Best and Worst Small Outboards

Hopefully, in the next 12-18 months, I'll be looking for an aluminum flat bottom or mod-v boat. What seems to be the best and worst small outboards (thinking likely 40hp or less) in terms of reliability, cost of maintenance/upkeep, etc. I'll want enough motor for the hull it's pushing, but I'm not super concerned with speed so much as something that's reliable and trouble-free (as much as a small outboard can be, anyway). Which models (and years) would you look for? Which models (and years) would you avoid? Why or why not would be great too.

It should be noted that I'm not planning on spending a lot, maybe $3-4k at most for boat/motor/trailer, preferably less.....so most of the motors I'll be looking at will likely be a little older.

Yamaha 4stroke if you are concerned with reliability

What about 100 to 150 HP Hevi, still Yamaha's?

Anything that says Force by Mercury on the cowling should be avoided like the liberal hippie swine flu plague

Just depends on what catagory, 2stroke or 4 stroke? Yamaha makes a quality engine ad is hard to beat for reliability. If I was going to buy a 2 stroke 150 and couldn’t afford a new engine, I would like at engines like the 150hp HDPI, 150hp pro XS, 150hp or 175hp Johnson faststrike or Evinrude intruder. If I wanted a 4stroke, I would look for a 115-150hp Yamaha 4stroke, or a 150hp Mercury EFI. Stay away from the ficts, Etecs, Suzuki’s, or Honda’s. Ficts and Etecs are garbage, horribly unreliable and very costly to repair the numerous repairs that WILL happen. Honda’s and Suzuki’s are turds that have subpar performance with speed and ergonomics. I’ve never been impressed with Honda’s outboards. I have ran a bunch, but never had one outrun a Yamaha or mercury in the same application. I’m sure that they are pretty reliable, but to me they are cheaper watered down versions of higher quality engines. Honda’s technology hasn’t advanced in the marine industry in a long time and there are more efficient engine and cylinder head designs out there.


But Imo it’s hard to beat a good running 60 degree v6 Johnson on a smallish bass boat. I don’t peraonally care for the optical ignition system and how complicated it appears to be to people who are unfamiliar with the design, but it does work well when it works well.

My boys have a '97 Yamaha 30hp tiller on a havoc duck boat. Runs the 2 of them plus gear and dog approx. 30mph...and that thing is bullet proof. I've had dealings with 2 small yam's, a 150hp 2 stroke yam and a 200hp 2 stroke yam...love them all. Boys started with a 25 Johnson and it wasn't "bad", but wasn't as good as those 2 yamahas.

Ive got a 25hp 4 stroke merc on my flat bottom and so far so good.

I think tohatsu makes or made alot of the 25 hp and under outboards but that's just hearsay

They made the Mercury’s and their own engines. That’s all that I know of

Under 30 hp Tohatsu, Nissan and Mercury are all the same engine on 4 stroke. I hade a 2011 Tohatsu 30 4 stoke and it was a great motor and about about $1800 less than mercury.

Oh yea, I forgot about nissan. I guess there’s a reason for that 😬

Yamaha and Tohatsu.Hard to hurt a Tohatsu

I've got 2003 Yamaha 25hp 4 stroke tiller steer on my flat bottom 14x48 it pushes just me in the boat to almost 30mph if it's my fat ass 265lbs and my brothers lard ass 295lbs plus two summit viper climbers,guns,ammo, 2 15lbs anchors, and the rest of our hunting stuff its just a little lighter with me him and all our fishing stuff in the boat instead of hunting gear it'll run 25mph. The best part is the thing is so fuel efficient. I fill 6 gallon tank up before hunting season and hunt of it 4-5 three day weekends during gun season at the place we use the boat. Then it don't get used much while we're hunting other places till spring when we crappie fish when the water warms up and the crappie go deep I'll have to fill it back up and we fish most of the summer fall till deer season and the boat gets filled back up and the cycle repeats. If I had to buy another small motor even if I had to buy it new it would be a Yamaha 4 stroke it would be worth it for the fuel economy and the trouble free service I've had out of this one

Think about this for a second.....the new Yamaha 25hp is 50 pounds LIGHTER than your 25. That means even more fuel efficient and even faster....

I have one of those on a mod-v. It's a 2006 model I bought new and have needed to do nothing but maintenance on it so far. Still cranks right off and runs strong and QUIET. I'll say that again, QUIET. You don't have to yell at the passenger to be heard and vice versa. Maybe I should mention it's a gas sipper twice too because a 6 gallon tank lasts a long time. I like to drift in the tailrace current at some of the dams around here, so it runs the whole time I'm fishing, part of that time idling and part of it WOT. I fill it back up when it drops below a half tank just because I like knowing I have plenty of fuel. 4 stroke means no mixing either. I'll not call myself a fatarse, but I do weigh better than 250. Me and my fatarse fishing buddy can fish 3 long afternoons (5-7 hours) before it gets below half a tank.

Same here.. I'm 265 and most of my buddies are +200. I can squueze 23mph out of her on a 1648.

You aint lying about quiet and easy on gas

I have a 14/48 with a 25hp mercury xd. Its a 1985 and runs great. Pushes me and the family of 3 at 25mph with gear. I have a 90s mariner 15hp that cranks on first pull and is super quiet. Both are 2 strokes. I use fuel stable, lucas cleaner and run fuel line and carb completely out of fuel even if i know im gonna run it the next day. I like mine. I use the 15hp for a spare and have never needed it. Its like brand new. Still has all the paint on the prop.

There was one in the classifieds here last year I think it was the guy was going to a smaller engine. His was one of the newer smaller ones they're supposed to be lighter then the Yamaha 2 stroke 25hp. I though about buying that one that was for sale on here and selling mine but decided mine was plenty fast enough when it's just me in there and fast enough to haul to lard asses around with hunting stuff. There might be a day when I own one of the newer ones

I replaced my 1974 20hp Mercury last year. I went with a Tohatsu because I just couldn’t see myself spending the extra money on a Mercury when they’re both made by Tohatsu. I haven’t had a bit of trouble out of it so far.

I always figured that was bad for a 2 stroke. No gas no lubrication

4 stroke Honda 25 horse tiller was the most trouble free. Still running 18 years later with nothing changed but oil,plugs,and water pump as far as I know.

I would seriously be looking at a tiller steer on a small boat. I wouldn't have anything else.

I have a 1987 Johnson 9.9 2 stroke on a 1436 and its perfectly fine for me and a buddy to duck hunt with. It runs about 20 or so with me in it and 14 or so with 2 and gear. My duck hunting buddy has a 30hp tohatsu on a 1648 and with 2 people and gear he is running low to mid 30s. Depending on the size of the boat, i would look into the tohatsu EFI outboards. I think they started making the EFI outboards in 2017? They are light weight and come with a 5 year warranty.

I got a 9.8 4 strokeTohatsu on a Gheenoe.
Not a bad motor but it does not like to sit up somewhere.
Always,Always, Always, run the gas out of it when you're done,
I've torn the carb apart more times than I care to count.

Wish I had bought a Yamaha. Not finicky at all.