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What do you guys think about Mercury Optimax motors? My last 4 motors have been Yamahas and I certainly consider myself a Yamaha man. I have heard good things lately about Optimax motors. I know several of you guys run them and I am not trying to start argument among anyone but I am just curious about them. I have been looking at the Triton 1860 boats and they come with Optimax motors. I like to buy local but I will have to go out of town to get a G3 or Xpress with a Yamaha. What do you guys think?

I have a 225 Opti and love it. It is great on gas and oil. You have to warm them up good before getting on them but with proper care they're awesome.

I have a 2008 115 hp optimax...If I was buying another motor tomorrow, it would be an optimax....Mine probably has 50 plus hrs on it..been a winner so far.

I've got a 150 and she is strong like bull.
The spark plugs ain't cheap but you only need to replace them every 3 years or so. I would definitely buy another one.

You guys prefer them over a 4 stroke motor too?

fuel economy is great..not as quiet as a 4 stroke but is ok....torque is better than 4 stroke

I have a 2006 90hp with not a single hiccup (knocking on wood hard). I bought a Mako which came with the optimax. It is quite, great mileage, and been very dependable for me. I hear all of the horror stories about Mercurys and hear how yamaha is the only way to go. Based on my experience, I would not shy away from the optimax.

FRP,
When researching a column on 2 vs. 4 strokes a couple years ago, I learned that the Opti was originally an Australian design and is considered the simplest of all the direct injected designs. It'll definitely have more torque than a 4 and will be lighter, too, although not as light as the E-TEC.

Of all the boats I've run or tested that were Opti powered, they were responsive, quick out of the hole and good on fuel economy.

Hope this helps.

Not me but the guy that got me back in the salt has a merc he bought based on price and has had many problems with his. My buddy with the big boat has a pair one just got rebuilt. Neither are opti's but I wouldn't buy a merc unless it was so much less expensive I could not care if it only lasted a year or two. At my house I buy used and try to squeak life out of it as long as I can. The 95 120 Johnson I got from M D has done great for me. How often do you fish? inshore or off? My buddy got an e-tech and has had some fuel related troubles with it. But that could be fuel or lack of use. Maybe I will see it in another way sometime but I don't use one often enough to spend big bucks and have to be working on it too. And your right the word that I hear most often is Yamaha. But I fish a ten year old skiff with a 15 year old motor. If I was buying new I would want it as bullit proof as possible.

There is lemons with any brand. I've heard of people with HPDI's that blew up with two hours. Same with BRP (E-TEC) before they got their computer woes fixed. 2000 -2001 Opti's where terrible. Just have to take a gamble and buy whatever will service you the best. I will tell you that I run my boat a lot. Not sure how it would perform if I let it sit for a month or two between trips.

If you buy a friggin Mercury I will drive down to Albany and kick your %*#. If you are planning on buying new don't put your self in that position. I put more hours on my boats than most folks and I have owned all brands. There is a reason why I have Yamahas hanging off the back of my boats.

Well, what do you get Dave?

Reel Cowboy wrote:Well, what do you get Dave?

Nothing yet Matt, still waiting on a good deal!

A good deal?
Man shot, you got plenty o' money.

While I've owned and had great service from 3 Yamahas I'd buy and run an Optimax. I've read some great reviews and hear good things about those engines from a couple people I know. I'm of the opinion that there are lemons in every bunch and for me I'd switch up if I found a boat I liked with an Opti. I own both 4 stroke and 2 stroke and I like both for different reasons but I would hesitant on buying an Opti just because it’s a Mercury. My dad ran a Merc for years and the thing never missed a beat.