9.9 kicker - which is best and also 115 opti mechanics

[love2fishhave2work]

I have been looking to find a used kicker and not being mechanically inclined I was looking for something under 10 years old to avoid major problems. Based on what I have seen that is out there and given the asking prices on old used motors, it makes more sense to simply go new and get a warranty. My question is do the 9.9 kickers really vary in quality these days or are the 4 strokes from Murc., Nissan, Suzuki, Honda more or less the same. I am seeing a gap in some of the pricing with Nissan offering best value for the 9.8 but is there a quality difference? For those of you who have anyone experience in this area, I would welcome your comments.

 

Also, I have a 115 Murc Opti on my boat that is just over 3 years old. I recently ran into what appeared to be a minor problem with a thermostat and a sensor and the dealer charged me $400 labour to fix a $50 dollar part.

 

If anyone out there knows some good Merc mechanics that are in the Vaughan or within 40 min driving distance, I would sure love to meet them. Seems insane to spend $500 on what appears to be a relatively minor fix.

[sandybay]

I have a 15hp kicker 4 stroke on my boat which allows me to run it from the main fuel tank and not have to carry an extra tank, the only problem is if I run out of fuel it is no help (speaking from experience) I don't want to bash any motor brand, but some of the ones I run (imports) have very expensive parts and some times long back orders.

 

BUY NORTH AMERICAN!

[NANUK]

I have a 15hp kicker 4 stroke on my boat which allows me to run it from the main fuel tank and not have to carry an extra tank, the only problem is if I run out of fuel it is no help (speaking from experience) I don't want to bash any motor brand, but some of the ones I run (imports) have very expensive parts and some times long back orders.

 

BUY NORTH AMERICAN!

 

Please suggest a name for a 4 stk kicker made by a North American company.

[a.cortellessa]

Sounds like you should get a new mechanic...

I agree with the above post, stick with a north american brand. It will be easier to get it fixed and to get parts. You can't go wrong with a Yamaha or Merc. To be honest i've never even heard of Nissan making boat motors.

[Fisherman]

I have a 15hp kicker 4 stroke on my boat which allows me to run it from the main fuel tank and not have to carry an extra tank, the only problem is if I run out of fuel it is no help (speaking from experience) I don't want to bash any motor brand, but some of the ones I run (imports) have very expensive parts and some times long back orders.

 

BUY NORTH AMERICAN!

North American..X2

[scugpg]

Umm Merc gets Tohatsu to build all their small motors, so don't think there is a NA company around who has one anymore. So I'd say:

 

Buy Japan!! (Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha).....I "think" Tohatsu and Nissan are there as well. Some might be made in China now.

[Roy]

You might want to take a gander at this site. There's a lot of info in there......dunno how up to date some of it is though.

 

http://www.rbbi.com/links/outboard.htm#ob

[doubleheader]

Cabelas sells the Nissan brand. I had a 9.8 on my last boat and it ran great. The only criticism I would have of that motor is the stow hardware is a wireform and kind of cheap, but then again I never had a problem with it. It started easily and ran very smoothly. What I liked about it was the throttle wasn't spring loaded, so you didn't have to hold on to it to maintain the desired speed. If there wasn't too much wind you could steer with either your main motor or your bow mount. I have a Merc 9.9 pro- kicker now and it runs very good as well. My future son-in-law bought my last boat, the boat with the Nissan kicker, and it hasn't even been used this year, which means it has probably 20 hours on it as I bought it new from Cabelas in 2008. I'd bet he'd part with it at a very reasonable price. If I were going to buy new, I'd recommend the Merc motor, simply because there isn't a heck of a lot of difference in price between the two, especially if you can find a leftover new one. That said, I'd suspect you could buy that Nissan at 50% of new, and I don't think there is a mark on it. Let me know if interested as I'll be on the west arm the 1st 2 weeks of July and could bring it your way.

[lew]

 

Some might be made in China now.

 

 

I bought a new 150 HP Yamaha last summer and it had a "Made in Japan" sticker on it. When I picked it up from the dealer they threw in a ball cap with the Yamaha logo on it but inside the cap was a "Made in China" sticker.

 

It just struck me a really funny that even Japan is having some of their stuff manufactured "off shore"

[bigbuck]

I don't think the big manufacturers really want their 4 stroke high tech big outboards (115+) manufactured in China, they are interference motors (which means they are built to very very close tolerances), there is no room for loosey goosey assembly and parts. You'd be fine with either a Merc, Yamaha, Suzuki or Honda kicker.

[bow slayer]

Sounds like you should get a new mechanic...

I agree with the above post, stick with a north american brand. It will be easier to get it fixed and to get parts. You can't go wrong with a Yamaha or Merc. To be honest i've never even heard of Nissan making boat motors.

 

Nissan has been making outboards for a longtime(1984 26 years). I have a 95 5hp kicker and it runs like a dream,I would never part with it.

[love2fishhave2work]

Cabelas sells the Nissan brand. I had a 9.8 on my last boat and it ran great. The only criticism I would have of that motor is the stow hardware is a wireform and kind of cheap, but then again I never had a problem with it. It started easily and ran very smoothly. What I liked about it was the throttle wasn't spring loaded, so you didn't have to hold on to it to maintain the desired speed. If there wasn't too much wind you could steer with either your main motor or your bow mount. I have a Merc 9.9 pro- kicker now and it runs very good as well. My future son-in-law bought my last boat, the boat with the Nissan kicker, and it hasn't even been used this year, which means it has probably 20 hours on it as I bought it new from Cabelas in 2008. I'd bet he'd part with it at a very reasonable price. If I were going to buy new, I'd recommend the Merc motor, simply because there isn't a heck of a lot of difference in price between the two, especially if you can find a leftover new one. That said, I'd suspect you could buy that Nissan at 50% of new, and I don't think there is a mark on it. Let me know if interested as I'll be on the west arm the 1st 2 weeks of July and could bring it your way.

 

Thanks, I sent you a PM.