Opti Max Outboards

[grizzly]

Looking at a repower job in my 1994 bassboat. Been checking around and finding some decent deals on the Opti-Max motors. I know alot of people were toasting these motors. Was wondering if you guys could give me some input on them.

Grizzly.

[SalmonBum]

The only motor I wouldn't buy would be a Merc. I know tons of people with newer O/B and every one of them has spent some time in the shop. When I go to Florida, all the serious anglers laugh at mercs. There must be a reason they are buying Yamahas. Every boat I have been on down there is powered by a Yami.

[eyebuster]

And on the other hand I have been hearing a lot of bad things about the Yammie's as well, don't want to get into a outboard bashing thing here. With all the mercs and yammie's and honda's on the backs of boats now a days your bound to hear some horror stories. For some reason you don't here to many stories about how great their outboards are, just the problems they're having.

I have a Merc 225 opti on my rig and haven't had one problem to date, I AM KNOCKING ON WOOD WITH ONE HAND AND TYPING WITH THE OTHER...LOL No complaints here, love the motor, good on gas for it's size, would not think twice about buying another and just might over the winter when I'm shopping for something a might bigger....... I'm trying to say twin 175hp Verados on that back of a Wellcraft 250 fisherman, but I'm having a hard time slapping leather for those babies:bash:

[wickedcarpenter]

Check out www.screamandfly.com
They always have lots of motors for sale and i'm sure lots of people there have the opti's
while your there ya just might wanna pick up a 300 drag motor for that Bass boat :D

[captain jay]

I've got a 225 Optimax on my boat. It came new on the boat, and I know where it has been for every minute of it's time on the water. My first summer it had quite a few small (electrical) problems and I swore off Mercury for the rest of my life. Like I said, the problems were small, and I had more of a problem with my dealer giving me a constant runaround than I did with the motor irself. Ever since I went to a new dealer, I have hod NO problems for the last two years.

Mercury has had alot of problems with the optimax (hence the reason for the class action suit pending).

If I were going new again, I might go with Mercury just because I would know it had a warranty. If I were buying used, I would NOT get a mercury, just because I would not spend that much for an Optimax without a warranty.

Hey Eyebuster....looking to upgrade to a Lund Baron????????????? I just happen to know where one might be for sale this fall!! ;)

Captain Jay

[Beave]

Can you post info on the class action suit?

I own a 135 Optimax. No problems yet, but that doesn't mean I might not qualify yet. Lots of those suits cover extensions of the warranty as part of the settlement.

[Eastern Yooper]

Jay, are ya coming up for the salmon run again this fall?

Alot of the fish being caught around Detour right now are in the 7 lb. catagory. Not sure what to think about that; from what I had heard, this years class was supposed to have the bigger 16-20 lb. fish we are used to catching.

We shall see.........

Sorry to change direction from the thread topic. I run a 1999 Yamaha 100 HP 4-stroke. I bought it new and it currently has well over 4000 miles on it..... with nary a problem. For WIW, The USCG also powers most, if not all, of their new boats with Yamis.

[captain jay]

I will be in the Soo from September 9th through the 25th. Staying in the aune osborne campground, and the boat will be docked at the Kemp marina.

I think the class action suit only involved the bigger optimax motors. If you didn't get a letter from Mercury about it, then you probably didn't qualify. It did say I would get another years extension on the warranty though. That would put it out to 6 years. Not bad!

Any one familiar with the new Evinrude E-tech's? 3 years with no maintenance....no plugs...no lower unit oil changes...NOTHING for 3 years. You can pull start the 100hp with no effort. They are supposed to have the 225 models out for 2005. I have not seen one yet, but I have read a little about them.

Captain Jay

[TONGA]

everyone I know with an Opti-Max motor has been more than happy with it. it's those new Verados that I'm afraid of...just so many moving parts stuffed into those things also very large and heavy!...If it were me and I came across a smokin deal on an opti I might just have to take it.
I have not seen many Yamaha motors but my buddy Bill dose warranty work for them and to say Bill is impressed with them is an understatement.
As for the new big E-Tec V-6,...I just looked at a revue of them in boating life and they sure sound great.
It's new technology and only time will tell if they hold up, but I like the concept 2-stroke that burns cleaner than any 4-stroke (CARB 2008 TREE-STARE RATED AND EU 2006 COMPLIANT),,Half the moving parts as a Verado and hundreds of pounds less to boot.

[ESOX]

Those Verados sound real cool, but you are right, all those bells and whistles scare the bejeepers out of me. Steer by wire, throttle by wire, shift by wire.......loads os solenoids in that beast. Supercharger? HMMM Take away all the other bells and whistles and give me the supercharger.:D

[TONGA]

. """Supercharger? HMMM Take away all the other bells and whistles and give me the supercharger.""""

yea forced induction sounds like something every outboard should have :yikes: :evil:

[Swamp Monster]

A buddy of mine owns a lodge in canada n Lac Seul. He runs a fleet of 10 Lund 18' Pro V's with Yamaha 4 stroke 90 horse tillers and couldn't be happier with them. He keeps these motors for 3 years at a time and they run 7 days a week from May to September.....and they are only shut off during shore lunch. Probably run an average of 10-12 hours a day every day. Not to say the Mercs wouldn't have the same record though.
I was hoping to get a Lund/Yamaha combo this year because next year Brunswick owned Lund will only be packaged with Mercs. The E tecs sound promising, but I would stay away from most used Johnsons/rudes from the mid 90's up until a few years ago.
I also had read somewhere that the Yamaha and merc use the same powerhead....I think in the Opti-max and the HDPI Yami. I can't remember where I read this though, so ???

[Walt Bainbridge]

Ive been running a 225 on a ranger 620vs since 1999 and have not had problem one.I wouldnt hesitate to recommend these engines to anyone,and I recently did to a friend of mine who put a new 175 opti on his sea ray laguna,he too is very happy with performance and fuel mileage