yamaha 9hp not salt water

Looking at buying a short shaft Yamaha 9.9 4 stroke
for my future dinghy. ( Looking at a Walker Bay)
They don't make motor for salt water anymore.

Will the regular motor work OK and last a few years with
proper maintenance ?

ctbarbarian said:

Looking at buying a short shaft Yamaha 9.9 4 stroke
for my future dinghy. ( Looking at a Walker Bay)
They don't make motor for salt water anymore.

Will the regular motor work OK and last a few years with
proper maintenance ?

Click to expand...

What makes you say they don't make them for salt water anymore? Did you hear something or read something to that effect? I can't imagine that is true. In fact, I believe all the major manufacturers motors are better protected from corrosion than they've ever been.

Ken

I called our local Yamaha dealer in Albany Ill,
Bitler marine and they said they don't make them
anymore.
Just wondering if the regular freshwater motor would work.

Now I grant you they probably don't sell many saltwater motors
this far up the Mississippi but I thought they might order me one.

Buy one with a 5 year warranty (like Honda has right now) and you should be good. They used to make a "salt water" version that was marketing, mostly, to differentiate between the competition, but that backfired because the perception is their "regular" motor was substandard; my old Honda was made in the late '80s and its been used in salt all its life and its fine. I bought a new, bigger one last year with electric start because it's cool.

They had a saltwater series that I believe they don't make/label that way any more...but all their motors I belive are made for salt...well, at least as good an outboard can be made.

psneeld said:

They had a saltwater series that I believe they don't make/label that way any more...but all their motors I belive are made for salt...well, at least as good an outboard can be made.

Click to expand...

This is what I was trying to say but it didn't come out that way.

To the OP - just because they don't have a model that says Salt Water, I believe all outboards are good for salt water these days. In fact, I think they are generally better at resisting corrosion than they have ever been.

Ken

They recommend you don't use a Mercury motor in salt of fresh if you want it to last .

ctbarbarian said:

I called our local Yamaha dealer in Albany Ill,
Bitler marine and they said they don't make them
anymore.
Just wondering if the regular freshwater motor would work.

Now I grant you they probably don't sell many saltwater motors
this far up the Mississippi but I thought they might order me one.

Click to expand...

"Only in America", springs to mind. Nowhere else in the world even mentions salt or fresh water use for outboards. Are you sure they were not referring to the short shaft version you were after as not being made any more. That might be the case, but salt or freshwater - rubbish, as others have said. Makes one wonder about their competence to even sell or service any motor.

gaston said:

They recommend you don't use a Mercury motor in salt or fresh if you want it to last .

Click to expand...

LOL

That caution will apply to everything I have ever bought!

Briggs and Stratton (the lawn mower people) makes or used to make an outboard motor that was specified for fresh water use only. I've never heard of any of the major outboard motor manufacturers differentiating between fresh and salt water.

Nothing has changed. Yamahas make the best engines for salt water. I think my manual even recommends against using in saltwater. I am willing to bet all manuals recommend against use in saltwater. But then they also give you guidelines if you do. They are just covering their ass.

Just saw a Mercury with "saltwater" in the hp logo in Key Largo.

Just a series designation...not the "only" models made for salt.

I doubt the Yamaha is not to be used in salt water. It may last better in fresh but I suspect that dealer or the individual to whom you spoke does not know what he is talking about.

If Yam. stopped salt water use they would lose a huge part of the business.

My 21 yr Yam was never identified as salt or fresh But is still going strong with some mtce.

There was a time where Yamaha used steel as the shift rod and nearly every single one used in salt water failed. Then in the early 90's changed some parts to SS and called them "Saltwater Series" which were very rugged. Then they forgot and put steel oil pans on the high hp motors in 2002-2005. Google yam v6 corrosion to read how yam blamed owners for inadequate flushing for corrosion that is not flushed by their own flush system! 2006 on are pretty solid.
Bottom line-ALL major brand outboards are designed for salt. Whoever said they are not is talking out of their butt.

That newer 9.9 Yamaha has a fitting on the side to hook a garden hose up and is very easy to flush any time you want. Run some Salt A Way thru it a few times a year and your good to go.

If you buy an outboard motor for saltwater use, take every bolt out you can get to (lower unit, powerhead restraining, motor mounts, etc, and smear grease on them and put them back in.

Half the trouble on SW outboards is seized bolts and flushing does nothing for those.

How true. I rebuilt a 140 Suzuki and nearly every bolt I touched broke off. Put a lot of heli coils in that one.