15hp 4stroke yamaha/good deal or pass

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Well i have heard awesome things about the yamaha 15 and 20hp 4strokes but one thing still gets me and i have not got enough info to make the plunge i want to make by buying a 4stroke yamaha that is wht i'm hoping i can alot of help here.The one thing eating at me is the hole shot on these motors,can anyone shed some light on these little motors as far as what i will expect out of this motor as i hear it is very slow out of the hole by many people is this true?Does anyone really have any good experience with these motors that they can tell me what they get as a overall performance.


I found a 15hp that a older man had purchased and the dealer put the oil in it and test ran it for the guy,18hrs later he brought it back as it was to heavy for a 70yr old man to lift and they gave him a full refund and he bought a 2stroke 9.9 instead.So he never used it at all so they said i can have it for $2250+tax and for an extra $30 i can have a full 6yr warranty on the motor as they are offering 5yrs now so for $30 extra u can get a full yr added another promotion from yamaha.The motor normally runs $2475+tax so i think it is a good deal.

I am leaning towards tohatsu for price but the yamaha is close to that plus u only get 3yrs,also the merc which is tohatsu offers 5yrs and is way more pricey.They also offered me the 20hp yamaha for $2699+tax and a 6yr warranty also for $30 extra,alot of crazy options.My biggest concern is torque out of the hole that is why i hope someone can shed good light on this subject i want to get this very soon like this week so any help would be great thanks.
 

marcortez

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
230
Re: 15hp 4stroke yamaha/good deal or pass

Sounds like a reasonable deal......10% off the retail price.
Just confirm the motor was NOT used at all, and is by all intents and purposes, brand new.

Naturally, your hole shot is going to depend on how much weight the engine has to propel forward.

If you stick with a 12' to 14' aluminum boat, 6 gallon fuel tank and not invite all your buddies along, the performance should put a smile on your face.

Your not going to feel your cheeks suck in because of the sheer forward force and thrust....but the motor should get you and the boat on plane with little problems.

Keep your expectations reasonable for 15 horsepower.....
The faster you want to go....the higher the cost.
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Re: 15hp 4stroke yamaha/good deal or pass

Thanks for the reply.My boat is a 1436 lowe rated for a 20hp,it is the heavy gauge aluminum boat. really light at 180lbs and i'm a hefty 260lbs and i may bring a friend every once in a while,plus all the weight will be up front,coolers,livewell and the middle livewell will be used as a ice box in the summer for fish and a livewell for the winter because of how hot the water gets in fla.

The hot water will kill the bait as the water gets to over 90 degrees.So if i fill it up 3/4 with ice and use it for freezing fist there is a ton of weight in the middle of the boat that will help.I have been contemplating between the merc/tohatsu 15/20hp and the suzuki 15hp all 4strokes.It seems that the merc or tohatsu same motor has the best gear ratio at 2:15 as the yamaha has a 2:08 which is a big difference when weighing the boat down.But then u have the suzuki with the smallest displacement but weighs only 97lbs almost 17 to 20lbs less then most of the 15's so what the heck do i do?

I can get my hands on a 2010 25hp 2stroke yamaha in the box $2195+shipping of $150 and that would be scary fast and no problen out of the hole no matter the weight.I just want to move to a new breed and a cleaner motor.To me it seems like the merc 20 4stroke is the best way to go for torque,great top end speed,and 5yr warranty,also there is a video on youtube with a guy in a lowe1467 and a 20hp merc and that boat is 75 to 100lbs heavier then mine and he went over 30mph gps that is fast for a tiller.

I got a lot of thinking to do and just want to make the right decision.I wish dealers had demos so u can test them out before buying like a car,how do u really know what your getting when u buy a motor and if u don't like it u can't just take it back,it is crazy the way they do things around here.
 

Triton II

Commander
Joined
Nov 23, 2004
Messages
2,479
Re: 15hp 4stroke yamaha/good deal or pass

Thanks for the reply.My boat is a 1436 lowe rated for a 20hp,it is the heavy gauge aluminum boat. really light at 180lbs and i'm a hefty 260lbs and i may bring a friend every once in a while,plus all the weight will be up front,coolers,livewell and the middle livewell will be used as a ice box in the summer for fish and a livewell for the winter because of how hot the water gets in fla.

Boater 1234, I'd be going with the 20 as a 15 with all that weight will struggle, especially when it's warm, humid and low atmospheric pressure. I'd also be cautious of overloading... you, a friend and a four-stroke 20 may well get you to capacity BEFORE you catch those monster catfish! :D
 
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