Yamaha 3.1 liter 250hp vmax Vs. Mercury 250hp ???

[slayer]

a performance question>>>>

while doing a lot of searching on the internet today, looking for a bass rig....I cam across an ad that led me to a marina that has several engines for sell...I was most likely going to purchase a rig with a mercury on it...but I found a 2002 yamaha 250hp v-max with what I consider a great deal....extremely low hours freshwater only...warranty good till the end of 2006...I can get this engine for a tad over 7k.....

my question is...how does this engine compare to the Merc's of the same horsepower...are they as dependable as a merc...are add-ons available such as sportmaster lower units????

what about wiring....will a yamaha and a Merc interchange??? controls???

any help would be appreciated....trying to look at all my options before I commit to any direction...

thanks S&F

[INXS]

Eds Marine Superstore had new 04s 250 V-Maxs for $9K a few months ago, they're $10K right now I believe. From what i here if you prop them right, spin them at the upper limit, they are only about 1.5 mph slower then a merc.

[INXS]

i checked their site, $10,999 for the V-Max EFI. The price went up in the last few months!

[EMDSAPMGR]

There is a great comparison article in the January 2005 Bass and Walleye Boats magazine. It compares the Verado 300 VS the Yamaha 300. Even though you are interested in a 250, there is a lot to be gained from this article.

[Markus]

On my links page, see below, there is a dynosheet of the 225 hp 3.0 liter Mercury and 3.1 liter Yamaha. It shows that the Yamaha has way more torque. I would expect the same to hold true for the 250 hp versions of the same blocks.

As to being dependable, Yamaha has a better track record than Mercury.

Yamaha does offer a "sport" lower unit, but it is not as good as Mercury's Sportmaster.

Wiring is different, but it is not a big deal to connect a Yamaha to Merc. instruments and vice versa. Schematics and information about what the colors of the wires mean have been posted here a number of times.

[optimax135]

Merc has more ad-ons available. Their tech service smokes Yamaha. Mercury is built in the USA. Merc stands by their product 100%. Yamaha is like pulling teeth to get any type of resolution on warranty work. Their quick to shoot the blame on the customer than take responsibility themselves for a failure. Parts availabilty is better on Merc. At least in my area. Merc has better corrosion protection than Yamaha(If running saltwater). As far as performance they're pretty equal, but merc has more performance ad-ons to shoot by Yamaha if you chose to do so. Need more comparisons let me know..............

[dotz]

The only bad that I have seen is a local bass angler who is sponsored by yamaha has blown 2 engines up in the last 3 months. Both were 250 v max. Pistion #1 melted in the first one and pistion # 2 and #3 in the second one. He loves the motor and of course he gets them for nothing. Just what I have seen.

[Firestarter]

Optimax......... since when has merc been good on warranty...... they are the worst!.
Ask ANY dealer!

Buy a Yamaha or a Bombardier.

RT

[hullbilly24]

We ran a 175 Merc and then a 200 Yamaha on the bassboat. Then we had a 40 Merc on a 17ft aluminum boat and now have a 50 Yamaha.

Here's my thoughts:

To put it boldly, Yamaha cannot be compared with Mercury as far as fishing motors go. Yamaha is the best outboard fishing motor made period. I live on the Texas coast and you will see every commercial fisherman and crabber with a Yamaha on the back of their boats. These are people that run their engines all day every day! Use them as your example! Personally, we smoked the Mercury on the bassboat. It only lasted approx. 3 to 4 years of normal use. The Yamaha has been on the boat since 1995 and we have never had a single repair. We fish in everything from freshwater East Texas lakes to 8 miles in the Gulf Of Mexico with a salinity of 34 ppm!! Yamahas are as low maintenance as it gets. We had not pulled the cowling off for years of saltwater fishing and when we did, the thing looked brand new!

If you'll watch bassboat and walleye magazine closely, you'll see that in the recent years, Yamaha has almost always outperformed Mercury hp for hp. The Yamaha has alot more torque, is right there or faster on top end and you don't have to worry about it coming apart.

I'm also a guy that ran a Mirage with a 2.5 260 Mercury. If you are into speed and racing, all you have to do is go to any outboard race to see that Mercury is so far ahead of the industry in race motors it's not even funny!

If your racing-Mercury
If your fishing hard, skiing, ext...-Yamaha

Just calling it like I see it,
Mark

( keep in mind that everyone has good and bad experiences with all brands. You could get lucky and either engine could last you a lifetime.) Yamaha has the statistics though!

[Firestarter]

Hullbilly, well said.

RT

[INXS]

Yammies also cost allot less, I hear the Carbed V-Maxes are very dependable??? I think this is the last model year for carbed motors??

[slayer]

I would also like to say that this question was not intended to create any discomfort between Merc and Yamaha users....I asked only to help me with a pending descision I have.....and as always when it comes to anything to do with performance outboards or rigs,,,sceam and fly is the best source information!!!!!

thanks to those who answered...and I also welcome any other comments with regards to performance/experiences

thanks gang

[optimax135]

Optimax......... since when has merc been good on warranty...... they are the worst!.
Ask ANY dealer!

Buy a Yamaha or a Bombardier.

RT

No S**T....You're in Canada. Totally different market and motors. Stick with your Bombardier's. You'll be much better off.

[optimax135]

The only bad that I have seen is a local bass angler who is sponsored by yamaha has blown 2 engines up in the last 3 months. Both were 250 v max. Pistion #1 melted in the first one and pistion # 2 and #3 in the second one. He loves the motor and of course he gets them for nothing. Just what I have seen.

Yeah.....Try telling Dotz's buddy that Yamaha is far superior. If I'm not mistaking his post says his buddy is sponsored by Yamaha. The gate swings both ways gentlemen. It all depends on who you talk to.