new boat, considering twin f 150 yamis

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Dad is considering a new boat with twin 150hp yamaha's. Possibly a single 300. I know in the past they have been reliable motors with the occasional balancer issue, not know much about the 300. However, Im out of the marine loop for a while, is there anything I caution him about with these engines or are they pretty bullet proof? the only time I really have is during work hours so the marine forums Im a member of I cant access during my work day, like now.
 
How deep are his pockets?

Seems like 2 150 are better choice. Don't need to run both all the time for low speed.

300 failure - you're dead in the water. 150 failure - you still have the other.
 
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If I was in the market for an outboard, it'd be an E-Tec, every o e I've ever had the pleasure of running was incredible. Faster than a 4 stroke of identical output to get on plane, less maintenance, quiet, reliable.
 
Might look at the Suzuki's as they are very reliable more affordable and perform quite well. Yamaha's have had some lower unit trouble in recent years but maybe not all models.
 
The 150's are kind of the industry standard, for good reason. I'd guesstimate that 7 out of 10 boats I see have Yamaha 150's on the back. I'm part of a boat club and most of the boats have Yamaha 150s, and they run good and don't have many problems.
 
I'm of the mindset that two engines are far better than one.

I worked for a marine engine company for a short while. Being stranded while testing is every bit as much an emergency as when it happens to normal folks. I think all of my boat owning friends have experienced a marine engine shutdown or three. Mostly due to sensor issues.
 
I'm a Merc guy but Yamaha builds a good motor.

The aftermarket has much more available for mercury, and every town with water you go to always has a mercury dealer in it close to the water with parts.

Can you get 3rd party real split controls for Yamahas or do you need to rig with their setups ?

Not a fan of combined shift thottle setups.

UD
 
Originally Posted by user52165
How deep are his pockets?

Seems like 2 150 are better choice. Don't need to run both all the time for low speed.

300 failure - you're dead in the water. 150 failure - you still have the other.


Unfortunately - running only 1 engine in a dual engine config, even at low speed, does not work well for mpg. The drag created by the non-running engine offsets the savings. Sometimes it works at idle, but generally does not work at any other speed. A single 300 will probably have better fuel consumption at all speeds than twin 150's, but at the cost of redundancy. Its nice to have dual engines when there is a problem. It also has advantages for low speed maneuverability. This is one of those areas where there is a whole lot of "it depends"
frown.gif
 
For dual-outboard configurations, how much is redundant? UncleDave makes it seem as if split controls isn't common.

I guess what I'm asking, is what's the most likely failure point over time, the motors or the controls?

Growing up, my dad and I finally saved up enough for a nice 18' something or other and he made sure to buy a spare 3.5HP, just in case, since the new-to-us boat was WELL-used. It came in handy on several occasions, when the main engine failed to start.

It took seemingly forever to get back to the landing, though!
 
Originally Posted by Cujet
I'm of the mindset that two engines are far better than one.

I worked for a marine engine company for a short while. Being stranded while testing is every bit as much an emergency as when it happens to normal folks. I think all of my boat owning friends have experienced a marine engine shutdown or three. Mostly due to sensor issues.



I would also much rather have two engines in almost any situation. I like to come home on my own power!
 
If it were my dime I would be hanging a pair of suzuki's, maybe the etec, but he is set on Yamaha. I was just wondering if either outboard has any common failure points to bring to his attention that I may be able to persuade another brand. In the past we have had 4 suzuki 2t outboards that served us well. The corrosion issue of all the past suzuki outboards is the reason he only wants yamaha's. In the past, between him and I every suzuki outboard had multiple cracks that needed to be weleded in the lower units. The newer suzuki's dont have this problem but he says "never again" when I bring up suzuki.
 
Assuming this will be an offshore fishing rig the twins make much more sense. If it's in the budget the digital controls are smooth as silk and completely change operation in a very positive way. The digital control model 2.8l also has a higher amp alternator than the mechanical 2.7l model.
 
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Originally Posted by 1978elcamino
If it were my dime I would be hanging a pair of suzuki's, maybe the etec, but he is set on Yamaha. I was just wondering if either outboard has any common failure points to bring to his attention that I may be able to persuade another brand. In the past we have had 4 suzuki 2t outboards that served us well. The corrosion issue of all the past suzuki outboards is the reason he only wants yamaha's. In the past, between him and I every suzuki outboard had multiple cracks that needed to be weleded in the lower units. The newer suzuki's dont have this problem but he says "never again" when I bring up suzuki.


Both f150s and f300s are good engines/motors, with no significant problems (unlike older 350s for example). Most important thing is to break them in properly in first 10 hours, to get rings set properly to avoid fuel dilution down the road.
 
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