250 Yamaha Offshore vs 250 Verado

[strand]

Looking for motor to put on a 620 Ranger. I have been comparing these engines on line. The supercharger on the Verado concerns me when looking at a $4500 replacement cost. (Any thing that moves wears out) The Yamaha seems to be the workhorse in this comparison. I have eliminated the Etech and Suzuki because my availability for maintenance is limited.

[alumalunker]

There is a lot of guys that have own a Verado and will never buy anything but another Verado. You can say the exact same thing for the Yamaha. If the supercharger concerns you then it sounds like you have your mind made up?

[hooli004]

You're going to find fans of both engines so ultimately the decision is going to come down to your own personal bias but I would go with the Yamaha over the Mercury any day. I fall into the category of guys who have had issues with the Verado, not saying Yamaha's don't ever have problem, just seems like not as many. I would assume performance would be close unless you are running at high elevations. Pretty easy decision for me but that's based on my previous experience with black engines.

[David Anderson]

Well, I don't own either however I did hear an interesting comment last Thursday at the St. Paul Sports Show. One of the boat dealers said that the Verado is going away either in 2018 or 19.

[strand]

Dave did they give you any reasons for quitting to make the Verado? The boat dealers tell me it's a great engine. However I hear they get a pretty nice kickback at year end for pushing the Black one. Maybe all manufacturers give a kickback of some sort!!

[Burr]

Rumors of the Opti/Pro XS going away have been going around since the Verado was introduced. I don't see the Verado going away anytime soon - the 6 cylinder ones anyway. The Midrange, or baby Verados - maybe. However keep in mind the 150 Merc has had for a couple years now was mainly developed to have a better solution for repower with a 4 stroke.

I've got over 800 hours on my Verado - no problems. It's my feeling Merc has the best props, the best gearcase, and has power/performance at or near the top of each of the hp ratings, and pricing is a bit more thrifty with Merc.

I like the people at Yamaha - Itner is first class all the way and very plugged in to our sport. Both Merc and Yamaha have reputable dealerships in my neighborhood. If I didn't have a good Merc dealer - I would be looking at a Yamaha. But my Merc has been so trouble free, my dealer is so good, that I have no reason to look at anything other than Merc. The only issues with a Verado I know of have been near new and covered by warranty, and unfortunately self-inflicted.

[strand]

Thanks for the input everyone.

[MissouriAngler]

Here's my take for what it's worth. Both have had their problems and each company has done a great job of addressing the problems and supporting the customers.

The Mercury has the potential to be more fuel efficient if you stay off the throttle since it is a smaller displacement (think Ford ecoboost vs chevy big block). The dealer says the Merc is more efficient once it is broken in.

The Mercury is somewhat heavier depending on size but this weight also includes the steering and throttle. I've been told the electronic steering and throttle are great (according to the dealer).

So far I have heard both can be more expensive to buy so I would ask the price for the selected motors before deciding. Am pricing my boat with the Verado 225 or the Yamaha 225 Off shore (4.2). The dealer quoted me a price with the Merc being a $1000 more. He seemed to be pushing the Merc as he easily came down a $1000 to match the Yamaha's price. I have heard others say the Yamaha is more expensive so there's that. Both have a promo right now for 5 years coverage at no extra cost.

Cost of repair is a good question. If you compare repairing a Ford Ecoboost to a Chevy motor, I would think the Ford would be more expensive with it's complex turbo's and DFI. BTW, I own a Ford Ecoboost and thank god for extended warranties.

Of course if you are only concerned about how the motor matches the boat it's hands down the Merc. They have 4 different colors. The Yamaha in your power range includes the SHO which is black. Otherwise it's that Yamaha gray which doesn't seem to match anything.

[strand]

What kind of trouble?