Small outboard- Suzuki v. Merc. v. Yamaha

[oxn939]

Putting a skiff together and looking at options for a 9.9 EFI four stroke. I currently have a Mercury (which is actually a Tohatsu) that is a great little engine, but will be selling with the boat I'm replacing. Anyone got strong opinions between these? All have good warranties and seem to be well regarded. Suzuki is slightly cheaper than the others; I've got a bunch of hours working on Yamahas. Let me know if there's any compelling argument either way!

 

[Addicting]

Curious as to why Honda 4 stroke isn’t listed? That is what I ended up running and it was an absolutely great engine. It idled down to almost nothing if I wanted to slow troll. I never felt I needed anything else on my little boat, great engine.

 

[rjthehunter]

There's not a bad option anymore. Suzuki is becoming more and more popular around here as they're reliable and usually the cheapest option.

I'm currently running a merc, but mine is a 225 so I can't speak to the little ones. Only smaller outboards I have are older Johnsons.

Edit: I will add I've owned Mercs, Yamaha, Evinrudes, and a few Johnsons. All of them did what they're supposed to without major issues.

 

[F250]

I’ve had good luck with Yamaha. Not good luck with Mercury. No recent experience with Suzuki , but the older models were great.

 

[Salmonchaser]

When I sold the lodge in Alaska it went with five guide boats running 9.9 trolling motors that were 15 to 21 years old. They had an amazing number of hours on them. Very few problems. Had a couple newer ones as well, they seemed destined for a long life. Buy a boat anchor or a Yamaha

 

[MTTW]

I have a 9.9 Yamaha that we have used for a couple of years with no complaints. It idles so quiet that at first, I kept thinking that it died. All of my previous experience with little outboards was with 2 strokes.

 

[Arcola]

They’re all pretty impressive these days. Hard to pick one over the other. If weight is any factor, Suzukis are usually the lightest. I believe the newest Mercurys will be the quietest (by a very narrow margin). Honda and Yamaha have the longest track record with four strokes.

 

[howl]

Every time I see someone with the cover off of a newer outboard, it's a Mercury. Suzuki pull-start saves weight significantly.

 

[Treeshark]

I know a lot of duck guys like the little Hondas because they’re air cooled (don’t suck mud into the impeller).

For a 9.9, not a concern- I would get a Honda or Yamaha personally, and I say that with Mercury’s being built right down the road.

 

[Mtn-time]

I've been happy with my yamaha

 

[elkantlers]

I bought a new small outboard a couple years ago. I went with the Mercury just because the price was right. I wanted the Suzuki because my main motor is a Suzuki, but it was about $500 more. The mercury has been great and I haven't had any issues with it at all.

 

[oxn939]

Thanks for the input, everyone! Decided to stick with the Mercury for a few reasons. One, they're actually made by Tohatsu, which are some of the most reliable outboards out there. Two, they're offering an extended 5 year warranty right now. Three, the tiller is located on the engine's centerline rather than offset to the port side. Boat I'm building is a Gheenoe microskiff, which are usually driven standing, so being able to steer with my dominant hand is a plus I really hadn't thought about until I remembered how awkward it was driving an old Carolina Skiff with the traditionally offset tiller handle.

 

[djacker]

Mercury would be my last choice for any size outboard motor. Get a Suzuki, Yamaha or Honda for a worry free motor

 

[rjthehunter]

Mercury would be my last choice for any size outboard motor. Get a Suzuki, Yamaha or Honda for a worry free motor

Why?

 

[Wild Bill]

I vote Yamaha, but I think any of the ones you've listed are good options.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

With any of them you should have years of trouble free service but since you are already familiar with working on Yamaha's I'd go that way. I'm currently 8 years into a Yamaha but before that I put 14 years on a Suzuki (70hp 4 stroke). I'm hours away from good service so I go with what the closest dealer is most adept at servicing.

 

[el unit]

I've had great luck with my little late 90's Mercury 9hp on a 17' Alumaweld drift boat. Bought it 4 years ago as a barn find and haven't done anything to it yet except run it lots of times at nearby Georgetown Lake and East Fork Reservoir. Good unit for sure.

 

[Steiny77]

Merc is the only one I've ever had much trouble with.
Swapped it for a Yamaha never a problem. We've got three boats with Yamaha's and no issues to date.

Having said the above, I'd have no problem with a Suzuki or Honda either, great motors.

 

[mdhunter]

I have a 40hp Yamaha on my duck boat and a 300 Yamaha on my center console. Both have been flawless for years.

 

[djacker]

Why?

Why, is because I've worked with several different size and year Mercury motors and all have been junk. I've also worked with several Yamaha motors, never a problem.