Which large 4 stroke to buy?

marv plotzka

Seaman Apprentice
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Sep 24, 2002
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32
I am ordering a 25'pontoon boat for spring delivery and my dealer sells Honda, Johnson, and Merc. I have eliminated the 115/130 Honda. It is too heavy and doesn't sit well on the boat I am getting. From what I have read on the web, the new 115/140 Johnson is a Suzuki and is a fairly new design, the 115 Merc is a Yamaha and has undergone some cost cutting efforts. Dose anybody have a compelling reason to purchase one over the other, like a better designed gearcase, fuel system,etc.? My dealer recommends the Johnson 70hp 4 stroke. I would like a larger motor, thinking it would run a little quieter and at lower RPM when cruising along the lake shore.
 

rickdb1boat

Supreme Mariner
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Jan 23, 2002
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11,195
Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

I am partial to Johnson, but don't get the 70 HP. Not because it is not a great Motor, but it is a bit underpowered for a 25' toon. The 115 Johnson is the way I would go. A relative has a 24'er with an 88 HP on it and it does real well with 5 or 6 people aboard, so a 115 should be fine! Just My Opinion!
 

JB

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Mar 25, 2001
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45,907
Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

Hi, Marv.<br /><br />I agree with Rick. The Johnson DF115 is a marvelous engine, and quiet as a mouse!<br /><br />I also like your dealer's recommendation for the DF70. I have one and it is also quiet as an electric. Even at cruise rpm you can hold a normal conversation.<br /><br />Good luck. :)
 
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DJ

Guest
Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

Marv,<br /><br />I wouldn't worry about the Johnson 115 or 140 Four Stroke. They are identical to the Suzuki, except the paint. The engines have been on the market for over a year and reports are good.<br /><br />They are also the lightest and most compact of the four stroke bunch in that horsepower class.
 

Peddler

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Aug 27, 2002
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Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

Marv,<br />Is the Honda that much more weight? I have ordered<br />the 115HP Honda for a 25 foot Sanpan built by<br />Godfery. I based my decision on this forum as I<br />have not seen a complaint about Honda.<br />Peddler
 
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DJ

Guest
Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

All,<br /><br />I also think Honda makes a good engine. However I had a customer service nightmare with them regarding a part.<br /><br />We lost six months useage of an 8 hp. kicker because we could not get a part.<br /><br />Their (Honda) answer was: "The boat only comes in twice a year-sorry". End of discussion.<br /><br />That is not customer service.
 

Forktail

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Feb 11, 2002
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977
Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

You could go purchase a F115 Yamaha. :) This is one of the sweetest outboards made.<br /><br />It's fuel injected and weighs in 100 lbs less than the Honda.<br /><br />"the new 115/140 Johnson is a Suzuki"<br /><br />The Suzuki 115 and 140 are not the same engine. The DF115 sits on a 1950 cc block and weighs in at 416 lbs. The DF140 sits on a 2044 cc block and weighs less than the 115 at 410 lbs. The Yamaha F115 is lighter at 400.<br /><br />I wouldn't go with less than 100 hp on the 25'er.<br /><br />You could go with twin T50 High Thrust's......<br /><br />Good luck.
 

Jacques321

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 23, 2001
Messages
129
Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

I didn't buy my merc because the engine is Yamaha technology. I bought it because mercs perform well on the water, and because service is essential regardless of which engine you choose. I also bought it because I got a good deal pricewise.<br />The part about Yamaha is a definate plus for me. I appreciate that reliability factor in that Merc decided to build 4 strokes with a company that has proven experience in the field.<br /><br />Take a look at the Merc 115 FI(4 stroke). You may be pleasantly surprised in performance and price.<br /><br />That's it.
 

marv plotzka

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Sep 24, 2002
Messages
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Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

Thankyou for the good reports on the Johnson/Suzuki 4 strokes. I was leaning towards the 140hp Johnson " big is better, to much is just right " but I was a little gun shy. My neighbor had a 1990 90hp Ficht on his 24' Aqua Patio. It was a problem child. One day on the way over to the dealer for service, it popped the powerhead. The dealer pulled a 2000 90hp Ficht out of stock and had his techs do a swap. That motor runs perfectly, as well as the 50hp 2 stroke Johnson that's on the pontoon that I am trading in. I also have a Merc 150 on my speed boat, it's just fine to. Have had Yamaha's too. Broke one, still have one. I guess my problem was that I don't think I have ever seen an Suzuki outboard other than on TV.
 

marv plotzka

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Sep 24, 2002
Messages
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Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

Peddler: The boat I am getting is a 2500 SanPan RE with changing room and performance package. The Honda was my first choice because it has active counterbalancing and my wife liked the color. My wife has an Olds Aurora with an active counterbalanced V8 motor. Sweet motor/car. I called Godfrey to see if they had a 130 Honda in stock, thinking I might want to get the boat yet this year. I was told yes, but, they loved the Honda 115/130 on a Hurricane deck boat, but not on the SanPan because of the weight. They suggested the 90hp Honda or 115 Johnson, Merc, Suzuki, or Yamaha. The 115/130 Honda is about 100 lbs heaver than the others. I started looking around, and sure enough, the big Honda's sat low in the water and didn't seem to plane well, the smaller Honda and the other motors looked just fine. The place is infested with Godfrey pontoons and a few Bennington and Trackers, so I had a good sample size. A couple of the neighbors have the 90hp Honda's on their boats and they are very hard starting and tend to be a bit cold blooded. The 90hp Honda has carburetors, the 115-130-140hp Johnson, Honda, and Merc have fuel injection for EZ start up. I hope that helps a little.
 

Jacques321

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 23, 2001
Messages
129
Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

Hey Marv,<br /><br />If you compare weight on the following engines take a look at which one comes out the lightest:<br /><br />Honda...... 115 - 496 lbs.<br />Suzuki......115 - 416 lbs.<br />Yamaha..... 115 - 401 lbs<br />Mercury.....115 - 386 lbs.<br />Johnson - nothing higher than 70HP in 4 stroke and even that weighs 416 lbs. !!
 

JB

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45,907
Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

Hi, Jacques.<br /><br />I think you got a little mixed up on the weight of the Johnson 70 4 stroke. It is 336lb. :)
 

rickdb1boat

Supreme Mariner
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Jan 23, 2002
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Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

I appreciate the correction on JB's post, although I don't think 23# is gonna make any difference anyway. Geez, a cooler in the back weighs that much! But thanks for keeping on top of it!
 

JB

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45,907
Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

Hi, Rick and Jacques.<br /><br />The weight listed in the Johnny site (359#) is a misprint of 339# (with prop). Bombardier has admitted that.<br /><br />My engine is a 2001 Suzi DF70, identical to the current Suzi DF70 and Johnson 4 stroke 70. I made them verify the 336# weight before putting it on my Montauk, because it is about 30# heavier than the old 'Rude 100 it replaced.<br /><br />It is a superb engine. Quiet (the first thing any Suzi 4 stroke owner will say about his engine) but stronger than a 70 is supposed to be in both hole shot and WOT. <br /><br />My Montauk could stay with my son's Merc 90 2S powered Montauk all the way up. To be fair, at least part of that comes from a 4" setback on my jackplate.<br /><br />Cheers. :)
 

Forktail

Ensign
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Feb 11, 2002
Messages
977
Re: Which large 4 stroke to buy?

If you're really into it, compare the gear ratios and operating rpm. This can give insite into torque and speed.<br /><br />For example:<br /><br />Honda BF115: 2.00:1 with max rpm at 6000 (max power at 5500). 496 lbs.<br /><br />Yamaha F115: 2.15:1 with max rpm at 6000. 400 lbs.<br /><br />Suzuki DF115: 2.59:1 with max rpm at 6000. 416 lbs.<br /><br />Then there's props.....oh, so many options. :)
 
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