15hp yamaha outboards...2 stroke

We not long got a 2 stoke 15hp - Looking around they are much the much - we went the Mercury because we could get for $2250. 4 strokes have high maintenance, 2 strokes do not. Do not thing the 4 stroke could pay for itself in fuel savings. We do not use ours in fresh water so did not need to consider that.

Power wise 2 stroke will be faster out of the box and then much the same except 4 stroke will be doing less revs and thus less fuel.

We can do a day of fishing on one 15ltr tank though and that is a fair bit of running around.

Good boating cheers tony

Hi Darrell,

4 strokes do have higher maint cost and use less fuel but 2 strokes have geater excellaration.
The amount of fuel a 15hp would use in normal usage doesnt justify the extra cost of a 4 stroke.
I have a 4 stroke 5hp which i use for trolling. This area is where a 4 stroke has it over a 2 stroke, continous slow trolling (all day if your keen enough) with no chance of oiling up which a 2 stroke can do.(no so much with the bigger hp"optimax"motors )
I have reduced the oil to fuel mixture to eliminate this but that can lead to tears if you go to lean or forget that you are running it lean and go WOT

Hope this helps

Hi Darrell

Yes I own one and it is fine for 2 up on a 12 foot tinny, but don't expect it to be a powerhouse etc - The 20hp was just too heavy for my hull (insurance implications) - great Yammie reliability though

I think at $2700 you are being touched and I would hunt for below $2500 deals with the Brisbane Boat show about to start - get them to throw in the 12v rectifier kit at that money so you can charge a battery - heaps cheaper and easier at new purchase time than down the track.

Cheers

A

I have the US mercury, not the Jap Merc (Tohatsu) on a 3.5 cartopper and it is a cracker, my mate has the tohatsu 18 which is 7 kgs heavier, 1 up i will dust him for speed, he has a bit more torque so if loaded up he is a bit quicker.
paid $2200 from brissy boat show last year. I am a big yammie fan have yammie genny, always had yammie dirt bikes but when i was looking at them the merc had about 30cc on the yammie from memory and was quite a stretch dearer.
I don't think you could go wrong with the yammie, but i can strongly recommend the merc couldn't be happier with it, start with a two finger pull every time and pushes my quinnie dart sweet as.
I didn't consider the 4 stokes as I am lifting mine in and out of my ute etc when camping and they are just too heavy. My mate kicks himself every time we go away as he opted for the toahatsu which was $200 cheaper without the tiller gears or trim settings and runs a lot lumpier at low revs, and that 7 kgs makes a huge diff when you are lifting on and off the boat pretty regularly.
I am sure the yam is a good motor, I feel the same about toyotas though, great cars just to fffffing dear

The Yamaha is a fantastic motor! Wouldnt consider any other brand in that size... Do you intend to use it with a car topper with the outboard stored on its side somehere when travelling?? If so - Before considering a 4-stroke it would be wise to check if it can be transported on their side due to it having oil in them...??

The 15hp US Model Merc is in my opinion the best 15hp for what you are wanting to do. Its the lightest 15hp on the market, easy starting, great performance and the ratchet trim system is a major plus under all boating conditions. I have one on my 3.7 M Quintrex which does 35Kph flat out with 2 + the small dog in the boat. I flush if used in salt water but if used continually day after day only flush when going to not use for 3 days or more.Flushing is only to stop salt going hard and building up. They are the only brand that come with a 3 year corrosion warranty.I suspect you would get one for quite a bit less than $2750, I did.

I had a 15 Yammie on my Quintrex Dart.

You can't beat there reliability. Look what all the trout fisherman use on their Dory's in NQ. If you have the V nose like I did then you obviously aint going to be doing much river fishing and so you need an ultra rliable motor if doing offshore work.

One thing I will say is that I bought mine about 8 years ago and sold it 2 ago but a mate just bought a tinnie with the 15 yammie and they haven't changed a bit over that time. I was surprised...thought they would have had a bit of an "upgrade" over that time.

At 100:1 oil ratio (once run in) it would be hard to "oil up" at trolling speeds.

I bought mine in Townsville and got the boat, motor and trailer form 3 different shops. Shop around for the best price mate and even ring "out of town" because what might cost you $100 in freight could save you 3-4 hundred.

I have a 2 stroke yamaha 15. I bought in last 6 months from kratsman marine burpengary qld. Great motors, great service, good price, about $2,400 but I think they have gone up. I have had a yamaha before their are the best.
They are the lightest motors the 15 with good power on the market.
I did look at the honda 4 stroke 20's but I couldn't even lift it, toooo heavy.(being a female that's very important to my handling my boat)
We like to launch our boat off the beach on the calm side of fraser etc so weight is important. You've got to get it onto the beach before water comes over the back and it only takes small waves for that to happen.
I would throughly reccomend a 15 yammy. Good luck
Ros,

hi darrell
yeh ok whatever but i really like yamaha's
regards
ros