Merc vs. Yamaha

[FishTZ]

I know that these days Merc uses a Yamaha power head, but is ther any other difference? I am looking to purchase a new boat with either a 60 HP 4 stroke Merc or Yamaha. I know the Merc is a little cheaper... does that tell me something? What's this I hear about the Merc's 60 gear box being rated for a 40 HP power head and not as good in performance vs. Yamaha. I also heard the the Merc's need a bigger prop to make it perform like a true 60???

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

get the evinrude e-tec and let everybody else worry about the stinking merc vs yammy thing!<br /><br />get the e-tec and worry bout nothing. less weight, less pollution, cleaner, more power, better MPG, more efficient, what more do i need to say?

 

[dajohnson53]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

Originally posted by myoutboards:<br /> get the evinrude e-tec and let everybody else worry about the stinking merc vs yammy thing!<br /><br />get the e-tec and worry bout nothing. less weight, less pollution, cleaner, more power, better MPG, more efficient, what more do i need to say?

Well, you could say something that is germane to the guys question.

 

[north40]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

Amen. Seems like I remember when Ficht was the greatest since apple pie. I'll hold off.

 

[Triton II]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

I have a 2003 FT60B "High Thrust" Yamaha which has now done 236 trouble free hours on a 475 Quintrex cuddy cabin (all alloy, basic boat weighs 489kg or about 1080lbs). It's the first "big" outboard I've owned and I do all the maintenance myself... it's easy, especially with the advice you can get from the experts on this forum. Although I've never tried an E-tec, the thing would have to be exceptionally quiet, frugal, torquey, responsive and reliable to be better than the Yam/Merc 4-stroke. We ski, cruise, fish, troll, tube and tow broken-boaters every weekend and it's been a joy to own and surprisingly easy to maintain. The new Yam FT60C is fuel injected but I would think the new Merc is too. I guess the Merc 60 Bigfoot is similar in all its attributes so I'd go for whichever is the better deal (we have heaps more Yam dealers than Merc here in Sydney, Australia hence my choice). Others with experience of the 60 Merc may be able to be more forthcoming, however, I wanted to let you know how the Yam's performed up 'til now... hope this helps.

 

[walleyehed]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

The E-TEC is lightyears ahead of the 4-stroke Yammys, and aren't even in the same class.<br />The merc and Yammy 4 strokes are both the Yammy powerhead...exactly.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

Ditto what triton said.<br /><br />I choose the bigfoot but the Yam was a very close contender.<br /><br />I also looked at the E$$ T$$ E$$ C$$. <br /><br />Aldo

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

if you do end up getting one of those 4 strokes, get the yammy. youll get better dealer support once their contract ends with merc. you may end up having a bad time with a merc/yammy after they split ways, but on the other hand yammy will always be yammy.<br /><br /><br />but i still say screw em both and get the E-TEC<br /><br />ps, the etecs are still cheaper than the mercs/yammys and have longer warranty to boot. 7 years

 

[walleyehed]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

Amen. Seems like I remember when Ficht was the greatest since apple pie. I'll hold off

Please keep in mind, this is no longer OMC....If you are not familar with Bombardier, think Lear-jet, Challenger, Rotax. BRP has no junk....better tighten your belt if you think these boys aren't going to have the best outboard available.

 

[Trophy23]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

Why don't we give the guy some facts, like posting an article that is from an 'unbiased' source that shows which motor performs best and other attributes that really might be truthfull since few people on this forum are 'really' unbiased. Either you Love Evinrude or you love Merc or you love Yamaha, etc. I haven't seen one statement here that really tells the guy a good non personal reason why he should buy any of the motors except about Evinrudes 7 year warranty. Even there, it is not a free 7 year warranty which he should know, it's 3 plus you pay some cash for the other 4. I'm sure there must be some review that didn't come from these companies that one might see proof which one is better. Not the usual BS coming from most on this forum. Most people come to Iboats for help, not a bunch of cr_p.

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

Even there, it is not a free 7 year warranty which he should know, it's 3 plus you pay some cash for the other 4.

wrong. untill april 15, its free~!!!!!

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

hello<br /> not all merc 4 strokes were yamaha and not all yamaha 4 strokes are yamaha. look at the ign system. if its yamaha it will be a mitsubishi electrical system the merc motors,evene when painted silver/blue, will have a motorola ign system. if it says motorola or prestolite replace the hood and quietly walk away. and just think, now some merc 4 strokes will be tohatsu and some will be chinese black anchors . rumour has it that BRP is quietly laying off workers and the E-tec is not selling well. I hope they sell as well as they seem to perform. but public perception is rather biased towards 4 strokes.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

The E-Tec has me interested too...sounds like a real winner. As for Yammie/Merc, what color do you like? SSDD. They are both reputable companies.<br /><br /><br />Trophy23, facts are available from those who have them. Few do. Opinions?...the're like bung holes...everyone has one!

 

[Trophy23]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

Myoutboards, Evinrude is giving a rebate or if you choose, they take the rebate and add the other four years for the warranty. So technically it's not free because your cash outlay would have been lower if you took the cash rebate. Also if he is going to take advantage of this he only has till April 15th.

 

[walleyehed]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

It's just an early buy incentive...Jan 1, thru April 15...3-1/2 months.<br />The engine will still cost the same on April 16, but the extended warranty will add some if you choose it.<br />As for un-biased info..???<br />I've read about 7 articles now on various E-Tecs, and as of yet, there are no down-falls when comparing to other brands.<br />Mercury Racing division has the only powerplant that will compare in high-speed catagory, but not even close on fuel economy...<br />As of right now, you are a biased Merc fan, I am a biased J/E fan, and if it weren't for the other biased people here it would be a very dull place, and yet some of these "Biased" people have been around their product long enough they know how to help others that use the same "Biased" engine.

 

[marinemech1]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

the biggest (and most overlooked) thing you or anyone buying anything should be concerned about is where to get the damn thing fixed (all machines break look at the space shuttle) chose a dealer who can repair your unit quickly and correctly.<br />if you have to travel many miles for good service maybe you should have bought from a local dealer who you can trust<br />p.s. after three years of evinrude warranty there is a deductible (i think its $25.00 i could be wrong) for each warranty repair

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

yep<br /> last time I checked Maytag was no where on my shirt<br /> beauty about a boat, its either broke or breaking. and they will break whether ya use it or not <br /> job security.<br /> most mortors are fairly reliable now. merc has a reputation for somewhat lower quality electronics. OMC sank due to it, yamaha and suzuki have a reputation for bullet proof electronics but the 250 and 300 HPDI motors are rather dismal. I have a pair of new F250's to mount soon so we will see on that.<br /> myself I would have loved to see the OMC 60* motors with EFI and mitsubishi or hitachi electronics and a gear driven oil pump instead of the rube goldberg OMS set up. would have been an unstoppable engine.

 

[geaz]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

my buddy has a 1950's or 60's johnson 10 hp that still runs excellent. Companies have the ability to mak a motor last a VERY long time, but if they did that...people would not buy new ones every x amount of years...and they couldn''t charge astronomical amounts of bling bling for parts and labor to repair them. "job security" is right. you can buy an entire brand new car that will go 100,000 miles for the same amount you get an outboard motor for...that's crazy...but that's life....but enough ramblin on. my uncle has a 200 yamaha 4 stroke that he got new and it runs really good, but it did have a few recalls on it(missed time on the water) has about 150 hrs on so far..knock on wood. but it's extremely quiet and efficient. out of my price range though so i found a rebuilt 97 evinrude 115 2 stroke installed for $2300

 

[noelm]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

I just love this sort of "heated" biased discussion,it brings out the best in people, no one has said they love their old Chrysler or Volvo outboard yet!!

 

[ziemann]

Re: Merc vs. Yamaha

Originally posted by walleyehed:<br />

Amen. Seems like I remember when Ficht was the greatest since apple pie. I'll hold off

Please keep in mind, this is no longer OMC....If you are not familar with Bombardier, think Lear-jet, Challenger, Rotax. BRP has no junk....better tighten your belt if you think these boys aren't going to have the best outboard available.

Keep in mind that Bombardier Recreation Products is not really Bombardier any more either. BRP was sold off as an independant company almost 2 years ago. Bombardier sold off BRP because it (BRP)had the potential of being profitable whereas Bombardier itself has seen tons of red ink for several years and visions of bankruptcy were looming. Yes, jets, trains, etc. came from Bombardier- in contrast, BRP makes Rotax, BRP ATV's, SkiDoo, SeaDoo, and Evinrude/ Johnson and has been a completely seperate company for almost 2 years. It is worth noting that BRP has seen black ink so far and is currently #1 in market share in the snowmobile industry. You really can't use trains, jets, and Bombardier's industrial divisions as rationale for purchasing a BRP product. I do however agree that E-tec technology stands on its own as rationale enough. Too bad you pay so much to get that technology and the "free" 7 year warranty.