Outboard motors

[boatwest]

Regarding a 22-23 ft. performance tri-toon that I'm considering (haven't decided on a mfg yet), what engines have been the most reliable, best performers, etc? A dealer who sells performance "toons" told me he likes Suzuki a lot, then Yamaha. Likes Honda but thinks they are overpriced. I have read some technical comparisons and all seem like they are competitive with some differences here and there. Does anyone have experience with the 200 to 250 HP motors and is one more technologically advanced than the others? I am performance oriented but value reliability as well. Thanks.

[dockholiday]

Have heard the suzukis are fast, not sure about reliability. Also heard good things about the merc verado.
doc

[peapenl]

Have you checked out the E-tecs?

[scfishnman]

I am pleased with my 225 4-stroke Yamaha. This is the 4th season with it, but it only has 69 hours. Only service so far has been oil and filter changes (engine and lower gear case). As for speed, it pushed my 24 foot three tube Aqua Patio 42 MPH (GPS) when new. Now it will only do 36-37 MPH, but the tubes have a lot of crud on them from sitting in the water all of the time. The motor still turns 5600-5800 RPM at WOT. A local dealer from whom I purchased my fishing boat with an Etec this year claims that his 24 ft Avalon tritoon with a 225 Etec will run 50 MPH. He says the Etecs horsepower ratings are lower than the actual horsepower.

I think any brand is probably about as good as another. I also suspect that motors of equal horsepower will probably provide relatively equal speed if placed on similar boats with similar props. From what I have read and heard, the big difference in speed for high horsepower tritoons is the design of the tubes. Mine are just 3 equal sized tubes with 2 inch lifting strakes on the outboard tubes. Those boats with performance tubes and larger lifting strakes seem to run faster and turn better with the same horsepower motor.

[jafo9]

i think the big advantage of the e-tec is weight. as a 2 stroke, its lighter. my 25ft premier with the PTX package will run 44ish on gps unloaded with my 225 honda. if you are looking at a honda 225, make sure you get one that has the newer style exhaust. the older ones (pre 06 i believe) have a design flaw that can let water in places it shouldn't.

[boatwest]

Thanks for the input! I did find out that the marina where I'll keep the boat (Offshore Marina at Lake Powell, UT) prefers the Yamaha but can work on most - can't do warranty work on the Hondas. They weren't dissing any of the other mfgs but I think work on more Yamahas, or maybe techs are trained more on them. So that would be a consideration.

In any case I did not mention I want to take my boat down the Mississippi next summer from St. Paul but keep at L. Powell the remainder of time. For the lake I want the max HP the boat allows (225 or 250 HP). But for the River that seems like overkill perhaps? Would it be a problem running that size engine for the Mississippi on a 23-24 ft. performance tri-toon? Haven't decided on a pontoon mfgr yet. I know I will get less gas mileage with the 250 but if I'm considering the 225, and the boat allows, why not go with the 250?

[jafo9]

if you want 250, you can scratch honda off the list. i believe the 225 is the biggest. if i had no motor and a handful of cash, based on my recent research, i'd go buy a yamaha. a pretty common theme on this and other boards is to buy all the motor you can afford. you'll never be sitting on your boat going, "dang, i wish i had bought a smaller motor".

[boatwest]

You're right about that. Just wish I had a 150 for the Mississippi due to better gas mileage. Maybe someone here can comment, but I'm guessing I can't really use the power of a 250 on the Mississippi? I know I'll want it on Lake Powell as it is 100 miles long.

[HandymanHerb]

If you run at the slower speed your going to get better mileage, just like my diesel, If I wanted to run at 55 mph on the road I can get around 22 mpg , but I settle for 19 mpg at 75 mph.

You can always slow down the big motor, you can't speed the smaller one.

[boatwest]

You're right - I'm guessing I will maintain about 25-30 mph when in the channel. I'm waiting on a Quimby's guide for the River so I can determine how far apart the fuel stops are.

[dahogman]

As long as you stay in the marked channel you can run what you want.

[boatwest]

After much searching including Yamaha's site and the current outboard model list dated July 1, 2009 there is still something not clear to me. What is the difference between the Yamaha 4 stroke F series and the V Max Series II HPDI models. I am looking at the 250 HP. I can find no clear differentiation of the models that would tell me which to consider. I will putting the engine on a 23 ft high performance tri-toon rated for 250 HP. I want a high performance 4 stroke V6. How would I choose over these two model series. Thanks.

[Towdaddy]

For my 2cents, I believe that all of the current outboards are good and you would probably be satisfied with Yamaha, Suzuki or the Merc 4 strokes. I have friends with both brands and they like them a lot.

I have a Merc Verado 225 on our boat and I really like it. Very quiet and great performance. I wanted to get a Yamaha and my dealer recommended the Verado. Said that while the Yamaha and Verado would have the same top end, that the Verado had a much better hole shot. We bought the Verado but since I've never had the Yamaha, I can't really say if the dealer was right. The Verado will push our boat to 40-41 at WOT and we cruise at 22-25. At cruise speed, I have been very pleased with gas mileage.

The only thing that I will say is that you should get the max horsepower that your boat is rated for. I got the 225 and wish I had gotten the 300 that is the max rating for the boat. You can always run them slower.

[boatwest]

Thanks for the input and I agree with your points. I still do not know the difference between an F Series Yamaha and the V-Max Series II HPDI. Yamaha has an explanation of each on the website but does not make it clear what application is best for each or why one might be superior to the other. Why have two series of engines if the consumer can't determine the difference and what is best for them. I'm sticking with Yamaha as that is what the service folks handle where I boat. The dealer says the 225 would be fine but I agree with you to get the highest HP in the beginning. I boat at 3,500 ft so I've already lost 10-12% of my HP compared to sea level.

[peapenl]

Isnt the v-max series a 2 stroke.