Yamaha S.H.O. or Mercury Pro XS?

[katmandew]

I'm about to buy a new Phoenix 618 and am deciding whether to go with 175 Merc 2 stroke Pro XS or the 4 stroke Yamaha SHO.  I know the advantage is not having to use oil in the fuel mix. What are the disadvantages?  I'm upgrading from a 98 force on a combo so I need advice from those of you with experience with the new motors.  

[Bass newb]

I really like the small and light architecture of the xs. My 115 is 400lbs. 

One thing that I would like about the 4 stroke is that the exhaust gases are less polluted and therefore pollute the water less.

I may be wrong though.

[stfreed]

weight is a difference.  I had 175 Proxs from 2010 til 2014 and put over 400 hours on it with zero issues. pushed my 18 javelin 62 mph with Fury 24 prop

[WIGuide]

Well engine to engine comparison the Yamaha isn't a lot heavier for a 4 stroke. It's about 50 lbs which is noticeable, but even though it's only a 4 cylinder, it's got a bigger displacement which usually means more low end grunt. Both engines have almost identical gear ratios but the SHO RPM range is 300 or so RPMS higher. I would think when all is said and done the performance end of things should be pretty similar. 4 strokes will burn less gas and are quieter to operate, but 2 strokes are tried and true. I'm not sure there is a wrong choice for you though especially after what you've had. 

[Al Wolbach]

I have had excellent experience with Yamaha. I have a 98 225HP Vmax that I bought new and never a problem, just routine maintenance. In 2010 I bought a new pontoon boat and put a 2010 Yamaha 115HP 4 stroke. Neither have given me a minutes problem and I live on the lake so my boats are used a lot. I have had 1 experience with Mercury(Mariner) and it was not pleasant. In my opinion, Yamaha is the only way to go. The weight is not much different with the SHO. The 4 stroke Mercs are heavier than the Yamaha 4 strokes, or at least were, I have not checked lately. Either way, the SHO's are light...

[Al Wolbach]

14 minutes ago, Al Wolbach said:

I have had excellent experience with Yamaha. I have a 98 225HP Vmax that I bought new and never a problem, just routine maintenance. In 2010 I bought a new pontoon boat and put a 2010 Yamaha 115HP 4 stroke. Neither have given me a minutes problem and I live on the lake so my boats are used a lot. I have had 1 experience with Mercury(Mariner) and it was not pleasant. In my opinion, Yamaha is the only way to go. The weight is not much different with the SHO. The 4 stroke Mercs are heavier than the Yamaha 4 strokes, or at least were, I have not checked lately. Either way, the SHO's are light...

I just checked the weights at the web sites, Yamaha 175 SHO is 480lbs and the Mercury 175 Pro XS is 431lbs so the difference is more than I thought, but I would still go Yamaha. The 175 Verado was listed at 510lbs.

[junyer357]

One of my fishing partners just bought a phoenix 921 and went with the SHO.  Said it had a wider power band that started at lower rpm.  Its a 250 and purrs at 65 with power n speed to spare. He had a 225 proXS on last boat and wanted the SHO this time around. One thing he did mention is that it seems to be a touch better on fuel economy and no problems with mixing fuel or auto system problems, but oil changes would be over $100. He still is pleased more with the yamaha tho. 

[Al Wolbach]

On March 2, 2016 at 0:37 PM, junyer357 said:

One of my fishing partners just bought a phoenix 921 and went with the SHO.  Said it had a wider power band that started at lower rpm.  Its a 250 and purrs at 65 with power n speed to spare. He had a 225 proXS on last boat and wanted the SHO this time around. One thing he did mention is that it seems to be a touch better on fuel economy and no problems with mixing fuel or auto system problems, but oil changes would be over $100. He still is pleased more with the yamaha tho. 

I change to oil in my 4 stroke Yamaha for about $40 and that includes synthetic oil and yamaha filter. If you have any mechanical ability, it only takes a few minutes.

[RyneB]

The SHO is a baaaaaaad boy. Can barely hear it at idle, and has tons of hole shot power and feels strong up top.

[junyer357]

11 hours ago, Al Wolbach said:

I change to oil in my 4 stroke Yamaha for about $40 and that includes synthetic oil and yamaha filter. If you have any mechanical ability, it only takes a few minutes.

If he lets the dealership do the maintence they extended the warranty a few years. 

[Fishing Rhino]

My friend had an aluminum boat with a four stroke Yamaha.  Quiet, very quiet.  For cruising, or riding around, the quiet was very nice.

Neither of us spent a lot of time at cruising speed on the waters around here.  Mostly on the trolling motor.  Not like we were running long distances on the larger waters.

Still, before you plunk down your hard earned cash it's definitely worth considering.  The more time you spend moving from spot to spot, the more significant that quiet becomes.

[Puggz]

On 2016-03-01 at 11:08 AM, katmandew said:

I'm about to buy a new Phoenix 618 and am deciding whether to go with 175 Merc 2 stroke Pro XS or the 4 stroke Yamaha SHO.  I know the advantage is not having to use oil in the fuel mix. What are the disadvantages?  I'm upgrading from a 98 force on a combo so I need advice from those of you with experience with the new motors.  

Both are great motors.  The 2 stroke will give you better performance and cost less to run.  Don't worry about fumes either as the new 2 strokes are very clean.  They are oil injected so you don't add oil to your gas.  The Opti may need a remote oil tank tho.. Check into that.

Opti:

• Better hole-shot
• Better fuel economy
• Cost of 2 stroke oil
• Loud
• No oil changes, just fog and done for winter
• Somewhat dated appearance

Yammy:

• Bullet Proof
• Quiet
• Looks amazing
• No 2 stroke oil
• Expensive oil/filter changes 1x per season
• not as fast as a 2 stroke.
• Great re-sale

I've owned both 2 strokes and 4 strokes, my next boat will have a Evinrude G2 on it.  Can't go wrong with either, buy the one that pulls on your heart strings...lol

On 2016-03-04 at 6:12 PM, Al Wolbach said:

I change to oil in my 4 stroke Yamaha for about $40 and that includes synthetic oil and yamaha filter. If you have any mechanical ability, it only takes a few minutes.

$40?  Seriously?  Mine takes 5 qts of Lucas @ $15 and the OEM filter is $25.  Looks closer to $100 to me... What is it? a 15hp?

[Al Wolbach]

6 minutes ago, Puggz said:

Both are great motors.  The 2 stroke will give you better performance and cost less to run.  Don't worry about fumes either as the new 2 strokes are very clean.  They are oil injected so you don't add oil to your gas.  The Opti may need a remote oil tank tho.. Check into that.

Opti:

• Better hole-shot
• Better fuel economy
• Cost of 2 stroke oil
• Loud
• No oil changes, just fog and done for winter
• Somewhat dated appearance

Yammy:

• Bullet Proof
• Quiet
• Looks amazing
• No 2 stroke oil
• Expensive oil/filter changes 1x per season
• not as fast as a 2 stroke.
• Great re-sale

I've owned both 2 strokes and 4 strokes, my next boat will have a Evinrude G2 on it.  Can't go wrong with either, buy the one that pulls on your heart strings...lol

$40?  Seriously?  Mine takes 5 qts of Lucas @ $15 and the OEM filter is $25.  Looks closer to $100 to me... What is it? a 15hp?

I use Mobile 1 in 5Qt containers from WalMart(about $26-28) and  and Yamaha filter(about $20) from dealership in a 115HP Yamaha 4 stroke. Your right it is closer to $50.

[Puggz]

On 2016-03-06 at 3:22 PM, Al Wolbach said:

I use Mobile 1 in 5Qt containers from WalMart(about $26-28) and  and Yamaha filter(about $20) from dealership in a 115HP Yamaha 4 stroke. Your right it is closer to $50.

Fair enough but the Mobil 1, which is great oil, is not Marine oil, its designed for a car/truck.  Not sure the exact diff but marine oils have certain additives that are req'd based on the type of alloys used in an outboard.  For my $15k investment, I'll spend the extra. 

Nevertheless, I'll be going 2 stroke next time around..

[Kevin22]

One thing to consider is idling/no wake areas. If you have to pass through these areas, the quiet 4 stroke is a godsend! You can actually have a conversation without someone on the next hilltop hearing you. 

[fishnkamp]

Try and get a ride on boats with both.  Last year at the Elite series tournament on the Chesapeake Bay rides were offered on Skeeters, Tritons and Nitros.  Personally, I have not purchased a "new" outboard since 1998 when I purchased a Merc 200 EFI on a Pro Craft.  For me I thought the Yamaha pulled stronger on the bottom end and I liked the quiet engine.  I also asked the driver to run around a bit at 6 mph, 25 mph and at 45 mph so I could get a feel for it at speeds you will run at at times.  I am actually looking at a Pheonix 618 myself and made up my mind it will be ordered with a Yamaha 175 SHO.  The ProXS was nice, but did not impress me personally.  If I order this boat early next year, as I hope to, it will my first non Merc engine. I have owned and run 9 Mercs so far.  As for my opinion of the boat rides my favorite was the Triton, I just liked how it rode over the other 2.  Good Luck on your purchase, the 618 is a wicked nice boat.