New Outboard motor - what brand?

Hi,
I have a Mercury 2001 4 stroke 25hp Bigfoot on an 11' Caribe dinghy. I have had several Mercury mechanics work on it and now am getting to the point of paying bad money after good. The dink and motor ride mostly on the roof of our trawler but when we want to use it, it needs to run.
So - what brand replacement motor should I be looking at? Particular model or features?
Any that I should stay away from?
Thanks

Most of the outboard manufacturers make a good product. However, the EPA has mandated our gas refiners to make a crappy product. If you use non ethanol fuels, you can have a much better experience with outboards.

Donsan, check with some auto parts store. They used to sell an additive to overcome this.
Sumin to put the lead back in. Shhhhh

The four strokes that seem to have a good reputation are Honda and Tahatsu from what we’ve heard from other cruisers. The Honda’s weight has been one complaint. Do you need a 25 hp for an 11’ rib? It must go like hell.

I have a 2016 Suzuki 30 hp on my 12.5 AB. It is a sweetheart.

The big three (and I would rank them equally) are Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki.

You might also check out who makes what at each horse power. Tohatsu makes several of the well known badges...each a few more bucks as you to up in status.

https://onlineoutboards.com/

OldDan1943 said:

Donsan, check with some auto parts store. They used to sell an additive to overcome this.
Sumin to put the lead back in. Shhhhh

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The lack of lead is not the problem. We've been on unleaded for decades. It's the ethanol.

Larry M said:

The four strokes that seem to have a good reputation are Honda and Tahatsu from what we’ve heard from other cruisers. The Honda’s weight has been one complaint. Do you need a 25 hp for an 11’ rib? It must go like hell.

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I had a Tahatsu, came with the boat. It was nothing but trouble for me. I replaced with a Honda.

I think my RIB is rated fir 20HP. I opted for a sedate Honda 6. Putting anything extra would just get me into trouble.... The cops and USCG will give out tickets and it applies to your driver's license too. Plus, one day I will have to lift it off the RIB too.

When I pointed out to the broker, the boat did not have a crane, his response was, "We can order you one." Ummm, errr, lemme think about it.

Honda 40 on our dink last 5 years, never skipped a beat

I have been running non-ethanol fuel for the last two years. The carburetor has been replaced once and rebuilt several times, as recently as June 2017.
I have spoken to several service departments in the last three days, the common reply is "it's ethanol" and "the motor has to be run weekly or you will have to rebuild the carb".
The local outboard shop warned away from Honda because it is hard to get parts. He commented that Tahotsu and Nissan OEM their motors to several other brands.
He recommended an electronic fuel injected engine over a 4 stroke carbureted model, citing the small aluminum carbs are prone to problems.
The local Mercury dealer just advised me that they can come take a look, but suspect the carburetor needs rebuilt and it will be a minimum of 4 hours labor, plus cleaners, etc.
I am thinking of a 15hp because I really do not need 25hp.

HenryD said:

Hi,
I have a Mercury 2001 4 stroke 25hp Bigfoot on an 11' Caribe dinghy. I have had several Mercury mechanics work on it and now am getting to the point of paying bad money after good. The dink and motor ride mostly on the roof of our trawler but when we want to use it, it needs to run.
So - what brand replacement motor should I be looking at? Particular model or features?

Click to expand...

HenryD said:

I have been running non-ethanol fuel for the last two years. The carburetor has been replaced once and rebuilt several times, as recently as June 2017.
...
He recommended an electronic fuel injected engine over a 4 stroke carbureted model, citing the small aluminum carbs are prone to problems.
...
I am thinking of a 15hp because I really do not need 25hp.

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FWIW, we have a 15-hp Suzuki DF-15A that's fuel injected. They make a 20 and a 9.9 version on the same platform, too. The weight is favorable compared to some of the other 4-strokes, too, so we were even able to get the electric-start model.

So far, so good. Have had it a few years now... but also don't use it much each year. Still, haven't had fuel-related problems, and it's started at once every time we put it back in the water in Spring.

I still "recycle" unused outboard fuel (into a car) after about a month or so if we haven't been on the dinghy for a while... but that's been from habit, and I don't know that it's actually been necessary.

Can't say how it might compare to other brands...

-Chris

Have you looked at the LPG motors. Can run off the little green cans used for your BBQ. Just a thought.

ranger42c said:

FWIW, we have a 15-hp Suzuki DF-15A that's fuel injected. They make a 20 and a 9.9 version on the same platform, too. The weight is favorable compared to some of the other 4-strokes, too, so we were even able to get the electric-start model.



So far, so good. Have had it a few years now... but also don't use it much each year. Still, haven't had fuel-related problems, and it's started at once every time we put it back in the water in Spring.



I still "recycle" unused outboard fuel (into a car) after about a month or so if we haven't been on the dinghy for a while... but that's been from habit, and I don't know that it's actually been necessary.



Can't say how it might compare to other brands...



-Chris

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Glad to hear you have had good luck with your Suzuki. I just bought a new DF15A with EFI, but have not even run it yet. Hope the EFI will keep the fuel better. I read that EFI keeps the oxygen out of the fuel in the system? Hope so-- I'm tired of rebuilding carbs. Had a 90hp Suzuki EFI on a fishing boat and it was a great outboard.

EFI. Get EFI. Oh, and get EFI.

Ski in NC said:

EFI. Get EFI. Oh, and get EFI.

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I sure wish they came in small HP motors... like 6 or 8. I am trying to be done with carbs in my life (Atkins?) but they don't come that small.

Back to the point... Down in these parts, everything is Yamaha. And I mean everything. I think outboards are like the old Ford/Chevy argument. Some love one and some love the other. As noted in just the short time this thread has been up that there are people that have great experience with one and other that have horrible experience with the exact same.

So where does that leave you? To me, if I was going to buy new... and I will when I get around to it... I would look at the local support. Find out what shops support what brand or choose the dealer that you can trust the most to give you the service you want.

I think it is a crap-shoot. There will be no brand that is so much better than another that will make your choice clear. Period. If there was, then everyone would own the same brand and all other manufacturer's would fail. They all make good motors. Pick based on what come with it AFTER you buy it and not what comes in the box.

Tom.B said:

I sure wish they came in small HP motors... like 6 or 8. I am trying to be done with carbs in my life (Atkins?) but they don't come that small.

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It's not 8, but the Suzuki 9.9 is an EFI.

BDofMSP said:

It's not 8, but the Suzuki 9.9 is an EFI.

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Am I reading that right - 120lbs?!!?

The 15/20 are only showing 100 or so.

The 9.9 with manual start is 97lbs I think.

cardude01 said:

View attachment 69306

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That's (a little) better! Almost twice my 8hp two-stroke.

BDofMSP said:

The lack of lead is not the problem. We've been on unleaded for decades. It's the ethanol.

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Correct.

The gas goes bad quickly. I dont like Merc products but for infrequently used OBs the gas is often the problem.

Ethanol free gas is available at many marinas. try that before tossing the merc

bayview said:

Correct.

The gas goes bad quickly. I dont like Merc products but for infrequently used OBs the gas is often the problem.

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Seafoam (no affiliation, blah, blah) has been working well for me for years to alleviate this problem .

Tom B,
If we stayed in one location, I would be in line with a local dealer but five repair facilities we have used have been in the Chesapeake, Jacksonville, Punta Gorda, Chesapeake and Brewerton.
The local outboard shop here in Baltimore likes the Honda motors but complains about not being able to get parts.
I am getting the most positive comments from online and shops on the Suzuki and Yamaha motors.
Lucky for me...tomorrow will be at the Annapolis Boat Show.

BDofMSP said:

It's not 8, but the Suzuki 9.9 is an EFI.

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boathealer said:

Am I reading that right - 120lbs?!!?

The 15/20 are only showing 100 or so.

Click to expand...

cardude01 said:

The 9.9 with manual start is 97lbs I think.

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Seemed kind of odd, to me. Used to be 4-stroke 15s and 20s would be on one platform, and 8s and 9.9s would be on a smaller platform. Suzuki apparently chose to use the same basic engine for the higher three of those HP ratings.

HenryD said:

Lucky for me...tomorrow will be at the Annapolis Boat Show.

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There's a Suzuki dealer in Deale. Happy Harbor, I think, or something like that. (Used to be Gates.)

As it happens, I got ours from an online retailer, decent price. Local guys just didn't have stock, at the time.

Maybe boat show discounts, if any, could compete...

-Chris

We had less than perfect experience with our Honda 40, and what I noticed while cruising the Bahamas was that most of locals seemed to prefer Yamaha. I figure being in a relatively remote area with significant import taxes on motors and parts, and many depending more on their boats than us cruisers, they must have decided Yamaha was the most reliable. I did have a large Yamaha on a previous boat and it did pretty good, though I was also pretty satisfied with an old Mercury 2-stroke that seemed to start and run no matter what was thrown at it, even after being unused for a few years. One important consideration is run the carb. dry whenever the motor will be unused for more than a couple of days

Around here if you look at the outboards on the dock you will mostly see Yamahas in all sizes. And everyone seems to be very happy with them.

We had a Yamaha, and a lot of people around us did as well when we had a ding awhile back and they seemed fairly bullet proof. Probably the top choice in our area based on a very unscientific assessment of gawking at others engines.

wwestman said:

Have you looked at the LPG motors. Can run off the little green cans used for your BBQ. Just a thought.

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I have a Lehr 9.9 propane outboard. Getting ready to install my 3rd carburetor. Like the concept; don't like the quality.

Ted

First, a 2001 motor is 16 years old. I know it doesn’t have many hours on it but outboards almost age faster from non use. I trade my engines in every 12 years. My last two engines were EFI and as stated earlier it’s the only way to go. I like to buy Suzuki’s when they offer their 6 year warranty plan. I have a great Suzuki dealer which makes the decision a no brainer for me. Honda, Yamaha, Mercury, tohatsu, and Suzuki are good manufactures. Evenrude with its direct injected 2 stroke is a different animal. As stated earlier, dealer support is more important than the brand.

I have never had an ethnol related issue with a Suzuki.

I have had 3 Yamaha outboards and no issues. When I bought the new rib I bought Tohatsu 6 hp, what a mistake. Nothing but trouble and no guts either. May be a good spare anchor??

LaBomba said:

I have had 3 Yamaha outboards and no issues. When I bought the new rib I bought Tohatsu 6 hp, what a mistake. Nothing but trouble and no guts either. May be a good spare anchor??

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Fortunately my 2007 Tohatsu 6hp 2 stroke experience is the complete reverse of yours. 100% trouble free and reliable.