I have owned three Tritons, all with Yamahas. Appears that’s not even an option anymore on bass boats. Not only have most the dealers in Texas dropped them but now you are forced to buy Mercury.
I have owned three Tritons, all with Yamahas. Appears that’s not even an option anymore on bass boats. Not only have most the dealers in Texas dropped them but now you are forced to buy Mercury.
Don't buy a triton, there are plenty of boats out there.
Agreed, Phoenix, BassCat, Falcon, Caymas or a Skeeter? The problem is finding a SHO motor is a bit tough right now. Just wait until the new SHO (version B) comes out in a few months. Hopefully availability will improve.Originally Posted by kcinnick
Brad Krone
The problem is the ECU availability for all brands. Since the factory that supplies the chip boards burned, the available components to build ECU’s don’t exist. Auto, marine, etc feel this. Mercury told me that they are building engines etc., then setting them aside until the electronics arrive, then they will ship them. They also told me they can’t even keep up with the engine demand from the boat builders. I know Chevy / Ford /Dodge is doing the same thing. Building vehicles, then parking them in a field until they can get PCM’s..
’13 21 HP, 250 ProXS, 10” Atlas, twin Power Poles, 25p Croxtonized Tempest, 2 1/2 PTP, 1/2 tank fuel, driver, all gear, empty wells, 74.7 in 102 deg heat.
What's wrong with the Merc's. I have one that is great and so do a lot of us out there.
2003 Triton TR186
2023 Mercury Pro XS 150 HP
Garmin Graphs and LS
MK Ultrex 24v 80lb
All Aboard Marine Transducer Pole
Power Pole 8' Pro Series II Black
2017 GMC Sierra 1500 All Terrain
There’s nothing wrong with the mercs, it’s just when your going to spend that money you want what you want.
you can still get what you want just buy a boat an trailer an the get a yamaha put on it but be prepared to wait on a yamaha motor.
I personally would stay away from the Yamaha's. I have several friends and family who have tried them and every one of them had issues (some of them catastrophic issues). One of my buddies had a brand new engine just past the break in period throw a cylinder through the block on the way back to a weigh in. Caused a huge oil slick on the water from the oil leaking out of the engine crank case. We would have won the tournament had we been able to make it back to the weigh in. Instead, we sat dead in the water for two hours waiting for our Boat US tow boat to drag us in. Engine was still under warranty, but he had to argue with the dealer and Yamaha to cover the cost of the repair. They wanted to cover the parts but wanted him to pay for the labor to fix it. Once repaired, he immediately got rid of the boat and switched back to Mercury. Based on the experiences from all my friends, I am not a fan of Yamaha. I think their haste to put products on the market have resulted in engines with design flaws. Not trying to offend anyone who likes or has Yamaha's, just giving my thoughts based on what I have witnessed with friends and family.
Bombercraw, that’s been far from my experience. Up until a few years ago I was still running a 1991 Yamaha on my saltwater boat. All my Triton/ Yamahas never even had a hiccup with me doing my own maintenance. My 2006 Yamaha on my last Triton is still running strong with well into 1000 hrs on it as the guy I sold it to fishes several times a week. My 2017 Yamaha has about 400 on it and is still running like the day I bought it.
So what does Johnny Morris have to do with Yamaha ?
A good dealer can put whatever motor you want on any boat.
but johny has nothing to do with that
When you option one out it only gives you Mercury as a choice. I assume this now means they come from the factory with Mercs.
JM owns Triton and he has had a long relationship with Mercury. This is not surprising. It is his company and can do whatever he wants with it. It is not BS.
If you want a Yamaha, go with a Skeeter, Basscat or Xpress.
USN Retired
2020 Basscat Caracal
2020 Mercury 225 ProXS 4s
Have to disagree here. I have 2 Yamaha SHOs on my last 2 boats (Skeeter and BassCat), zero issues after break in.
So how long was break in 300 hrs? Lol
Funny. Almost every Mercury 2 stroke had to have a compressor replaced, reed problems or other issues. Have heard not much good about the Merc 4 stroke and people still wanna talk about Yamaha’s being unreliable. I had 4 Sho’s without the first issue. Between my dad and I we’ve probably had 10 Yamahas without the first issue. Every Merc I’ve had has had issues. You will be hard pressed to find a saltwater guy that would have anything other than a Yamaha.
2021 Skeeter ZX150
2020 Sea Doo GTI se 170
It is funny. Every single person I know with a Yamaha SHO has had issues. Usually they blow at 200-250 hours. Now, the guys I know with Mercury DFIs have had issues too. I am not saying they are perfect. I personally have replaced 1 compressor in 5 motors. I put 1000 hours on one and 400 on another. The only Mercury motor to blow was completely my fault. The new Mercury 4 strokes are VERY solid motors, to say otherwise is BS.
Saltwater guys rarely run SHOs, usually they are the gray F-series motors which I agree are solid. They are not bass boat motors though.
USN Retired
2020 Basscat Caracal
2020 Mercury 225 ProXS 4s
After you get the first 5 hours on it, run it up to 140 degrees for 30 minutes, let it cool for a bit, and do it again.
That seats the rings and they are good after that from letting gas into the oil.
Let's don't fool ourselves, they all break.
yes they all break. I have about 6 hrs on my 200 pro xs 4 stroke. I love it so far. I have been following the dealer's instructions on break in, fairly simple. time will tell. I have had 3 optimax . 225 and 250. I blew my last opti at 462 hrs. first one I ever blew... really no rhyme or reason according to the mechanic. # 6 cly. I was about 3 hrs into the tournament with almost 22 lbs in the box...I was able to get them weighed in on time, but a nightmare it was and a sick feeling.
I'm glad you have had good luck with them. it's been my experience that all the Mercury's I have had have been rock solid, however ALL my friends and family members who have had Yamaha's have had catastrophic issues with low hours on the engines. It's almost as if there is some sort of tolerance issue in the design or something. My buddy had a terrible experience with his brand new engine. Not only did it throw a cylinder not long after break in, Yamaha was extremely difficult to deal with to cover it under warranty. It's bad enough to have a catastrophic issue on a low hours engine, but when the company doesn't want to honor the warranty, I find that extremely concerning. I'll stick with Mercury's.
To each his own!
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