The old outboard is on its way out.

Ed L.

Ed L.

Well-known member
Supporter
Does anyone have any thoughts on buying an outboard online? My old 40hp Mercury is having some issues and the quotes are $600 - $1500. It's a 1996 and I'm thinking it's had a good run. Throwing $1500 at it probably isn't a wise decision. Add another $500 and I'd have a fair down payment on a new motor. I'm looking online at a Suzuki 30hp with electric start and tilt and trim. Anyone have experience with Suzuki outboards? My problem is no one in my area has any outboards besides Mercury's and Yamahas and they are substantially higher in price. Suzuki shows a dealer within driving distance from me but it can't be much different than when I bought a 25hp 40 years and took it home, put it on the boat, mixed some oil and gas and pulled the rope can it? Thanks for your insights.
 
Suzuki,s have a great reputation as well as Yamaha. Tohatsu also makes some great outboards in the H.P. your after. The newer 4 strokes especially when outfitted w/electric start and PTL make life much easier . I,ve been running a Tohatsu 25 on my 1648 past 3 years and love it. They build the Mercury motors in the size your looking at as well as smaller outboards.
 
I run a 9.9 Suzuki electric start 100.1 2 from the late 80s I just took it out of winter storage ,fired right up. I normally run Johnson's. Suzuki makes a great outboard.

and yes still it's still oil injection and the 100.1 ratio keeps ticking almost 40 years later
 
A different category of motor, but I bought my Suzuki 6 hp via Online Outboards a few months ago based on feedback from this site and local friends. No complaints so far--but I am just about through the break-in period.
 
I don't think you can go wrong with either Suzuki or Tohatsu. Their reliability is what sells them. I did see a sweet old Yamaha for sale the other day. I think it was a 95. Those used to be the gold standard in outboards when 2 strokes ruled the waves......
 
I bought a Suzuki 20 power trim electric start (128 lbs) from Online Outboards. No issues, came in 5 days in a BIG Fedex box truck. So you room for a big truck to deliver. The driver and I slide the cardboard crate from his truck into the bed of my truck. Then I cut the cardboard crate away and me and a buddy put it on my transom. Biggest thing is you will need to be there for delivery, have room for delivery and be able to handle a big heavy box. Fedex called the day before to give me a delivery window.
 
Lots of positive info here. Online Outboard always comes up in conversations and I've looked at their offerings through the years. I'm going to take a drive today to the shop that Suzuki shows as a repair facility and check them out. My old Merc still runs fine but the lower unit is starting to have issues with shifting and seals plus two years ago I hit something (probably a stump) pretty hard which may be the cause of starting to have issues so now do I sell it outright or trade it. Either way it's probably not worth much. Thanks for the input.
 
I do not own a Suzuki and own a used 1996 Yamaha 9.9 that I have yet to use. But I do follow a YouTube channel Team Marine and they love Suzuki's and Yamaha's. Evinrude's they think they belong in the trash. But they work on all engines. It is a source of good information as they are always reviewing different engines old and new. They give honest opinions based their experiences of what engines come in for repair in their shop and what they encounter. They are also usually the first to get to see the newest engines when they come out.
 
I got a 40hp Yamaha power trim Electric start a year ago and it has been great. For me service was key. I had an E-tec and when service stopped, their was no fixing it. The Portland area is mostly Yamaha and Mercury with one Suzuki dealer. I considered Suziki but felt with the local service and support I would be better off in the long run with multiple locations that support what I have. Plus everybody I know has Yamaha's and loves them which gave me confidence that I was makeing a good decision.
 
Thanks for all your input. I made a decision. I have been completely satisfied with my Mercury for years. I have 4 shops in my area that sell and service Mercury's but when it comes down to it every shop offered me a no hassle price that was with in $10 of each other and the best price was $7k. The Suzuki dealer on the other hand offered to order the model I wanted and dropped the price from $6999.95 to $6000 out the door including setup. The loan is approved and the motor will be order next week. Happy Father's Day to me!
 
My good friend uses a Suzuki 115 hp and loves it. I’ve been with him when temps were -4 or colder and the cmc hydraulic lift was freezing , but the Suzuki continued to fire and run reliably.

Hunting with him alone has sold me on a Suzuki if i make the jump to outboard vs MM

IMG_9178.jpeg

My first boat had a mercury 50 hp and man it was an absolute turd. Will never own another mercury.. granted it was an old 2 stroke .. but it was awful.
 
Phil Nowack said:
I am Yamaha ran, but have heard nothing but good about Zuki.. tend to be a little less too I think.
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I may have jumped the gun on this though...lol. new motor wont be here until August! Flood waters are quickly approaching and I sold my old Mercury so no boat. All I have now is a canoe!
 
Ed L. said:
I may have jumped the gun on this though...lol. new motor wont be here until August! Flood waters are quickly approaching and I sold my old Mercury so no boat. All I have now is a canoe!
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I feel your pain. I have a new truck; my old canoe rack will not fit it; and nobody has yet designed a rack that will fit. I can find roof bars, but no clamp on racks for the bed. It's trout, shad and striper season . . . .
 
Jeff,
Jeff Reardon said:
I feel your pain. I have a new truck; my old canoe rack will not fit it; and nobody has yet designed a rack that will fit. I can find roof bars, but no clamp on racks for the bed. It's trout, shad and striper season . . . .
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Check out Adarac from North Dakota. I put one on my Sierra 4 years ago and am very satisfied. Rack comes with mounting rails and everything you need.

ADARAC Truck Bed Racks Line Up Page LINEUP

Official Site. Line up page for ADARAC truck bed racks in steel and aluminum for pickup trucks.
www.agricover.com www.agricover.com
 
Looks like they do have one that fits a 2024 Ranger--and available as a single bar to pair with a roof rack. I'm sure this differs vehicle to vehicle, but how do the rails mount to the bed?
 
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