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.