Time to repower but which brand?

[Slow Ride]

All,

It's getting close to time to repower the fountain. I'm currently running a pair of 1999 Yamaha 200 Saltwater Series II engines. They are still in good operating condition. One of them has a new (not rebuilt) powerhead which only has about 100 hrs on it. The other is original and runs fine but is starting to make a few new noiese here and there and I have no idea if the hour meter is correct at 430 hrs (almost certain its not) and I'm anxious to get a few more horses back there.

I'm not terribly loyal to any maker and I assume most of the engines on the market these days are similar in reliability. I'm really interested in the Merc. Verado, but they had a bad reputation early on. Can anyone tell me if they are have any experience with this engine. I'll probably have to buy used to keep the cost reasonable. I have seen sets of 275hp Verados for about 20k-24k ranging from 2005 to 2010 with around 500 hrs.

This seems reasonable but I really have no point of reference. Also, are there any known issues during that time frame that I should be looking for when shopping?

Thanks for any input and opinion you may have and please, lets not turn this into a thread for argueing about which maker is better than the other. We have beat that horse to death on Iboats already. LOL

Dave

 

[coastalrichard]

Re: Time to repower but which brand?

Well, with the current and future prospects for fuel costs and, if you can verify the TV ads, those Verados look to be pretty good on consumption. My friend has a pair of 250's; they're really smooth and quiet.

 

[Slow Ride]

Re: Time to repower but which brand?

coastalrichard,

Almost anything will be better than 1999 fuel injection! LOL. I've done some research on this topic and here is what I have learned. At idle and low speeds (trolling) Verado beats the competition, although not by much. Once you get to cruising speed 3500-40000 rpms they are all about the same regardless of maker. I'm a Yammy fan but those Verados are bad boys and could push my boat near or beyond the 70mph mark assuming I purchases 250-275hp engines. But the truth being told, I almost never push my engines that hard. It is nice to know you have it if you want it though??!!?!?!?!!?

 

[BillP]

Re: Time to repower but which brand?

I personally wouldn't touch a Verado based on the info I've gleened. But, a friend of mine just bought a 3 yr old used boat with 3 Verados hanging on the bracket. The first thing he did was take them to the dealer for a service check. All the motor history is stored so they can see everything. The history showed a bunch of upgrades that needed to be done. Some paid by the factory but not all. So, this would be a good thing to do before you buy a pair. I didn't ask details but the motors had less than 25hrs and were virtually new. You can find deals now...his boat (32' Palm Beach custom) was over $300k new and he bought it for the asking price of $100k in mint, showroom condition.

 

[Ldavidgrover]

Re: Time to repower but which brand?

In my opinion Verados are over packed with junk compared to what else is out there. I just rigged my last set of Sheriff's Boats here in Florida. They had 200 Verados and replaced them with 175 Suzuki's. The Suzuki's out perform the Merc. So I would look at my options first before buying.