Re: Mercury or Yamaha
From what I have seent he yamaha has it all over the Merc in the following ways. The yamaha uses less fuel, is faster, smokes less, runs smoother, is quieter, the electronics are more durable, its easier to work on under the hood, the shallow drive/tilt is much more durable on the yamaha(made of metal vs. plastic), the yam trolls/idles down better, the prop shafts on the Yamaha resist bending much better, the yamaha weighs less, the yamaha has a choke that facilitates purging of water that acumulates in the carbs while the merc has a primer that makes this impossible, and the Yams have a better gas tank design.
The only thing I do not like about the Yami 25 is that its a little cold blooded and the carbs require tuning more often.