Mercury 4-stroke v. Yamaha v. Honda

[Dan Evergreen]

How do the 50hp 4-strokes made by Mercury, Honda and Yamaha compare in terms of performance, and especially, reliability? Thanks for any advice.

[corm]

I like the merc LU better.Very few service aids on 1st yr release. Good motor.I think Trailier Boats did a comparison testlast year. All the powerheads are good. Justmake sure the Dealer is good, cause your buying service 1st and motor 2nd. Most problems come from the dealership.....have fun...corm

[SeaDawg]

Dan, which one did you end up going with? I'm looking now at the 50 - 60 HP 4 strokes, looking to buy a 1995 to 2000 motor to put on a 1760 MT Lowe roughneck.Any advice on prop pitch would be welcome from those in the know.Ron

[JB]

Hey, SeaDawg. Don't overlook The Suzi DF50. It has a superior rep., equal to the Yammy and the Honda and even better than the Merc. But, as Corm says, service. . . is it available from a reputable dealer nearby? Unless you are a very good wrench, go for the best local service.Your friendly neighborhood E'rude dealer may have a left over 50 (made by Suzuki) which would be an excellent option.Red sky at night. . .JB

[SeaDawg]

Thanks JB. Yea, the Suzuki does look like a nice engine. I've got to start pounding the pavement to see what I can find. I'm pretty mechanically inclined, so I will just end up buying the motor, and I'll mount it myself.My wife can buy the control cables/etc. wholesale through her business, so I've just got to find me a decent motor and I'm off striper fishing!My boat (Lowe 1760 MT), will weigh about 1,200 lbs typically loaded (boat/motor/fuel/tackle/me/friend/etc.) and it is rated up to a 65 HP. I do a lot of flat water running. With a typical 50 to 60 HP four stroke, do you think it will handle a 17 pitch prop, or should I start out with a 15 pitch? I know it depends on the final drive ratio too, but most of these size engines are around a 2.00 ratio

[trevorcday]

The 2002 merc 30-60 hp 4-strokes are efi which is nice but if you get a 2001 50 4 stroke carb model you can convert it to a 60 by changing one $20 part (a plastic restrictor behind the carbs). It takes about 10 minutes to do. I checked it out on the Merc parts catalog and that and the engine decals are the only difference between a 50 and a 60. The 2001 and up merc 4-strokes have a 3 year warranty which is good as well. The prop required will vary with each manufacturer even if the HP is the same since the lower unit gear ratios are different. With the Merc you will find that you will need a low pitch prop since these engines need to rev. Typically we have been running 13 or 14 pitch prop's on a 16' fishing boat.

[DP]

I am running a 1999 Merc 50 4 stroke on my 17' Montauk and love it. The engine is mounted with the cavitation plate 1 1/2" above the boat bottom and running a 13 pitch prop. The rig weighs about 1500# with crew and gear. Top speed is 33 mph at 5600 rpm.****

[SeaDawg]

Thanks guys. I started another topic to deal with my questions, if you think you can help me out, please read it and post.thanks, Ron