Yamaha or Mercury

[rhbrink]

I am looking to upgrade to a 90 HP four stroke and looking at Yamaha and Mercury this is for an 18 ft. Crestliner a CXJ 1870 anybody have any thoughts about which one is better?

Thanks, RB

 

[Jimbeau]

They are both great but will say that Merc’s customer service is terrible in comparison to others.

 

[DaleH]

Provided a reputable dealer is near you, I'd go for a Tohatsu/Nissan or Suzuki over those other brands. A Yummieha would be my last choice ...

 

[thill]

I used to hate Mercury, but I really like their latest motors, if you are going new.

 

[moedelawn]

Provided a reputable dealer is near you, I'd go for a Tohatsu/Nissan or Suzuki over those other brands. A Yummieha would be my last choice ...

As mentioned the dealer should be a major consideration. I wanted a Suzuki Df115 when it was time to repower from a 115 Yamaha 2 stroke.I had a dt100 years ago that gave good service and I was a certified Suzuki mechanic years ago. The local Yamaha dealer that I had a relationship with made me a deal on a f115 along the money I saved on having the controls and prop it was over $2000.00 difference. I have just over 100 hrs and had 1 sparkplug fail at 69 hrs. Other than that it's been flawless. They've also let me try props whenever i want to on my f115 and f25.There are 3 yamaha dealer within 30 miles 2 Suzuki dealers, The Suzuki dealers don't stock near as much parts as the Yamaha dealers. I never was a Mercury fan but the 90 is a good looking motor (1 major dealer) For compactness the 3cyl Suzuki is nice but likely can't match the other's 4cyl for torque. You can't buy a bad running motor nowadays but you will need the dealer eventually.

 

[nowgrn4]

Which one has a long lasting timing chain and not a corner cutting belt? Hint it starts with an "S".

 

[MrGiggles]

As mentioned the dealer should be a major consideration. I wanted a Suzuki Df115 when it was time to repower from a 115 Yamaha 2 stroke.I had a dt100 years ago that gave good service and I was a certified Suzuki mechanic years ago. The local Yamaha dealer that I had a relationship with made me a deal on a f115 along the money I saved on having the controls and prop it was over $2000.00 difference. I have just over 100 hrs and had 1 sparkplug fail at 69 hrs. Other than that it's been flawless. They've also let me try props whenever i want to on my f115 and f25.There are 3 yamaha dealer within 30 miles 2 Suzuki dealers, The Suzuki dealers don't stock near as much parts as the Yamaha dealers. I never was a Mercury fan but the 90 is a good looking motor (1 major dealer) For compactness the 3cyl Suzuki is nice but likely can't match the other's 4cyl for torque. You can't buy a bad running motor nowadays but you will need the dealer eventually.

The triples only go up to 60hp. 75+ are 4 cylinders.

Which one has a long lasting timing chain and not a corner cutting belt? Hint it starts with an "S".

Merc has been using timing chains since 07 I think, when the Verado first came out.

There really is not a whole lot of difference between most of them now. Hard to find a bad one. Merc has been bad about parts support in the past, but Yamaha and Suzuki are guilty of that too.

They are all pretty close in weight at 350lbs or so.

 

[moedelawn]

Good catch. My mistake on thinking it was a 3 cylinder. It's been a while since I researched it. It is down on displacement compared to the others but I still like the overall size of it. Now that you mentioned it the local Yamaha dealer had to sell Sierra oil filters for a while because they couldn't get the ones from Yamaha.

 

[airshot]

I prefer older tech vs newer tech and the new prices are outrageous !! I have a 1992 4 cylinder 2 stroke 40 hp Merc that is awesome !! Was an OMC fan in my early days, the they went to pot...tried this Merc due to popularity and it has been a gem !! Idles right down to a crawl...very easy on fuel, runs like a scared rabit !! Nicest running motor I have ever owned and I have had a bunch in my 60 yrs of boating

 

[thill]

The Yamaha 90 is a sweet little motor, but so is the Mercury. Which dealer is closer and more reliable? That's a factor.

Tohatsu has been making a strong presence on the lake lately. I believe Mercury uses them to produce their smaller outboards. They would be worth considering, if you have a Tohatsu dealer near you.

 

[LDUBS]

I read before that Tohatsu's larger HP outboards are made by Honda. If true, that shouldn't disqualify them, IMO.

 

[vatedome04]

both are really good, but i think you can go yamaha

 

[airshot]

Kind of like....should I get a Ford or a Chevy or mabey a Toyota?? Most of todays motors are well made, good luck!!

 

[thill]

Most of them will serve you well when new, so price and warranty should be major considerations.