Johnson or Yamaha Outboard??

[eugenesdream24]

Hey everyone, I am putting a 9.9 long shaft on the back of my Irwin 28 since my Atomic 4 seems to be struggling lately. I assume it has low compression and is on its way out. So eventually the inboard will be upgraded to the ElectricYacht system, but in the mean time I still want to get around and keep sailing using an outboard.

I have two locals selling 9.9 long shafts. Here are my options:

2006 Johnson 9.9 2 Stroke that is coming off a motor boat for 675.

or

2001 Yamaha 9.9 4 stroke that is coming off a 26ft sailboat with a battery, gas tank, manual, and tune up kit for when I need to eventually maintenance it for 800.

I'm leaning towards the Yamaha since it is coming from a sailor, is very clean, and comes with extras. Additionally, I've seen most people say they'd take a Yamaha first, especially for cruising since you can get Yamaha parts anywhere in the world.

The question is, what would you buy out of the two? I know many people swear by Johnson so I am not ruling it out. I am hoping to get her mounted on a new bracket this week and get back to sailing ASAP. I appreciate everyone's thoughts or advise.

 

[shemandr]

The four strokes are so much more quiet so if you don't care about the extra weight, I'd go with the Yamaha. I don't have experience with either particular model so I can't say which is better engineered or built.

 

[eugenesdream24]

The more I read the more I think the Yamaha is better. I forgot to mention in my first post that it is the high thrust model with electric start. A few extra pounds should not be an issue. Although I am pretty paranoid about mounting a 114 pound motor on my sailboat because I have pretty flawless fiberglass the whole way round the boat. Especially for a 70s sailboat. But I'm going for it.

 

[Db421]

Love my Yamaha 9.9 4 stroke. If I could find another for $800.00 I would buy it in a second for a spare. You will not go wrong with that motor. No comparison between 2 & 4 stroke. BTW, mounting the motor is a struggle but two people can do it easily.

 

[eugenesdream24]

I am super paranoid about mounting it and setting everything up, but I am following all the instructions carefully and will make sure I don't mess anything up. Thanks for your advise.

 

[Sailm8]

You know, that $800 would go a long way toward fixing the A4. Just say'n

 

[eugenesdream24]

You know, that $800 would go a long way toward fixing the A4. Just say'n

You are totally right my friend, but I have always wanted both an inboard and an outboard.

Over the course of this last summer I put over a grand into my A4 and it is still weak. New starter, new electrical, coil, distributor, head gaskets, carb, thermostat, spark plugs and lines. I have basically fully rebuilt this thing but the block is just old and beat. Plus I really want to go with the ElectricYacht system in the next year or so since my boat is already powered largely by solar.

Call me crazy, but I always thought having an outboard as a backup to the inboard was a safe idea. Kinda like not keeping all my eggs in one basket. So my plan is to use the outboard until I can upgrade the inboard and keep traveling and cruising.

 

[WayneH]

I thought this would be a "Ford vs Chevy" topic until I saw the 2 stroke vs 4 stroke. A friend of mine uses a Yamaha 4 stroke on his 27 footer after having several 2 stroke engines on it. He says the Yahama pushes his 27 foot sailboat at hull speed at LESS THAN START throttle setting. Plus the fuel consumption for it is fantastic. It goes farther on a gallon of gas than any 2 stroke he's had. I'm hoping he will get back into town and post his own opinion of the Yamaha soon.

 

[caguy]

Things to consider are can either of them come with or can they be adapted to electric start and remote control throttle, electric choke and shift. I managed to adapt the shift and throttle cables made for the Tohatsu to work with the existing cockpit throttle and shift controls.
The 9.9 4 strokes are generally much quieter than a 2 stroke, however, I get a lot of comments on just how quiet my Tohatsu 18hp 2 stroke is. I really used to like my Honda 10 hp 4 stroke it seemed like I could put all day an use very little gas. My 2 stroke uses considerably more gas.
Which ever motor you buy take a spark plug socket and compression gauge with you and check them before you close the deal.

 

[Brian D]

My boat had a Yamaha 9.9 on it and when I replaced it, I replaced it with a Yamaha 9.9. Not so much because the rigging was already there (controls, electric start...) but because I was very happy with the performance of my motor. I just neglected to keep the cooling system clean. My bad.

You will pay a little more for the Yamaha, but you will be happy with the 4-stroke motor over the 2-stroke.

 

[shemandr]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I used to have a slip near the entrance to a marina, so everyone had to go by my boat to go out. I could smell the 2 stroke outboards down in the cabin but the 4 strokes could sometimes slip by without notice. I.E. I couldn't even hear them down below. I was at that slip for five years so I'm not talking about a few times. The 2 Stroke outboards were worse than the big diesels that went by.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

I have an 8 HP Yamaha 4 stroke. Replaced a 9 HP 2 stroke, and my fuel economy almost tripled. On longer cruises I used to carry 18 extra gallons in cans (running the ICW) Now I carry 5.

An d I get hull speed at right below the "start" setting on the handle. Standard prop.

After some 6000 miles with that engine, I wouldn't buy anything else.

 

[thinwater]

Look at the PDQforum clasifieds. Tom has a bunch of Yammy 9.9s for sale.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Johnson Outboard was part of OMC corp. which went bankrupt back in the 90's. I would question that Johnson outboard being a 2006 model. Be Careful.

 

[kloudie1]

A friend and I have a Yamaha 9.9 long shaft, high thrust on a Stiletto 27 catamaran. It is a fine engine that is very quiet and economical. When we got it, it had not run in 8 years.. had not been flushed from salt water.. we had to pull the cylinder head and clean out the cooling water passages, but after that, it has run perfectly..

 

[kloudie1]

Dave, the 2006 Johnson 9.9 two stroke was offered by Bombardier (after Evinrude/Johnson bankruptcy in 2000) but they quickly dropped the Johnson name after that and sell only Evinrude today.. PArts are still easily available through the Bombardier folks.. ( I have a 1967 Johnson that still runs perfectly)
http://features.boats.com/boat-content/2007/04/johnson-outboard-future/

 

[eugenesdream24]

Alright everyone, next dumb question.

I am going to buy the Yamaha 4 stroke outboard, but I own the Garelick 71033 bracket that is technically only supposed to have 2 stroke motors on it.

The Yamaha is under the weight limit and will fit on the mounting board so I should be able to get away with it right?

 

[justsomeguy]

Alright everyone, next dumb question.

I am going to buy the Yamaha 4 stroke outboard, but I own the Garelick 71033 bracket that is technically only supposed to have 2 stroke motors on it.

The Yamaha is under the weight limit and will fit on the mounting board so I should be able to get away with it right?

Motor Weight Not to Exceed: 118 lbs.

Sure looks like it.

 

[eugenesdream24]

Motor Weight Not to Exceed: 118 lbs.

Sure looks like it.

It will be under weight, but will the high thrust be an issue? I'm very slow and gentle under motor so I doubt I'll ever push it too hard. Rough seas could be a potential issue too. Just weighing my options for the least headaches and best performance.

 

[justsomeguy]

As it's built for a certain max weight, it should be able to handle everything you throw at it, within reason.

High-thrust prop included.