Home Forums Fishing Freshwater new 15 hp outboard, honda/yamaha/suzuki

I'm considing a new outboard for my 14' lund, which has an old 9.9 Johnston on it. Any significant differences between most of the major brands?(Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, etc.) Pricing seems to be a wash and I am leaning towards a Honda or Yamaha 15. I'm hoping a 15 hp 4 stroke will still troll down well and be better when there are a few people on board as the 9.9 was marginal.

I'm still running a Johnson & love their motors. You might ask the local dealer if your engine can be updated to 15 HP. It may be simple carburetor change along with a few other small things.

The 4-strokes idle very well for trolling. My Honda 90 is about 12 years old, has around 100 hours per year on average, and runs virtually like new, and has required more money for the yearly oils changes than on other maintenance needs. The single �fault� I find on the fours compared to the Evinrude (EFI) and Johnson (garden-hose) carbed engines I previously ran on the boat, is the power the twos have for climbing up on step. I would most likely buy another Honda if I had the need right now. It would either be that or Yamaha.

yamaha makes a excellent 4 stroke outboard. Hondas aren't as popular. Yamahas arent fuel injected till you go up to a 40hp. Heres the deal while susuki is more popular than honda as far as number of sales they aren't as many as yamahas. Thing is the small suzukis are fuel injected. I know 3 people personally that have suzuki 4 stroke outboards and all three say they love them. One is a guy with a 25hp that trolls for walleye. He told me he trolled for walleyes for 8 hours on norris lake and used 1/8 a tank of gas. You will never get that kind of fuel economy with a carberated engine. It would be in your best intrest if you troll a lot to reserch this a little. A suzuki 25 will be my next purchase. suzuki as of a couple of years ago made the johnson 4 strokes, only difference was the alternator put out more on the suzuki than on the johnson model. Hope this helps.

Remember near by dealer support.
It's not fun having to drive over an hour for a simple repair, or parts.

Current plan is to try to get the 9.9 up and running without dropping major coin into it. If that is not successful then I'll look hard at a Yamaha and Suzuki. The smaller Yamahas seem to be more popular out this way.
There are a couple dealers close by but I'd expect to have very little need for them.
I don't troll much any more in freshwater, mostly running between spots to anchor or drift, but it is nice to have the option.
I'm hoping the 15 hp 4 stroke would push it up on plane with a load, the 9.9 is just enough. I suspect a 9.9 4 stroke would be no better, and possibly worse.

A four-stroke of similar HP will not be better and is unlikely to equal the zip that a 2 stroke can give for getting a boat �up�.






Glad you mentioned Suzuki; I had forgotten they were once considered a premier outboard. Almost never see them anymore since they went four-stroke, but they were and still seem to be a good company. Buy from whichever dealer has the best service reputation is probably the best piece of advice offered.

I have zero experience with the 4 stroke outboards, but my 2 stroke 9.9 Mariner, made in the early 80's by Yamaha is an excellent little motor. Just had it out for the first time a week ago after being stored for 6 months. As usual, 3-4 pulls and it was purring like a pre-mix fed kitten.

I lean toward the Yamaha outboards, FWIW.

Nobody has brought this up so far but ...

With a 14' boat I'd be inclined to put 20 hp motor on it. You'd have absolutely no problem getting on step with a boat load of people and/or gear.

I will say from past experience, albeit awhile ago, there is a significant difference between a 10 hp and 15 hp. A 15hp will get a 14' boat on step as long as it's not carrying a very heavy load. A 10 hp is enough for light loads but still marginal.

anything over 15 horse, and you'll be trolling too fast. Another vote for suzuki or yamaha.

Not necessarily. I used to fish a 13'4 Western with a 25 hp two stoke Mercury that was fine for trolling. It hauled azz too.

Sometimes all it takes is turning the idle down a bit and if it's still a problem there are ways around it.

Ive got a 1988 15 hp Suzuki .I run the Missouri river all year unless it is froze up.had to replace prop, clutch slipping ,im pretty rough on it, a lot of rocks,fishing ,running trot lines ,deer hunting , duck hunting ,trapping .I run it all year .little out board has a bunch of hours on it.

I have limited experience with boat motors, and so keep that in mind when evaluating my comment.

I recently had my 1989 Suzuki DT15c in for service, and I mentioned to the shop owner that maybe I would consider selling it and using the proceeds to buy a newer, 4-stroke replacement. I mentioned that I often used the motor for trolling and that the 4-stroke would be better.

The shop owner (also a mechanic) said that he would be able to sell my motor in no time flat. According to him, small 2-strokes that are in good running condition are in very high demand. They usually require less maintenance, weigh much less, and generally have more low-end power than comparable 4-strokes.

Also, he said that the advantages of the quieter, smoother idling, 4-strokes are more apparent in larger motors. I guess the smaller 4-stroke motors aren't as refined as the larger ones in relation to their 2-stroke counterparts.

My 15 hp Suzuki gets my 14' Alumacraft on plane pretty easily with two guys, two batteries, two anchors, coolers, tackle, etc. According to my GPS, top speed has been about 18 mph.

Your comments are spot on.

Used two stroke 15 horse engines sell for a premium up here and are hard to find. You're comparing an ~80# two stroke to a #100-120# four stroke and that makes a huge difference on an engine your often taking on and off the transom.

The other thing with an o/b you're taking on and off the transom, you're often laying the engine on it's side. No big deal with a two stroke, but with a four stroke lay it down wrong and you're spilling crank case oil all over the place.

I have even trolled for walleye with a 35hp 2 stroke Johnson. That is slower than one would need for trout or salmon. Had a 15 Evinrude before, but fished at high elevation in Utah, and the 15 would no longer get my 14 ft Lund on plane. If a 20 or 25 goes too fast, you can always turn around and backtroll like lots of folks here in MN do! ;-)

If my 2003, 60 horsepower Suzuki four stroke under a Johnson hood is any indication, I would buy a small Suzuki in a heartbeat. I have not had a lick of problem with the motor. Change oil and plugs, that is all that has been done to it over the years. And it has been used a lot during the open water season here.