Best outboard

[chris]

So I have decided to get a new motor for my lake fishing boat but I am having a hard time deciding on a make. I know I want a 15-20hp and dont care about 2 stroke vs 4 stroke. I'm only concerned with reliability. I had to get rid of my old 25hp johnson because I was fixing it more often than using it. I have a yamaha kicker and have never had a problem but I think I could get a mercury/tohatsu for a lot less.

So my question to anyone with experience is what do you run and have you had problems with it?

[longstonec]

None are perfect but i think Yamaha is best. I only have 15 of them...averaging 1000 hours a year.

[lip_ripper00]

I am a Honda fan, quads, cars, power equipment. I have a BF115 honda on my boat now, never had a problem with it..... but if I was repowering a boat it would be Yahama

[Sofa King]

again, personal preference really.
you can talk to 10 different fisherman and get 10 different answers.
personally, I think the mercs are the best.
but I have an evinrude that's never given me a problem, and a whisper-quiet Honda that's smooth as silk.

[pin_head]

I had a 1987 mercury for 7 years that never let me down. Just this past summer I upgraded to a 2005 Yamaha 20hp 2 stroke. It's been a great motor so far in the limited use it's seen.

If you're looking used, keep an eye on craigslist. I monitored steady for quite a long time but I ended up getting my 2005 Yamaha for only 1300 bucks! The going rate for them is generally more like 2500-3000 and they're around 4200 for a new 4 stroke.

Hope that helps, cheers,
Brad

[Mikey Rafiki]

Yamaha.

Biased since that's the only motor I have ever had. It's about 20 years old and runs like a top.

[Sunzuki]

I have a 30 Yamaha and it does perform exceptionally well.
And quiet too.
I would suggest a Yamaha and I'd bet you'd be like the rest of
us Yamaha owners..........convinced to stay with the brand.

[Squire]

Yamaha manufactures the powerheads for many of the Mercs so either would be a good choice.

[BCBRAD]

I have had no issues with Mercury or Merc /Tohatsu kickers other than normal maintenance. I did have a Yamaha 9.9 kicker/4 stroke, that was a problem a 15 years ago, Yamaha Motor Canada would not fix the gas in oil issue so I traded it off for a Honda 15hp, I liked the outboard but 5 years out it did a smoke show and died, so now Mercury. In the smaller 4 strokes I like the ones with no oil filter, I just drop the <=> liter of oil every 20-40 hrs or so. Anyway disappointed with Yamaha and surprised with the Honda.

[swamper]

I have a 20 hp Yamaha and I am very happy with it. With two of us and fishing gear it will push my 14' lund at about 34 kph. Very quiet and economical. Idles down to a perfect trolling speed.

[pescado]

I run Yamaha's. They have been good engines. I find parts to be expensive on them. Not sure if I would buy one today because I think others have closed the gap. I would price shop hard if I was buying now unless it involved the high thrust 9.9; than it would be a Yamaha.

[Sofa King]

I have a 20 hp Yamaha and I am very happy with it. With two of us and fishing gear it will push my 14' lund at about 34 kph. Very quiet and economical. Idles down to a perfect trolling speed.

good point.
there's the most important thing.
I don't know if maybe they all have roughly the same slowest speed, but you'll want to make sure you have that sweet speed at lowest idle.
although you can always achieve that with a prop change as well.
I know my 20hp evinrude and my 40hp Nissan both have a perfect lowest speed.

[RambleOn]

i run yamaha main and kicker. Take care of them and they seem to run forever. Have looked at other cheaper options but always end up with another yamaha. If you have one issue with a cheaper motor it will eat your savings.

[chris]

Wow that's an overwhelming amount of votes for yamaha. If my kicker is any indication then I understand why. That's the way I was leaning but its nice to get other peoples views as well.
Thanks for all the replies

[Mike_R]

IMO the best outboard brand to purchase is one that is sold/serviced by a local shop that you trust.

[cdnshooter13]

After 20 years of running yamaha 20's on our punt pile driving i'd have to say they are the best small outboards out there, i personally have destroyed 5 of them. We beat those things day in and day out, hitting the barge at full tilt, using the leg to push pilings around in the water, jumping boomsticks at a plane. There is nothing a recreational user could do to wreck one if properly maintained. Anytime we had to run a merc or honda because we had exhausted the supply of used yami's in our area they would shit their pants in a matter of months.