But seriously, it?s personal preference. Both engine types have attributes and drawbacks. Depends on what?s important to you.

There you go.

 

[haskindm]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

OK, lets begin alphabetically.

What not to buy, is often better advice, than what to buy. My mom is buying a new motor in the next couple of months.

What makes and models should she avoid?

Buy from the "BEST/CLOSEST" dealer. With the competition in today's market there probably is no "bad" outboard that you can buy; but even the "best" will need maintenance and service. It only makes sense to buy from someone that you can trust.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

Buy from the "BEST/CLOSEST" dealer. With the competition in today's market there probably is no "bad" outboard that you can buy; but even the "best" will need maintenance and service. It only makes sense to buy from someone that you can trust.

I think your right on, with that statement!

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

The best motor is often just which ever motor you can buy parts or service for in your area, I own several, most are Johnson/Evinrude, with a few Mercury, Honda, and Chrysler motors. Regardless of how good a motor is, when you need a part, if you have to wait a week or drive 2 hours to get a ten cent part, it pretty much rules that make out in the future.
In this area, it's limited to Evinrude or Yamaha, there are no other full service dealers here. I just had to drive 2 hours to get a fuel fitting for my 10 hp Honda, and still had to order a $3 part which they refuse to ship, so it will mean another drive to go pick it up.

I can't think of any really serious problems with any motors other than a few annoying items on a few older Force motors. Track record wise, I've had the best luck over the years with the Johnson/Evinrude motors.
I've never seen a motor fail without it being either an owner maintenance issue or just plain abuse.

If I had to buy a new motor right now, I'd have to say over 50 HP, I'd go with Evinrude E-Tec and under 50 hp, most likely a Yamaha. Thats mostly due to the fact that I can buy parts readily for either and that there are several dealers with a good inventory of parts nearby.
I've driven boats with both the Yamaha 4 stroke and Evinrude E-Tec motors, I really like the extra torque you get from the Etec 2 Stroke compared to a 4 stroke of the same hp.
Not that there's anything wrong with any of the other motors, I just can't buy parts locally if and when needed. There are several dealers that sell other makes, but they don't stock parts.

 

[DK Sailor]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

I think honda is the best because of reliability

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

I think honda is the best because of reliability

Reliability only goes so far, they all need maintenance sooner or later and if you can't buy parts, it don't make much difference what make it is. I'd have no problem with Honda if they put a dealer nearby, I was told by the Honda bike shop that they want to carry all Honda Marine items but they aren't able to get that franchise since they are within 50 miles of another dealer, even though that dealer isn't a parts stocking dealer. We have several dealers that are listed as Package Dealers, they can sell me a boat with a Honda motor, but can't stock or sell parts or just motors. That to me is stupid. There's no way I'd buy a new boat with a motor I can't get service on where I bought it. It would make a big difference in what or where I bought a new boat or motor.
What I am saying is that for me, in this area, the only brands that have local full service dealers are Evinrude and Yamaha with the latter being the closest.
I don't have anything against any of the brands but if I can't maintain it without a big hassle of mail ordering parts or driving half a day, I don't want to own it.

 

[56 rude]

Re: Who builds the BEST outboard ??

1956 johnson ,still get parts at the dealer,beat that honda or yammy,lol And after 52 years i need a few for sure.