Help! Mercury vs. Suzuki outboard

[Rizzo]

Just about to buy a new boat...and then got the option of Mercury 75 4 stroke or Suzuki 70 4 stroke. Any feedback greatly appreciated!

[BillM]

No Yamaha option?

[ecmilley]

merc, nothing wrong with the zuke whatsoever but if there is ever a problem with a near bulletproof merc 4 stroke there a merc dealer on every lake and corner of cottage country not so much with a suzuki

[Rizzo]

rumour has it there is a suzuki shop in cambridge (I'm in Kitchener). Apparently the zuki is more than 100 pounds lighter than the merc which I assume is a good thing on a 16 foot boat

[lew]

My 90 Merc purred like a kitten for 9 years Roger, and has been just as good for the new owner for the last 4 years. I'd assume the new 70's would be just as good and as Ernie said, there's plenty of Merc dealers around if you ever need anything.

 

Never had any experience with Suzuki's but I don't think I've ever heard anything negative about them either.

 

But.... if you can get whatever you want, I'd go with Yamaha.

[captpierre]

My 90 Merc purred like a kitten for 9 years Roger, and has been just as good for the new owner for the last 4 years. I'd assume the new 70's would be just as good and as Ernie said, there's plenty of Merc dealers around if you ever need anything.

 

Never had any experience with Suzuki's but I don't think I've ever heard anything negative about them either.

 

But.... if you can get whatever you want, I'd go with Yamaha.

 

Hey Lew. Wasn't your Merc really a Yammy in disguise?

 

peter

[lew]

Hey Lew. Wasn't your Merc really a Yammy in disguise?

 

peter

 

Yeah, some of them were made by Yamaha Peter, but I'm not sure which ones. But whether it says Yammy or Merc, their both reliable motors.

Edited April 6, 2013 by lew

[captpierre]

Yeah, some of them were made by Yamaha Peter, but I'm not sure which ones. But whether it says Yammy or Merc, their both reliable motors.

 

In 2007 when I wanted to pull the trigger, a 115 4 str Merc would have been my choice. Yammy made their heads and they were bulletproof.

 

However, in 2007, Merc started making their own heads. I went Yammy instead. Has been great so far. I know you love your 150 Yammy as well.

[Rizzo]

...nobody offered the yami

[Roy]

...nobody offered the yami

That's probably because they want you as a service customer as well as a purchase customer.

[Tybo]

Roger,They are both very reliable engines.If you plan on doing the maintenance,All your going to need a marina for is parts.

I'm partial to merc.But at the right price I buy a Suk.

[mr blizzard]

I have to agree with all that was said, both are good, maybe a lighter engine is good for your purpose, but just for what my comments are worth our 90 Merc has been flawless, doesn't skip a beat, troll for hours, no fouling, etc

 

And as was mentioned there are alot of Merc dealers around which may get u up and running faster in the event of a mishap.

 

The only problem we had was a magnet cracked inside the electric motor for the tilt trim, replaced under warranty, no issues since.

 

Whatever u buy enjoy.

[spincast]

you have to wonder what they took out to reduce 100lbs of motor on a 70? I'm not saying heavier is better - but you may want to look at where that difference is?

[landry]

I had a 70 hp Suzuki. Crazy quiet. Ran flawlessly for 8 years with no repairs needed.

I love those motors.

I now have an optimax and like it. It did have a 3000$ repair once under warranty.

CAS marine is a Suzuki dealer.

Their repair prices are very high IMO. I now deal with bay city marine and the r very fair and carry Yamaha. He told me the yamahas r incredibly reliable, insinuating they fix them less than mercs.

My next motor will likely be a Yamaha and then second place is a Suzuki.

Landry

[Rizzo]

my bad...I think the suzuki is only 50 pounds lighter than the Merc., not 100 lbs

[landry]

They also carry alumacraft at bay city in Hamilton btw. Great boats to fish out of and well built.

[landry]

I had a 70 hp Suzuki. Crazy quiet. Ran flawlessly for 8 years with no repairs needed.

I love those motors.

I now have an optimax and like it. It did have a 3000$ repair once under warranty.

CAS marine is a Suzuki dealer.

Their repair prices are very high IMO. I now deal with bay city marine and the r very fair and carry Yamaha. He told me the yamahas r incredibly reliable, insinuating they fix them less than mercs.

My next motor will likely be a Yamaha and then second place is a Suzuki.

Landry

[fishboy]

_{I've owned a 2002 Suzuki DF40 for 8 years now and have found it incredibly reliable, and the routine maintenance is easy. The issue of dealerships hasn't been one for me as Northland Marine in Carnarvon near Minden is a Suzuki spot. The other advantage is that Suzuki made 4 strokes painted and labelled as Johnson back in '02, so I've been able to get oil filters etc from Bombardier shops.}

[wallyboss]

I have a 75 Merc 4stroke on a 16ft Princecraft and it isn't too heavyboat sits perfectly in the water.

[Big Cliff]

Had a 55 Suzuki for years excellent motor! Only problem I had was finding a dealer close to me. If I did want to get it serviced I had to haul it over to Minden. Bought a new boat three years ago and opted to go with a Merc because of lots of local service. I haven't needed it but it is available if I do. In my opinion both are excellent motors but I do like not being tied down if and when I do need service on it.

Edited April 7, 2013 by Big Cliff

[SlowPoke]

C.A.S Marine is in Ayr, about 10-15 minutes from Cambridge towards London. Starcraft, Merc, Suzuki dealer. I dealt with them last year with some boat warranty and no issues other than the service manager(?) being a little forgetful.

Suzuki is not a bad motor but parts and dealers were hard to find and that ticked off a lot of people. A lot has changed in the past 7-10 years, parts and service shouldn't be much of a problem now.

The 4 strokes have always been good, 2 strokes were hard on gas, all were reliable and good performers.

Older Merc 4 strokes were Yamaha built but now I think they're manufactured by Tohatsu.

 

I think my first choice would be Yamaha, then Suzuki with Merc & Honda running neck and neck for third choice.

[captpierre]

C.A.S Marine is in Ayr, about 10-15 minutes from Cambridge towards London. Starcraft, Merc, Suzuki dealer. I dealt with them last year with some boat warranty and no issues other than the service manager(?) being a little forgetful.

Suzuki is not a bad motor but parts and dealers were hard to find and that ticked off a lot of people. A lot has changed in the past 7-10 years, parts and service shouldn't be much of a problem now.

The 4 strokes have always been good, 2 strokes were hard on gas, all were reliable and good performers.

Older Merc 4 strokes were Yamaha built but now I think they're manufactured by Tohatsu.

 

I think my first choice would be Yamaha, then Suzuki with Merc & Honda running neck and neck for third choice.

 

no E-Tec in there?

[Guest ----]

I believe the newer Suzuki, Johnson, Evinrude are basically all the same. They are all built by Bombardier. My buddy has a 140 Johnson 4 stroke and it is so quiet the only way I can tell it is running is the water pump. No issues in 5 years. I read some where that the smaller Mercs are now being built in China. I will be ditching my merc for a bombardier made motor on my next rig. Dundas marine at Clappison's Corners also services them.

Edited April 7, 2013 by merkinbrumsky

[FishAbout]

Suzuki makes there own stuff. All the johnson four strokes are suzuki. I have df140 with over 1000 hrs and still runs great. Not much you need to buy to service them. Oil filter and oils. I buy fram oil filters for mine. Just went to the fram website and looked up the right filter. I use merc oil and gear oil.

[Guest ----]

Suzuki makes there own stuff. All the johnson four strokes are suzuki. I have df140 with over 1000 hrs and still runs great. Not much you need to buy to service them. Oil filter and oils. I buy fram oil filters for mine. Just went to the fram website and looked up the right filter. I use merc oil and gear oil.

 

Ah...thanks for clearing that up.