1997 Yamaha C-Series 115HP , Realiable? Inferior to main line up?

[DamianJP]

I have a 1997 Yamaha C-Series 115HP, it runs great ! Iv'e always been a Merc / OMC guy and always wanted to stay away from Japanese motors for some stupid reason.

Well this 115 has been the best motor I've ever had. Quiet (for a 2 stroke) , turn key/zero maintenance , powerful, and does okay on the gas too.

My question is how realiable is the C-series? Like Mercury had "Force" and OMC had "SPL" series, basiclly there 2nd tier motors. How does this C-series fair? Is it a 2nd tier motor of Yamaha that is inferior to their main line up?

This motor has my attention so much that when I build my offshore, Im thinkin of hanging a 4-Stroke Yami on the back !

Thanks,
DamianJP

[DamianJP]

Does the "C" in the C115 mean it's a Commercial motor?

[robert graham]

I believe that a well maintained "C" Yamaha is about as bulletproof of an outboard motor as you can get. I'm running a 1999 C90 Yamaha since I bought it new and never had a problem. Clean, fresh fuel is the main key to longevity and dependability. Good Luck!

[pine island fred]

I believe it is the same as regular motors with out the oil injection and lacks either the tilt and or trim. Think real hard before you invest in a new one, am not impressed with mine, think they are over rated, some kind of mystique. Have 2 yamahas and one MERC. Wish they were all MERCS, especially when buying parts. FRED

[Bamaman1]

I have a 1985 Yamaha 115 hp two stroke on a 24' pontoon boat--bought new. Those engines are absolutely bulletproof. While my engine is low tech by today's standards, all the components are still of very high quality. My only repair in 26 year has been to replace a $240 oil injection electronic module.

When Yamaha came into the retail market in the U.S. around 1984, Mercury seldom made any major engineering changes to their engines. Yamaha immediately took a large share of their business (at joint Merc/Yamaha dealers), and forced Mercury into making changes. Yamaha is about the only company that has had the resources to challenge Merc and really be successful. Sorry, Suzuki.

Unfortunately, the boat business is presently in shambles, with dealers and manufacturers dropping like flies. The engine manufacturers continue to struggle, as can been seen with OMC disappearing and Merc laying off thousands of employees and importing smaller engines from Asia. I think that Yamaha's also had a top management change in Kennesaw, GA,--and they now don't appear to be very supportive of customers' warranty claims.