What is the best outboard power for my pontoon or tritoon (or boat repower)

[@kadenengle9385]

I’ve got a 2020 Suntracker 22 XP3, with a Merc 150. One year old and 368 hours on it. Performed a break in service at 20 hours, and then 100hr services. Not a single issue out of it. I get 33mph with full fuel. Can’t complain, and love my outboard!

[@hackfabrication139]

I currently own two outboards on two different style boats. 2015 Xcursion 23 RFC (twin toon) with a 90 hp Yamaha and a 2018 Bayliner F18 with a 115 Mercury ProXS CT. I bought the pontoon 'off the floor' (new), but spec'd and ordered the Bayliner. Both are great engines in their present applications. My boating is on a chain of lakes (fresh water), connected by a river. I have a lake house and both boats are on covered lifts. Mostly no wake running, but on the larger lakes in the chain, I can run WOT. The pontoon will run 24 mph (GPS) with the Bimini down, 2 people, full fuel (89 octane E10 is all I run in either boat). 16-18 mph with a 'normal loading' of 6-8 people. IIRC, it has an 11p prop. Max HP rating for the 'toon, is 150hp. The Bayliner will run 38 mph (GPS) with a 19p, one person, full fuel. I'm still experimenting with prop pitch, as I'd like to run 40 mph with it. Both engines are quiet, but I'd have to give a slight advantage to the Mercury for being quiet. Yearly maintenance on both engines done by dealers. I had one of the head cooling lines come off the Yamaha, but it was a (somewhat) easy driveway repair before spring launch. The boating season in Michigan is short, so neither engine gets a lot of hours on them. They both get serviced at the end of the season, shrink wrapped, batteries removed and trickle charged. I store them in the off season on their respective trailers, outside. I have to agree with you 70% assessment on Yamaha/Mercury. They are the most prevalent engines I see (probably 80-90 percent). However, there are a respectable number of Honda powered pontoons on the chain. And still a few older Johnsons running around too. Quite a few tri-toons running big engines: 300-400 hp. I've yet to see a Suzuki on a pontoon where I boat. Only one or two Evinrude E-tecs out there. I wouldn't shy away from another Yamaha, if the deal was 'right', but if I was to order a new pontoon (I'm thinking in another couple of years), it would be with a Mercury engine. Probably a 150 ProXS CT.

[@jasonstern6499]

Just repowered our 24' pontoon with a 115 Suzuki. Between price, warranty and the fact that all the watermen in my area have used them for years helped me with my decision. Looking forward to running it this summer!

[@jasonstern6499]

@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon I will report back, possibly at the end of the season. Full disclosure, I spent $9500 for the repower. That included the engine, controls, tach and installation. Hard to beat.

[@frankg6563]

I still have a Tohatsu 25hp four stroke on my 16' aluminum Starcraft skiff since 1985. I had considered a Honda because I wanted a 4-stroke and Honda was in the fore-front back then, but very pricey. Living in coastal New Jersey, I took note that many of the workboats and oil spill contractors used Tohatsus. That spoke volumes to me. I used that boat and motor for fishing in the estuaries, bays, and rivers and did all the regular engine maintenance myself. I used only quality oils and greases as specified by the owner's manual. The only failures I had were the water pump impeller (rubber got stiff and cracked) and a carb mounting boss cracked for some unexplained reason. I used the motor in saltwater (of course) and took annual trips to Lake Champlain, Upper Hudson River, and the St. Lawrence Seaway. The rig ran flawlessly and still does now that I moved to Missouri. Stay away from the maniacs at the Lake of the Ozarks.

[@OhioPrepperOne]

My understanding of small HP motors is that Tohatsu actually makes all outboards smaller than 150 HP and they are rebranded as other brands.

[@OhioPrepperOne]

@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon It could be a mix, but Tohatsu sets the standard and builds most of them is my understanding. My 2018 Tohatsu20 HP is a Fuel Injected 4 stroke, runs like a champ.

[@OhioPrepperOne]

@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon Cool, im sure there are exceptions, intersting to know.

[@johndriskill3376]

I own a 2020 20" Godfrey Sweetwater pontoon with a Yamaha 90SHO it's a great boat and we've just purchased it earlier this year. We had the break in maintenance done by the company we purchased it from. It runs perfect! My only issue with the motor is it's to small for my needs. We bought the boat without driving it first. I'd prefer the ability to hit 40mph. Now, I don't want to run WOT every where I go however, if I want to get some where quick I could. My boat runs 17mph at 4000rpms and at wot 28mph with just myself at 6200-6300rpms with 5-7 people and all the extras 22-24mph 5800-6000rpms wot.

[@robertr2953]

These videos on this channel are really so insightful and helpful to new boat owners. Thank you for doing them!

[@randylavine3003]

I agree! Seems to me even small towns with a post office, church, and a bar will also have a Mercury dealer!

[@craigbielsky115]

2013 2.5 merc 150 optimax 455HRS 22' bennington, fresh water, busy waterway with 30,000 boats registered , 100% full maint schedule as im a service tech ...love this combo as it runs 38-40 mph @5800-5900 rpm with a Merc Rev 4 15x15 stainless 5-8 people drops me to 5500-5600 with full fuel and coolers and gear..... cruise @4000 is best fuel consumption is 1/2 what my old 2.5 xri was ....it was a 200hp but still 1/2 fuel used compared . cost of maint vs 4-stroke is significantly less plugs, filters, gear lube, i service the 4-strokes for tons of reasons not applicable on 2-strokes...vst tank and injector fouling , making oil, top main seal leaks, belts, high dollar spark plugs, condensation build up in crank case , oil ingestion from making oil requires multiple oil changes........ love my combo people have been gaslighted on 4 strokes i see it all the time.... the list of issues with 4 strokes is by far more expensive to maint than 2 strokes... PROVE ME WRONG.

[@valkyrie6926]

Hello Capt. Matt, I have a 1995 75 hp Mariner motor on a 1996 Bayliner Capri 1600 with an escort trailer. I bought them both new and they both have done great over the years. I’m passing them down to one of my kids, I bought a new Stingray 182 sc with a 90 hp Suzuki and an aluminum trailer. I can only hope this package is as great as my last was! 👍

[@valkyrie6926]

@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon: Capt. Matt, Yes I do my best to take care of my boat, motor, tralier, I was raised up/taught: that it's not what you have, but what you take care of, some people in life have a lot, but don’t take care of it, so they don’t have it long, I don’t have a lot per se, but what I have, I try to take care of, so I have it a long time! Lol

[@iain87]

The larger Tohatsu outboards are actually built by Honda and rebadged. I own a Honda BF5 that powers my 13ft inflatable boat. I have been very happy with the Honda and will stick with their outboards.

[@apage6704]

2007 Yamaha T60 on a 22' palm beach pontoon. Goes about 19-20 mph max with two people. Motor has been great. Bought used about 7 years ago. Had one lower seal leak but no other issues.

[@larryketchum4944]

Got a Honda 90 hp 1999 model 23 years on a 21ft bass tracker no problems at all.

[@jefflange3009]

Personally was expecting/hoping for more information that isn't easily googled. For example, majority of video simply covered number of cylinders a motor has.

[@csinalabama]

Find out which brand has the most local techs in your area and go with that. Nothing worse than having a broken motor and being told that there is only one local shop that is backed up for 3 weeks. All the four strokes are good motors because they are fuel injected and have solid state coil packs. Avoid two strokes. I have a 2017 Yamaha 90 and it is a great motor.

[@sanantoniotonight5569]

Wow! Just found this channel, from Sunny San Antonio great job, just what I was looking for.

[@playinghookywithdavidchapa387]

So im speaking from the experience that i had to deal with on my younger brother’s boat… he has a 2018 dargel with a suzuki df140, he took my older brother on a charger at the end of march , got it stuck and over heated the poor motor… if you ask my younger brother, he keeps up with his maintenance and is a good boat owner… if you ask me as a mechanic… he is a typical operator and doesnt know how to take care of his boat… i ended up putting a short block cause his compression went all the way down to 90psi on the top two cylinders and 120 on the bottom 2… when i cracked open his motor is smelled like burnt oil… while this may have been my brothers fault, if i ever buy a boat i am not getting a suzuki… maybe a yamaha as ive had a really good yamaha motorcycle before… or a mercury… fixing my brother suzuki has left a bad taste in my mouth so i wont buy a boat with one… and another way to look at it, if they are so cheap to replace, its not going to be a good motor… just like chevys

[@breakies7875]

Hello I run a 2019 Mercury 75 on my 2019 Bennington SX21. Hate the 75 hp. So slow... max with 1 person on is 18mph.... Looking to go bigger which is why I am here lol. Follow the maintenance perfectly to manufacture recommendation. Still have issues with overheating if ran at close to max rpm with more than 3 on board. I'm very underpowered right now.

[@nicolashuffman4312]

Dumb question, in the 175hp class the Suzuki is 2.7l, the Yamaha is 2.8l and the Mercury is 3.4l. Given that, should the Mercury have the most torque? None of the manufacturers seem to publish torque values.

[@melrose9252]

Any of those engines would be a great choice but the Mercury should have the most torque. The 3.4 can develop it’s advertised hp much easier than the smaller displacement and have a broader yet flatter torque curve.

[@slkrick3319]

Has anybody considered or heard any reviews from the new Tohastu MFS 75 to 115? There all Tohastu and not Honda in any way. Thinking about repowerinf with a mfs90 but at 396 pounds it seems heavy compared to other brands. Would really like some more feedback from them

[@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon]

FREE For Boat Shoppers: www.BoatersSecretWeapon.com/Toolkit FREE Boat Buyer's Toolkit for new or used boat shoppers will give you 28-pages of checklists, questions to ask and how to demo the boat the right way so you don't miss a thing. Plus, get the cost of ownership calculator so you know precisely what your cost of ownership will be. FREE For Boat Owners: boaterssecretweapon.com/pages/boater-bootcamp FREE Boater Bootcamp for newer boat owners gives you insights on boat ownership basics, navigation and practical rules of the water and how to avoid, be prepared and handle emergency situations. No more not knowing what you don't know in the boating lifestyle.

[@trentcarlson4857]

Volvo just recently ended seven marine!!!!

[@melrose9252]

I would suggest powering your Pontoon Boat to the max recommended power. If you can and if available, go for the larger lower unit such as Mercury’s Command Thrust that allows a larger diameter prop. I have a 2015 Sun Tracker with a 115 Mercury 4 Stroke Command Thrust (CM). Great service and just turned 600 hours.

[@Jason.F.]

@@melrose9252 what speeds you seeing?

[@timshull59]

Sounds like the BTBRV dude

[@timshull59]

@@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon he's the reason I bought my 2016 dually 6.7