I am going to be buying a new/new-ish outboard in the 15-25 HP range for use on a 16' jonboat. Tiller steer for sure, electric start preferred. What are the 'fire's preferences of Yamaha vs. Suzuki vs. Mercury vs. Honda? I know Yamaha is like the Toyota of outboards, and I have had a couple of them (both 2 strokes, both solid). No experience with 4-stroke outboards of any make.

From what I gather - all the small hp outboards are basically the same under the cover/paint.

Mercury Marine is basically local for me and as such - finding places with parts and service is pretty easy so that's likely the only real choice offered but I don't think any of the 4 you listed, in 4 stroke would scare me any.

I have no experience with any 4 strokes other than Suzuki. I bought a little one new in 2017 to push my jon on the river and it has been a great motor so far. I use the boat 50-75 days a year, and have had zero issues, other than chewing up props on rocks a few times.

I just change the oil when it starts getting dirty, put a new spark plug in it once a year. I did rebuild the water pump last year, but that was more for peace of mind than anything. It was still pumping, but it wasn't quite as strong a stream as it had been. The impeller was a little worn, but not bad. Wear plate, housing, and drive pin still looked almost like new.

spent a week in Canada this year fishing. Had a john boat and 15 HP Merc. I'd always used Yamaha's, but this Merc worked out real well. Slightest bit cold natured in the morning, but ran it 8 hours a day, flat out and trolling without a problem.

With my Yamaha's and Hondas, I don't need a nearby parts source, they just run.
A few of my friends run Suzuki's and have very good luck, same with Tohatsu outboards.

A lot of Mercury's around with lots of problems, but they can often ring in at a lesser price.

Hondas are best. Tohatsus are best for the price.

Hadn't thought about Tohatsus, maybe I should add them to the list of possibilities.

I've owned Merc's, Yamaha's and Suzuki. Suzuki have been the most reliable for me and have the best warrantee (not that you'll need it). Couldn't give me an overpriced Honda.

I'd shop by price or best dealer near me. A Mercury in the size you need is probably made by Suzuki and goes down the line that gets the black paint. So you are really only looking at Merczuki, Honda, and Yam.

Yes, you should, they're good motors.

Any in that size range should be good so long as it's a fuel injected four stroke. I think it's still possible to find carb motors in those sizes, I'd run from them.

Actually I think I'm wrong and the small Mercurys are made by Tohatsu. Its one of them anyway.

20 horse Four stroke Mercury, made by Tohatsu Where is a Tohatsu dealer?

Electric start. It's heavy!

I have got couple of small outboards. a 2001 9.9 merc (this is one of the Yamaha/Merc hybrids), a 2012 6hp Tohatsu ( pretty much a merc),a 2021 suzuki 15 efi/electric start and a 1991 merc 2 or 2.5 hp two stroke.

I have to say I am pretty impressed with the Suzuki so far. Its been a great runner both trolling and top end and starts very well either with electric start or the recoil starter. The EfI does away with the 'to choke or not to choke" and the minute it takes to get a cold carburated outboard to warm up. Its a few pounds heavier than the non efi engines, but I put it on the boat in April and it stays there until October so a couple of pounds doesn't matter as much it might if I was toting it about all season.

I do pretty much all the work on the engines and with the internet, a local dealer for parts isn't a big deal as was years ago. a few clicks and the new part is there in a few days.

I am so impressed with the Suzuki that I will likely replace the 9.9 hp merc with a 25hp suzuki at some point.

Yamaha for the win

F-250 for the main and F-9.9 for trolling/aux

Agreed, EFI cures a LOT of small-engine ills.

What I found was Tohatsu makes the smaller ones for Merc and all of the motors for Nissan. Also at one time, Yamaha provided a lot of assembly/pieces for Merc but I doubt the new Mercs have Yam pieces.

I'm not sure I qualify as a expert, I've only been doing this for 33 years, but my vote is Yamaha first, followed by Mercury, Suzuki, then Honda.

Love me some motorboating. Two stroke, four stroke, the more strokes the better!

LOL Somebody had to say it.

A few years ago our salmon fishing guide on the Kenai river called Mercury outboards "welfare motors"- - - - -"They're black and don't work!" He ran a Yamaha.

I’ve got two 2 stroke & one 4 stroke Merc outboards 6, 15, 25. All of them are at least 10yrs old. They are all troublesome - especially the over complicated ignition systems. I keep them because I already have them but would need to be fully convinced that something has changed in order to buy another one.

I’ve got my eye on Yamaha - wish I would have gone that route long ago.

If I were a serious buyer, id look hard at the weight of each & what prop options exist for tuning it to your boat & expected loads.

One that runs and does not strand you.

An oldie but a goodie.

Remember the Evinrude FICHT motors? I had a boat mechanic tell me that it stood for "found in channel hailing tow".

I'm not an expert, but all you listed will work fine. I traded in my 2004, 90hp Merc four stroke. And got a Honda last year. No complaints, yet. The Honda and Merc were only 200$ different. The Merc had been in the shop four times, for electrical problems and I decided, reliability, trumps price. My small motors are Merc, Yamaha, and Honda. Honda being the most reliable of the three small motors. Just my experience. We are running Honda and Mercury on the harvesting boats. Harvesting algea for human consumption! These run 10 to 12 hours a day average, everyday, weather and wind cooperating. From late June thru September, sometimes onto November depending on material to harvest. The Honda's have required less maintenance and get about 15% better fuel usage per hour. Like I said ,I'm not an expert, just sharing experience!!

A Yamaha dealer told me Suzuki is the best one made. I had lots of trouble with small Yamahas. Plugged jets mostly. Brains got fried by lightening maybe. Warranty was good except one mechanic didn't get the cooling tube in right, which would have burned it up if I hadn't noticed all the crazy bubbling.

If you fish rocky lakes, use safety cord to save the motor. hood.

Guiding north of the border I see a ton of Yamahas that size and the ones I’ve used are/were excellent.

One fellow I fish out of owns a lot of remote camps and is one of the biggest single purchasers of outboards that size. He too chooses Yamaha. When he turns them over every couple years he told me he orders 80 some. Best he’s used he says.
Every 7-8 years the Yamaha factory crew from overseas actually stop in and query him on any issues or improvements he might like on those motors. He’s a sharp guy and says over the years he has pointed out a number of things that could be done better, none have ever come to fruition.

Osky

One rub to having a Merc in Wabigoon is, the closest dealer is Sioux Lookout, 45 miles away.

Yamaha


Buddy runs 300hp four stroke. wide open all the time. 7 years nothing but routine maintenance.

I have an HPDI 2 stroke 150. It's a 2001 model. Not one lick of issues.



Clyde

Whichever one has the closest dealer with a decent mechanic and parts shop. If it’s got tits or a motor, and it’ll give you trouble.

Look at onlineoutboards.com. It is a division of Cumberland watersports.

Buy a Tohatsu. They build all the Mercs under 20 hp. Same motor, different labels, more money if it is Merc branded. They also build or have built under other labels.

The 10 hp, 15 hp, and 20 hp are built on the same frame and share bore x stroke measurements, as well as weight.

Might as well buy the 20 hp.

I just installed a new 20 hp Tohatsu as a kicker on my Aluminum jet boat. Electric tilt and trim, electric start. I love it.

I am too old and shoulders are too torn up to yank on a pull start.

Final note. Beware fake online outboard sales sites. I found several with great prices, but wanted payment via Paypal direct. Fug that.

Cumberland watersports is good to go.

In the 15-25 HP range you're looking at its really a horse a piece between brands listed. Merc will be a Tohatsu as noted. Hard to fu.ck up a smaller four stroke anymore.

Smaller Mercury and Tohatsu outboards are built in Japan by a 50/50 joint ownership of the plant by Mercury and Tohatsu.

That's where I bought mine, had it shipped right to the front door.

I'm not wealthy enough to afford a good one so I have a '96 25hp Mercury 2 stroke.

Does alright by me, spent a few hundred getting it tuned up , fluids changed, etc and its starts on the second pull every time.

For the amount of motoring I do, I'd be good with a 9.9 Jap 4 stroke.

That was back when Merc was in a joint venture with Yamaha.The result was Mariners.Evinrude filed a lawsuit against Merc that they won, so Merc and Yamaha went their separate ways.I have a 30HP tiller Nissan which is a Tohatsu with electric start,trim and tilt.Super cheap to run but my old 20HP Merc 2 stroke can whip it speed wise any day of the week.

We've been in Dryden, Ontario on a Friday about quitin' time.
A fellow with a stubble beard fueling up to go fishing in his old, smaller boat with an older outboard.
I'll think he catches more fish than the men with the big dollar rigs.

I think in the fam we've had about 9 boats. 1 Chrysler, 1 Mariner and the rest Merc.

Mariner was the worst of the lot for reliability, then the pentastar and merc has been Toyota like for us. Just fishing Green Bay, Little Bay de Noc, Lake Michigan etc. Nothing really "off shore".

I've always preferred "inboards".

For a long time Nissans were a rebranded Tohatsu. I think Nissan quit selling outboards a few years back. I just read that Tohatsu has a new line of larger engines, all made by Honda.

Checkout the EFT Suzuki’s.

And you can’t go wrong with Suzuki, Honda or Yamaha.

A Tahatsu injected 2 stroke 50 hp. has been very good to me for 12 years.

There Ya Go,
Had a 15hp Suzuki four stroke for about ten years, not one problem with it ever. Only complaint was that it did not charge the battery at trolling speed. This may be rectified by now in the newer motors. Bought a 20hp Mercury with power tilt . It too has been flawless and very economical. Charges 14 volts while trolling so battery never runs down. Dale

1963 Evinrude.

Welcome aboard new friend!

Yamaha hands down.

Had a 9.9 and a 70hp four stroke.

Also had a Tohatsu. You couldn't give me another one. It ran fine...ONCE you finally got it started. Vibrated something awful too. The Yamahas were smooth, quiet and started easily.

Pay attention to weight and horsepower.

IIRC Yamahas are lighter than comparable hp Hondas.




P

I have a 50 hp Suzuki outboard for the last 6 years best dang outboard I have ever owned ..

Fuel injected mercury 20 4s .....

I am a Honda fan. I have a 50hp that is bullet proof. I would have to stick with them if I was buying another one. Yamaha would be my next choice.

I bought a barely used 2020 Suzuki 20 hp last year for my 14 foot Grumman. Originally it had an Evinrude 35 hp. When they did away with 2 strokes on the Kenai, I put a 25 Honda on it for a few years. It worked well but I got the itch for a Go devil and traded into a 27 hp GD. Never cared for it much. It was fine for shallow rivers but not so good for other applications.

My boat went unmotored for a couple years until I found the Suzuki. It weighs about the same as an old Evinrude 9.9 four stroke I had. And seems to have as much go as the old 35 two stroke. I’m thoroughly impressed.

I bought a brand new 20hp Suzuki from OnlineOutboards in 2019. I can’t say enough good about both.

The transaction was smooth and easy, the shipping fast and free, and the lady on the phone very knowledgeable and nice. I was a little apprehensive about spending that kind of cash on something I’d never laid eyes on and the CS department was top notch. I also couldn’t find anywhere else, local or otherwise who could beat their price.

The Suzuki is quiet and smooth. It starts easy, usually on the first pull and I can troll for literally days on the 3 gal gas can, it’s really amazing how little gas it burns. I will never own another outboard that isn’t a 4 stroke and fuel injected.

A little word of caution. The Suzuki does not like bad fuel. I got a small amount of water in some fuel from a store that had a leaky tank. I like to have never got it cleared out. I finally called my buddy, who owns a Suzuki shop and followed his protocol of blowing out the injectors and fuel system and rinsing the fuel tank out with Heat and some fresh clean fuel and it was good to go. Been flawless ever since.

I've owned or own 4 strokes from Suzuki, Tohatsu and Yamaha. All have been fine and I've picked them by availability and price. My opinion is that it's hard to find a brand that is bad as long you stay away from off brand Chinese makes.

Funny since small mercs are Tohatsu’s

Been running Suzuki for 7 years without any problem whatsoever. Smooth and quiet.

Wouldn't mind Yamaha or Honda. No Mercury for me.

From a friend that went to outboard marine school.

Ole Evinrude ran a machine shop, and they had a company picnic on an island.

They decided they'd like some ice cream, but a wind came up, and when the rowboat got back, the ice-cream had melted.

Monday morning Ole mounted a gas engine, twisted a flat iron for a propeller, and the outboard motor was born.

^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^^

I do not really know what the charge rate is on my 20 hp Tohatsu at idle. I do know that I ran the battery down with the electric trolling motor one day, too low to start the Ford V8 302 which is the main drive motor. But I had enough juice to fire the kicker motor. (or I could have broke down and yanked on the starter cord).

The main jet pushes the boat around 30 mph. The kicker idles at 1 mph and makes 7 mpg at WOT. We were seven miles from the dock, so it took us one hour to get there. The battery was charged enough to start the V8 when we got to the dock.

Today, the kicker and the MinnKota are wired into a group 27 deep cycle, while the V8 runs from a brand new group 27 SLA car battery. But I can run the main engine and dash from either or both, if need be.

The boat has three 25 gallon fuel tanks. I plumbed the kicker directly into the port rear tank, which is filled with ETOH free 91 octane. Squeeze the bulb to prime the fuel line and it fires on the first or second rotation, even the first time when it was brand new.

I was told by my boat mechanic that outboards do not have generating capabilities, unless they are electric start. Maybe he lied to me. Maybe things have changed.

My Yamaha F8 will charge my main batteries and it’s pull start.

I'm not sure about now, but Tahotsu's warrantee was about 2x longer than the others. IIRC, it was 4 yrs for non-commercial use and 2 yrs for commercial use. The others ranged from none to 1 year for commercial use.

He lied or doesn't know.

My 7.5 Honda pull start has been charging batteries for decades. There is a power outlet on the right side, and I have two power cords for it; one to use, and one to misplace.

Have a Yamaha 25 new this year, traded a 10 year old 20. No complaint

So thanks for the fish and fauna pics.

My Suzuki came with a 3 year non commercial warranty when I bought it in 2019. Don’t know what they have now.

We were looking at an old Merc 18 hp on my 16 foot Lund. No power outlets on it. Mechanic said it has just enough juice to fire the coils.

Things must have changed. It was an old motor with the blue band on the cowl.

Here you go Jag. Buy a new Suzuki and this could be you.

I've wondered about the 2 stroke outboards on Amazon. I'm surprised they are legal and wonder how well they work. 2 strokes are pretty simple and the Chinese predator motors at Harbor Freight are supposedly pretty good.


Amazon Link

Thems some nice Eyes.

These ones are also interesting.
https://www.cukusin.com/collections/outboard-motor

I still like 2 stroke motors but admit some of the new 4 strokes look good.

All of those are top rate motors. But Yamaha is in a class by itself (I've had their 3, 4, 8 and 250 hp motors). I believe Tohatsu builds the small Mercury's and Honda's.

Sounds like availability and price are the biggest variables; reliability seems to be good across the board, at least in the 4 stroke realm. There are dealers around here for all of them, so that's not much of a consideration unless you know something about their mechanics. I've seen a '17 Suzuki that's been used in salt water for a few years, don't know if that'd be an issue; I'm thinking on it.

Thanks for all of the responses.

On the offshore fishing boats I see at work it used to be all Yamaha. On the newer ones we are seeing mostly Mercury.

I have a Suzuki DF70 on my 22' pontoon. Its EFI and is an absolute joy to own and maintain. Starts very easy and runs like a top. Will push my toon about 23mph without a load.

I change the lower unit and engine oil once a year. Both come out looking just like they did when I put them in.

I wouldn't be afraid to own another Suzuki.

I have a 2022 60/40 Merc jet

It's nice but made in China

I had a 1988 40 Yamaha jet that was still running great when I sold it last year

The only small outboard I've ever owned is the 2012 carb'd 9.9 Yamaha kicker on my current boat. It's never failed to start, and starts easy. I pump the bulb a few times, pull the choke, press the starter, leave it choked until it "chugs" a little, then push the choke off and go. Nothing more than an oil/lower unit fluid change every spring and always run non-ethanol fuel.

I do try to run it at least 5-10min every weekend just so I don't have fuel sitting in the bowls getting "old". Use it to get back to the start of a drifting or trolling run, or pull cranks/plugs for a while. The only change I'd make if I were buying new today is I'd get a motor w/EFI instead of carbs.

Current boat has a Yamaha F-200 3.3L V-6 EFI 4-stroke and my previous boat had a Suzuki 150HP EFI 4-stroke. Based on the reliability of those 2, I'd not have any issue at all owning a smaller EFI from either manufacturer.

I've wondered where/how the 4 stroke motors' oil pans are located since outboard motors are essentially on their sides compared to most other motors? Do they completely depend on an oil pump to lube the top cylinders or do they have some kind of special oil pan?

I have had or been around many motors I prefer the Mercury hands down
My fishing partner has Honda 90 and 9.9 kicker
They run good but not as user friendly as merc
And the 9.9 throttle lock is cheesy and never did work
Had a 25 Yamaha for a few years reliable and powerful never liked the side shift and it was a gas hog

Yamaha because of all the a’s in the name

That’s all they run down in Mexico, dive boats, fishing, etc

The 4-stroke Tohatsus I've used have been okay. No problems, but some minor details could be better. Currently running a Yamaha 4-stroke 6hp on the 15' inflatable and the 20' sailboat, and have zero complaints with it. I don't understand people having problems with carb'd 4 strokes. Sounds like a gas/maintenance issue. One thing I like about the Yamaha 6hp (and the Suzuki equivalent) is the option of using external fuel tank or the internal fuel tank.

Buddy of mine calls Mercs welfare motors because they only work a few days each month

I don’t think 20 years ago we would have been talking about carbed 4 strokes having issues. But today’s gasoline is such a crap shoot. Even the supposed non ethanol stuff still can have traces of the corn squeezing in it.

Stabil

And avoid the old run down gas stations. I have all sorts of carb'd small engines here that have been running for years, some for decades, with no trouble.

It’s hard to go wrong with Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki or Mercury. Some friends of mine have switched to Mercury from Yamaha simply because parts came out of the Midwest (Wisconsin iirc) versus Japan. With supply chain issues they couldn’t risk their boats being down for repair so they decided to try Mercury. They’ve all been very pleased with their Mercury outboards.

Just like the big automakers, the main manufacturers of modern outboards are all good and their motors are dependable. It comes down to price, warranty and service centers.

Yamaha is the Toyota of the Outboard world . . .

I have a 1997 25 horse Merc 2 stroke. I have never once had a problem with it except one time I had a fouled plug. Two new plugs and it ran perfect. The 1st water pump lasted 17 years. I have changed the water pump 2 times now . My newer 5 horse merc for trolling is ok, it is a single cylinder so it shakes the boat a little more. I have 148 hrs on it and 3 yrs old now and no problems. However, we shouldnt have any problems at 148 hrs. anyway. An 8 horse is a 2 cyl . and likely a smoother motor. I have a 3.5 merc .I bouth it with a clogged carb, but now it runs very good.

I'm running a couple of 2 stroke Yamahas that have given exceptional service for around 20 years. I've slowed down a bit, but for most of that time I was on the water from ice-out to ice-up, 2 - 5 days a week.

Go down to the water and see what the guides, the crabbers and others are using.

Most of the 3rd world tourist areas I've been in, where parts and service are sketchy and reliability is very appreciated, the majority of the outboards you see are Yamaha.

I wouldn't consider anything but a Yamaha if I were buying a new outboard.

I haven't owned anything less than 200hp in the last 30 years, but I wouldn't consider anything but Yamaha or Suzuki.

The last small motor I had was a Tohatzu (Nissan) 50, and it was a great motor.

I owned a couple of Mercury/Mariners and run a couple of Merc 350's on someone else's boat.

There is no way I would buy one.

Bought a used package a couple years ago with a 40hp Nissan (Tahatsu) at a price i could throw the motor away if i had to. Been running it for a couple years now with an open mind because i didn't know crap about them. Starts and runs great, no problems at all so far. However i am looking for a new 70ish hp 4-stroke and don't know what brand to go with, so any and all opinions are good to hear.

While I'm sure Yamaha mostly makes good outboards, I once got a lemon. It was a 9.9 four stroke.

Now, getting a bad one wasn't what turned me off, it was Yamaha's failure to timely repair and refusal to replace it.

I spent over 20 hours driving it around to repair facilities. Didn't get it fixed.

Yamaha actually sent a factory rep to try to repair it. He worked on it at the dealer and said it was fixed. It wasn't. He came by my home and picked it up and worked on it, more than 2 times.

Finally, after a long time of dealing with a motor that they should have replaced, they did get it fixed.

This was an ongoing problem that resulted in many hours of driving and many trips to the lake, only to be frustrated that the motor didn't work.

Finally I decided I wouldn't own anything that could make me that angry so, once I was convinced they had it repaired, I sold it. Yes, I did give the buyer the full story, including the report from the factory rep.

Yamaha should have replaced the motor but said "We don't do that".

I'll bet that 95% of people that buy a Yamaha never have an issue.

If you are in the group that has problems, I hope they treat you better than they did me.

I doubt I'll ever purchase another Yamaha product.

I have proven that with a couple Mercs I have owned, only one good one out of the bunch. We even had one that had to be rebuilt at 40hrs.

Suzuki has been flawless for me and a Yamaha on the river boat that has gone through a lot and still keeps ticking.

I would have a hard time buying a Merc after what some of the guys that build them told me.

I’ve had 4 Yamahas and 1 Mercury. They’ve all run great. The Mercury is noisy compared to the Yamaha. I prefer the Yamaha tiller arm.

So, when they break down they're complicated to repair and overly expensive?

Go to any Alaska bush village and you'll find mostly Yamahas. Hondas are okay performance wise, but they have weaker lower units compared to the Yamahas and you can see the difference in the diameters of the driveshafts. The major rivers in Alaska are silty, full of sandbars and drift logs under the surface. A whack from a drift log will snap a Honda shaft where a Yamaha will usually survive the encounter as long as the engine isn't locked in place.

Yamaha

Mercury is leading the pack by a good margin. They spent a good deal on r&d and it paid off.

In a new 150-300hp I wouldn’t consider anything but a Merc. Small ob, get whatever you want

Yamaha......in 2001 at the PWT World Walleye Championship, I along with every other competitor, were required to keep our boats after hours at the Bismarck Civic parking lot where they had a fenced compound. We would back our boats in so that the fuel truck could drive down the center and refuel each night for us.

Every outboard maker had a support truck there and every night, when you looked down the row of boat's, it was ALWAYS the black motor hoods that were off, set on the ground, and technicians working on them so that the angler would have it for the next day. In fact, my Yamaha technician, Chad, was usually over helping the Merc techs repair their motors. I had lost my speedometer and went to the Yamaha support trailer to ask Chad to look at it, and had to go search for him. He was working on a Merc with his counterpart....he said to the other guy, " I'll be right back, this won't take long". He was right....I had a high speed strike of a piece of wood apparently and plugged off the tiny hole for the speedo....Chad had it cleared with a tiny drill bit in the drill in about 15 seconds. Talented man.

That being said, the Evinrude E-Tec Saltwater outboard I once owned was unbelievable! Never understood why Merc didn't utilize that technology over keeping the schitt they had.....

I’ve had good service from the Yamaha 4 strokes I’ve ran. I’d first get EFI if available then check the weight and displacement.

Pretty amazing company Yamaha. They make some fine motorcycles, PWCs, musical instruments…they should get into firearms. Everything I’ve ever had Yamaha has been great. Got a couple acoustic guitars I play all the time

You guys need to keep up with stuff. It’s not 2000 or even 2015.

The v8 Merc 300 is better than the Yamaha 300. No contest.

The 200-225 v6 Merc is in a class of its own and has no peer. It will destroy the 200 Yamaha.

The 3.0 merc 150 is one hell of an engine and beats the 150 Yamaha in my opinion.

A number of people on here are offering their opinions on this and relating the experience their opinions are based on. What are you basing your opinion on?

That must be why all the newer offshore boats with 3 and 4 outboards on the back are Mercs. There were 5 or 6 around us last weekend and all of them had Mercs hanging on them.

A guy's gotta ask himself when it comes to those big motors,, what would these guys know?

This mirrors what I saw at a major Bassmasters tournament a couple of years ago. The Mercury guys had a pretty extensive encampment set up and were busy every night, sometimes just replacing entire engines. There were a couple of Yamaha techs there, but they weren't too busy.

A lot of the popularity of Yamaha in third world countries has to do with Yamaha and Worldbank partnering to build Panga boats and make them easily available for fishermen to make a better go of making a living. I kinda wish we in USA could get the Enduro models sold in ROW because of simplicity. USA models are built to ridiculous emission standards and the service and parts chain is ridiculously expensive. The 2-stroke yamahas are becoming sought after due to supply issues with new 4-strokes.

It would be really nice if we could get the Yamaha diesel outboards available in less-enlightened parts of the world.

I've never owned a 4 stroke anything or Yamaha, Suzuki or Honda so no insight there. I've owned 6 evinrude/johnsons (115-150), 1 tohatsu (70) and 2 mercury's (150). The mercs were garbage. I worked on them as often as I ran them. I've not had much in the way of problems with evinrude/johnson motors. No problems at all with the tohatsu. It ate props but that was the waterway I was working in, not the motor. University of Alabama research vessel Minerva on the Black Warrior River from Demopolis, AL to Franklin's Ferry, AL. About an even split between work boats and recreational craft.

About 20 years and thousands of guide days. 10s of thousands of hours. Owning multiple offshore boats.

I am not guessing or passing on second hand info.

I have a 1990 2 stroke 25 Johnson on my little boat. Have an Evinrude Etech 2 stroke 105 Jet on my big boat. Both have been flawless. On the big boat I would have gone Merc 2 stroke as a second choice. Yamahas are dogs with a jet pump by comparison.

Fair enough…so help us out… what are the specific characteristics that make the Mercs better, which, I think, for most of us means dependability and longevity.

You do realize that jet pumps are about 40% less efficient than a prop, right? It's not the Yamaha.

Nice to hear from you today Calvin. Thanks for the professional advise. We can argue all day . One will say one is junk and the other is the best. As for me, I had a 25 horse Merc I bought new in 1997. Not one problem ever and I run them enough. Must be good if it never not started in 25 yrs that I owned it and bought new. I did have a Johnson for 1 month and it stalled on my on the Mississippi River and lucky I got it going . The next time I needed a tow. So therefore all Johnsons are junk. As for me I am looking at a new boat . I will likely part with Merc because the 40, 50 and 60 are made in China, and I would rather have Japanese over Chinese any day. I hear the Yamaha 70 is an awsum motor. Do you hear about the 70vs 75? Only 5 horse difference but much different motors. I'm siding with the 70 for $400 less.