Northwest Fishing Reports

Just wondering what folks are running on their boats? Looking to get some input and user experiences including servicing?

How big a boat? River or lake or ocean? Prop or jet? Console or tiller?

The boat will be a 22 footer use will be lakes and salt. I'm thinking of at least 200 but will prob go with a 225. As for brand I've no idea.

I guess that leaves out the tiller.

Yamaha all the way and you may want to consider twins with counter rotating props, smooooooth...

Ya that was my plan until I came across this


Recently, the BoatUS Consumer Protection Bureau has been made aware of dozens of reports regarding serious corrosion problems in Yamaha outboards, specifically 2000 to 2004, first-generation F225 models. Over time the issue usually surfaces after 500 to 700 hours of use the engine's exhaust gases appear to corrode the exhaust tube and sometimes the engine's oil pan, which is in the same area. Reinier Van Der Herp, a New Jersey marine surveyor, told BoatUS, "I've seen the damage to six engines myself, and know of at least a dozen others in the New Jersey area." The failure, he reports, isn't outwardly visible, but the engine may lose power and begin to smoke. In some cases, he says, the oil dipstick can be blown out of the engine from the exhaust-gas pressure.
To date, six BoatUS members have reported to us that they've experienced this problem, and we've received similar reports from three other marine surveyors, on both coasts, who have examined this problem firsthand on other boats. In addition, Internet chat rooms and forums describe the experiences of many other owners who have similar problems with their Yamaha F225s; one owner, who reported that both his engines failed after only 450 hours, compared the problem to "a youngster needing a hip replacement." The repair is expensive. A kit with the necessary parts is about $650, but the biggest hit to the wallet is labor, which can top $2,500. In some cases, the power head may have to be replaced, which can cost $10,000 (the F225 retails for more than $17,000), or twice that for owners whose boats have two engines.
For its part, Yamaha duly repaired engines that failed during the warranty period. But because most recreational boat owners use their outboard engines less than 100 hours per year, a three-year warranty means that many engines begin failing a year or two after the warranty expires. According to Yamaha, no service bulletins were issued about this corrosion problem, though it appears the company has created a parts kit specifically to address fixing it.
A Case In Point

BoatUS member Steve Oetegenn from San Diego, California, was about to close the sale of his 2004 29-foot Seaswirl with twin 2003 Yamaha 225s, but during the final sea trial, the starboard engine began to smoke and the buyer walked. Oetegenn took the boat to his mechanic and was stunned when told the dry-exhaust corrosion was so severe that the power heads would have to be replaced at a cost of more than $20,000 for both.
The engines had been serviced every year exactly as Yamaha suggested, and in fact had just been serviced a week before at a cost of $2,000. His engines had only 500 hours of use. The frustrating part, says Oetegenn, is that if Yamaha had previously informed the technician of the potential problem, the engines could have been inspected for corrosion during a prior annual maintenance (while still under warranty) and perhaps been repaired, rather than ruined. The worst part? Oetegenn had purchased an extended warranty for both engines, and it had expired only months before the engine failed. Oetegenn wrote two letters to Yamaha to request assistance, and received a letter that said, because his engine was out of warranty, the company was unable to help. He now will have to spend thousands of dollars in repairs, just so he can sell his boat.

Sounds like a lawsuit is in order. Class action and all.

Wow! But I still stand by the Yammies.

I've been running my 115 E-tec since 2006 in fresh and salt with no issues to date. All you do is have it checked out and the plugs changed every 300 hours and you are good to go. Winterizing/long term storage, if you need to it, is a snap. Just move the idle lever back and forth in a specific sequence and the motor will fog itself and shut down. It used to be that the white models were designated saltwater specials and had a slightly different build, however, there is no difference now between the two except for color. All Star Fishing runs a 250 on their 26' Wooldridge and claims a top speed of over 50mph so I'm betting that you'd have no issues with a 200 for your application.

sickbayer wrote:The boat will be a 22 footer use will be lakes and salt.

Fiberglass or alloy? New or used? Jet or prop? Motor new or used?

As far as motor choice goes, they are all good today, and I think choosing a motor should be based more upon how close the nearest motor mfr certified service center is. If the nearest service center is a 200 mile drive for motor brand "A" and a 10 mile drive for motor brand "B", that should sway your decision. When I say service center, I don't mean a local marine mechanic who's had been to a class on the motor, I'm referring to a manufacturer authorized and certified service center. For example, there are lots of places to take my Mercs here in Spokane, but there is only ONE Mercury Premier outboard certified service center. Should I ever need maintenance, that's the only place I will take it.

Having said that, I am thrilled with my Mercs, and couldn't ask for more in the way of performance, economy, and ease of service.

The Yammie corrosion issue has been well documented but appears to be limited to the 225 and years mentioned. That wouldn't keep me from buying one if it was what I wanted, just stay away from 225s made from 2000 - 2004 and/or do your due diligence to ensure the corrosion problem doesn't exist on any motor you may consider.

Evinrude all the way. Used to be a Mercury fan but that was mainly because that was what was on the boat, kind of like if you buy your first truck as a chevy, you convinced yourself that they are the best. I have ran (not neccesarily owned) considerable hours on all 3 of 4 the main motors out there, Merc, Yammaha, and eveinrude, props and pumps. The merc seemed to always present the most issues/ delays at the boat launch.
We fish twin 150 Yammers in the ocean behind a 26' striper and have never had any propblems and no power issues, they run great and are fairly decent on fuel. But 2 of my buddies just bought identical 25' sleds down in Portland about a year ago. One is powered with a 250 Etec the other with a 250 yam both with pump and prop lower units. THe Yam is considerably louder and a little bit slower out of the hole and at the top end. The etecs are more money but I think they are alot more advanced tech wise and run smoother and quieter. When i bought my lake/hunting boat for the inland fishing last fall I went with the evinrude and absolutely love it. My opinion, my dad runs mercs on his 23' fishrite and he likes it. Just my experience.