View Full Version : 4 stroke motors
Any comments on comparing 115hp 4 stroke motors. I like the efi but it's hard to compare between Mercury, Yamaha, and Suzuki. I have not heard any of them run which makes my decision more difficult! I have heard that the Suzuki is the quietest and faster out of the hole but there are not a whole lot of dealers. The Yamaha sounds like the fastest for top end. The Merc is the lightest and made in the USA which is a big plus in todays economy. Any comments from owners or anyone else would be greatly appreciated. I am putting it on a 2002 Lund Mr. Pike. Thank-you Joe
KwikStik
11-24-2001, 08:34 AM
They're all good, butI think we're in a time where it is important for all of us to buy American when possible.
We own two foreign vehicles that have incredible track records, but due to their age and high mileage, they are on a schedule to be replaced. Our next vehicles will both be American. I think the new American vehicles are excellent, however, the main thing is that we can help our country right now by buying American.
I'm not trying to be self righteous or give anyone a guilt trip, but just think about it for a while. You and I can really help strike back against those *******s by keeping our American workforce busy. When the products are all very close in quality, which they are, you need to forget all the hairsplitting drivel and just do the right thing.
Finally, my 2002 Mercury EFI is a very fine motor, and I would put it up against any of the Japs, period.
Is'nt the Mercury powerhead made by Yamaha? I own a Yamaha 4 stroke and could'nt be happier with it. I always buy American when I can, in this case I think they both come from the same place. I know for sure that the Merury fourstroke 75,90 and 115 are made by Yamaha.
KwikStik
11-24-2001, 12:36 PM
I don't know about the 75 hp and on up, but the 60 hp FourStroke EFI is 100% Mercury for 2002. I've got one.
moreyes
11-24-2001, 12:38 PM
I have a Yamaha F115 and have nothing bad to say about it I would highly recomend it. Have also heard good things about the others, Merc and Yamaha do have some of the same components. It pushes my Mr Pike between 42 and 46 depending on load. It is very quiet when I first got it, I had to get used to the quiet engine,if left it idling at the dock and walked away I thought it had stalled, If have any particar questions let me know.
Good luck moeryes
KwikStick,,,,you may not realize it but one can hardly tell what was built where. Most Ford pickups are built in Canada. Most Hondas and Nissans you see are built in the US. Ask your car dealer for a list of where the parts on your car came from. I believe you will find that they come from various places, like Mexico.
KwikStik
11-24-2001, 05:53 PM
I hear what you're saying, to a point, but I don't see any Honda,Yamaha, or Suzuki plants here employing thousands my fellow Wisconsinites. So what you are saying is to forget the buy American ethic, it doesn't matter at all? Right?
WorldViews
11-24-2001, 08:09 PM
KS, you are correct. It does not matter. Even those grand "American" companies like GM, Ford and Chrysler are having so called American Made things built in Mexico and Canada. Times have changed my friend!The key issue is quality.
WV
KwikStik
11-24-2001, 08:23 PM
Is this how everyone feels on this? Am I the only one here who feels that it does mean something to buy American?
I bought a Johnson 115and am glad,good motor.I try to buy American when I can and will pay extra for it.
Hek buying that new 1999 Johnson on my boat was a lot cheaper then a Yamaha F115,would of took years to recoup gas milage.and price diffrence.
The problem isn't willingness to buy American, it is determining what is and isn't American. One can not simply say, "This is an American company, so buying it must support American workers." You have to find out where the parts came from and where the product is assembled.
Too, one sometimes has to decide whether to buy American even if the American product is inferior. All other things being equal, I will buy US. But I also want the best product for my money. After all, I worked long and hard for my dollars, I deserve the best in return.
I have a Merc 115 4-stroke on a 17 Starcraft Superfisherman. Its Made by Yamaha with a Merc lower end. Its fabulous and so far flawless. To sum it up, they will have to ban 4 strokes before I will ever own a 2-stroke again. They are worth every penny if you can swing it.
Moreyes, What pitch prop do you run and how slow can you troll down to?? Thanks
Tom, What pitch prop do you use and how slow can you troll?? Thanks
REELWORLD
11-25-2001, 06:10 AM
IF you only buy American, you will have to fish with a bambo pole.
All reel are made ouside of the USA. Almost all rod blanks are also..
IT IS A WORLD ECONOMY
GOOD LUCK..........
Gilligan
11-25-2001, 07:27 AM
Tom.. what is your top end speed with this rig? I am also looking at going to a Starcraft 4 stroke but am afraid that the 115 will be underpowered on the boat I'm looking at, the 190le Starfire or the 196dc fishmaster. Might just hang on till Merc has a bigger 4.
Gilligan
11-25-2001, 07:35 AM
Joe..according to my Merc dealer, as other posts said the upper end of the Merc is Yamaha. But dosen't mean it's not American built and assembled, could just be the technology that they bought.
I really try to buy American but that's very hard to do. My brand new 'American' Dodge was assembled in Mexico.
>Joe..according to my Merc dealer, as other posts said the
>upper end of the Merc is Yamaha. But dosen't mean it's not
>American built and assembled, could just be the technology
>that they bought.
>
>I really try to buy American but that's very hard to do. My
>brand new 'American' Dodge was assembled in Mexico.
I get a bit concerned when folks say, buy American then run to Ford, Dodge or GM. My Grand Marquis is most all non american parts. I live not far from the Honda plant complex in Ohio. 11,000 jobs in Ohio that are Honda employees, not counting all the contractors, suppliers, and satellite plants that employ even more USA citizens.
As for Merc buying Japanese technology, that'd be a first. Japanese are not known for invention of technology, only knock offs or as they spin it "refinement".
To answer your original question, you may still be able to get Suzuki powerheads in the Evinrude 4 strokes. I don't know how this all shook out in the Bombardier buy of JohnyRude. If this remained in place, you could take advantage of Suzuki parts, through the Evinrude dealer network. It's a good way to go. The Yam/Suzi dealer network when compared to Merc/JohnRude is pathetic. Maybe the next thing the Japanese can copy is the dealer network?
KwikStik
11-25-2001, 09:44 AM
I may be stubborn and ignorant at times, but I'm not totally stupid. Your points on the global economy are well taken, and probably true. However, I'll excercise my right to be stubborn and say:
1. I'll put this 2002 4 stroke EFI Mercury up against any of the Japs.
2. I personally feel better about buying a motor that I KNOW is put together in my home state with 95% American parts.
3. I'll enjoy a dealer netwok that is 2nd to none.
Lundman
11-25-2001, 09:51 AM
Not St. Croix, they are made by hand, in Park Falls WI. Great rods. No, I don't work there. They are just great rods, at a reasonable price.
Set the Hook!!
Lundman
moreyes
11-25-2001, 02:47 PM
I run a 19" Ballistic SS foword about 2mph and reverse 1 to 1.5 approx.
moreyes
T-Mac
11-25-2001, 04:08 PM
There is not a thing wrong with feeling the way you do, Qwik.
Like the guys pointed out, it is just about impossible to buy something that is totally American made. Your heart is in the right place, however. The way I read these posts, nobody is faulting you for being patriotic.
Good Fishin.
Gilligan & Joe
That 115 merc 4 stroke on my 176 Superfisherman hits 45 mph GPS with lighter loads and still stays at 40 or more with 3-4 people. Trolls down to about 1.5 to 2, but gps gets a little wierd at such slow speeds to say for sure. It would be more accurate to say its perfect for great lakes trout ,salmon, and walleye but a whisker too quick for inland lake worm harness/spinner blade work.(thats when I use my electric anyway). The 115 is plenty of motor for this boat, so unless your one of those who insist it's just no good unless it's maxed out you might find it's OK on a 19 foot also. I'm running stock 19" aluminum prop at 5000 to 5300 rpm WOT. I probably could go to 17 " and improve troll slightlty since top rpm allowed is 6000.....but thats next year. One of the neatest things is taking week long vacatons at Black Lake (NY) and Chatauqua Lake (NY) and using less than 25 gallons of gas for a whole week.
I'd put that merc 115 against any jap motor also, that's because your running a yam 115 with a black hood - many of it's parts including the powerhead are made by yamaha. Your kidding yourself if you think otherwise.
bob oh
11-26-2001, 02:43 PM
Those companies are employing thousands in Ohio and KY Kwikstik?? I think the most "American made" auto on the road is a Honda built in Ohio??? Things are really complicated now...
Bob
KwikStik
11-26-2001, 04:43 PM
I have a 2002 60 hp 4 stroke EFI that does NOT have a Jap powerhead. Nice attempt at being smart though!
KwikStik
11-26-2001, 04:46 PM
Still Jap money as far as I'm concerned.
Gilligan
11-26-2001, 05:16 PM
Tom..thanks for the reply. CHAUTAUQUA!!! Now were talking, thats my stompin grounds. I'm either there or Erie every weekend that is ice free. Will be up this weekend. Drop me an email sometime and We can talk on Chautauqua.
>Gilligan & Joe
>That 115 merc 4 stroke on my 176 Superfisherman hits 45 mph
>GPS with lighter loads and still stays at 40 or more with
>3-4 people. Trolls down to about 1.5 to 2, but gps gets a
>little wierd at such slow speeds to say for sure. It would
>be more accurate to say its perfect for great lakes trout
>,salmon, and walleye but a whisker too quick for inland lake
>worm harness/spinner blade work.(thats when I use my
>electric anyway). The 115 is plenty of motor for this boat,
>so unless your one of those who insist it's just no good
>unless it's maxed out you might find it's OK on a 19 foot
>also. I'm running stock 19" aluminum prop at 5000 to 5300
>rpm WOT. I probably could go to 17 " and improve troll
>slightlty since top rpm allowed is 6000.....but thats next
>year. One of the neatest things is taking week long vacatons
>at Black Lake (NY) and Chatauqua Lake (NY) and using less
>than 25 gallons of gas for a whole week. Thanks Tom!!! Joe
Northern Manitoban
11-26-2001, 07:13 PM
Geez! guys all these motors are good.Honda,yamaha,suzuki,mercs.Whatever.Myself i always wanted a honda fourstroke but got a great deal with my boat this summer and it has a yammi and to tell you the truth i just love this motor would for sure by another one.And i do more fishing then most people and this motor got a workout this year.I think most fourstrokes are about equal.FISH ON.
Worldview
11-26-2001, 07:32 PM
KS, you should think all of this out a little bit more. As I read your posts I would have to classify you as a small minded bigot. Nothing personal. BTW, they are Japanese people, not "japs." In case you are down on your history you might be enlightened to know that your tax dollars help rebuild their economy after WWII. So gain the most benefit from your tax dollar investment and buy some of the best engineered stuff in the world.
Enjoy,
WV
KwikStik
11-26-2001, 10:16 PM
Well, you seem pretty handy with the labels too. I guess I would classify you as a self centered person with no loyalty to your own county's best interest. Get some balls please.
KwikStik
11-26-2001, 10:24 PM
NM. that was really my whole point all along, however, I felt that if quality was equal, why not go with an American based company? I totally understand the global economy and worker exchange concepts, but I still feel overall Mercury better represents American interests in the outboard motor industry. I did want to stir the pot a little and it looks like I accomplished that. :>)
David Anderson
11-27-2001, 08:26 AM
I have a 115Hp Suzuki and love it. If you can get the May issue of Boating Magizine, they rank the 115's with Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda and Merc, in that order. I concure with many comments saying never a 2 stroke again. You will find Suzuki the most compact of the bunch and they just released a 140hp in the same size. I did some extended trolling sessions this fall and in one weekend logged 27 hours of idle trolling. Used approximately 18 gallons of gas. I used to troll salmon in Lake Michigan using a 50 hp, 4 cyl, 2 stroke merc. It would use 1 gallon an hour. As far as dealers, I think you will see more dealers on board in the future.
KwikStik, good job of pot stirring. One more question needs answering--Is OMC un-American? My 70 4stroke says Evinrude but we all know who makes it. I try to buy both local and U.S. products but as mentioned before the geographic lines are very muddy. As consumers we deserve good value for our money. I feel the Japanese have forced American manufacturers to build better products--planned obsolescence is much less of a factor than it used to be. For me the bottom line is WE ARE LUCKY to have multiple good choices. I am planning to buy a 115 4str and would like to buy a Merc BUT--my dealer says he can't bet a tiller arm. Same thing happened when I bought my 70--no tiller arms for the Merc 75 4str. What do you do?
BIGUN'
11-27-2001, 05:44 PM
HONDA, YAMAHA, SUZUKI-- DIRECT FROM THE PEOPLE WHO BROUGHT YOU PEARL HARBOR. GO FIGURE.
David Anderson
11-27-2001, 06:22 PM
Tough to resist.....here goes.
The US continues to have the best standard of living. We demand the best and will buy the best, often regardless of price. I hate foreign competition. I compete with it in my business everyday. I continue to sell my products, not at the same price, but I offer other value to my customers. OMC went from 40% market share to zlitch. Am I to blame because I didn't buy a OMC motor this spring. They didn't have what I wanted. Is that my fault?
Sorry, if OMC had what I wanted I would have bought it, big 4 stroke, 6 year warranty. I own a '01 Suburban. No Japanese company even comes close. Look around you. VCR's are $70, GPS units $100, they'll give you a cell phone for crying out loud. It's a shame isn't it.
I would challenge you to stop buying Japanese stuff period. Why stop at outboard motors, just quit buying oversea's products. Your personal standard of living would drop like a rock. Sad but true, we are mostly money exchangers these days. Besides the Japanese haven't done so well themselves. Their standard of living is stagnated by their outdated policies of not letting superior American products into their country. Sorry, the world continues to play catchup with us. I'm done
River_eye
11-28-2001, 12:02 AM
changed my mind, not worthy of a response
chrism
11-28-2001, 09:03 PM
FYI
Most of the "jap" motors are made in the USA...as are the "jap" cars and the trucks...
nuff said.