# 25HP Yamaha vs 25HP Merc (2 Strokes)



## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

kyle_LMC said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> I have been watching the forum for a while now but now that I finally found a skiff I am making my first post.
> 
> ...


What kind of speed are you currently seeing? What prop are you running? Getting the right prop can have a big impact on things.


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## kyle_LMC (Oct 19, 2013)

el9surf said:


> What kind of speed are you currently seeing? What prop are you running? Getting the right prop can have a big impact on things.


Currently 26 MPH with 2 people, cooler, gear. I have a custom shallow water prop, but not interested in changing prop for more speed. I should have added I sell boats for a living, just don't have experience with the smaller engines.

Really I am just looking to see if what I have heard is true that the 25 Merc 2-stroke is noticeably more powerful than the 25 Yamaha 2-stroke. Was reading up on Chris Morejohn's blog of the early HB Days and he had also commented on the Mercury 25HP being faster.


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## Parkerskimmer (Aug 21, 2015)

I have a 2002 25 merc 2 stroke with a 13 pitch 4 blade solas, it's on a 14 skimmer skiff, the hull weighs 240 pounds and with the same load and 2 people I'm seeing 31 mph at 6000 rpms, I don't know how much the wipray weighs but compare your weight with mine, it doesn't sound like it would be much faster


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

Just for comparison, I ran a 25 Yamaha and 20 Mercury both with stock 3 blade props on a Gheenoe Classic. The Merc actually had better top end and it was 5 hp less. These were both a few years apart in year and had recent carb rebuilds and tune ups. I've always been a Yamaha guy so I stuck with the 25. So yes, my results did prove that the Mercs were quicker. Enough to justify selling and buying a new 25? Probably not because it's a minimal gain. I would expect that you could probably get just as much going with a good prop like a Powertech 3 blade that has been worked by a shop..


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## TGlidden (May 24, 2013)

kyle_LMC said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> I have been watching the forum for a while now but now that I finally found a skiff I am making my first post.
> 
> ...


I'm running a '01 Waterman 16 with a merc 25hp and getting 28mph loaded, the merc is a stro


kyle_LMC said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> I have been watching the forum for a while now but now that I finally found a skiff I am making my first post.
> 
> ...


I don't think you'd get enough of a gain to justify switching, I'm getting 28mph on a Waterman 16 with the merc. If you played with the props you might get a bit more.


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## Vertigo (Jun 3, 2012)

I've owned a couple of Mercury 25 hp 2-strokes, and I always felt that they delivered more power than other brands. OTOH, similar vintage Johnrudes are lighter and, in my opinion, built to a higher quality standard.


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## kyle_LMC (Oct 19, 2013)

Thanks everyone for the input. I had found a 2005 that was near mint condition for a reasonable price (my Yamaha is a little rough) and was thinking about swapping if I could get a little more speed and keep the shallow water performance. I am currently running a power tech 3 blade with some extra cupping. The motor has been raised quite a bit on the CMC power-tilt-trim unit to run shallower but I'm sure it's hurting my top end. It is worth it to me as I am in Texas and we run a lot of shallow water.


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

Not worth it Kyle, unless you just want to.

So where is this mint '05 in Texas?


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## kyle_LMC (Oct 19, 2013)

I'm just going to stick with mine. Here is the one I was looking at if you are interested: http://houston.craigslist.org/boa/5220334600.html


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## TidewateR (Nov 11, 2009)

What I'd would want for that boat is a 3 cylinder Yamaha 2 stroke 25/30hp. There's a guy in Lake Charles who can make that motor a 40 or 50hp. These 3 cylinders come up for sale once a month or so here in LA.

*edit that taller cowling of the 3 cylinder might not fit under the existing platform, if this is the boat I believe it to be


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## kyle_LMC (Oct 19, 2013)

TidewateR said:


> What I'd would want for that boat is a 3 cylinder Yamaha 2 stroke 25/30hp. There's a guy in Lake Charles who can make that motor a 40 or 50hp. These 3 cylinders come up for sale once a month or so here in LA.
> 
> *edit that taller cowling of the 3 cylinder might not fit under the existing platform, if this is the boat I believe it to be


Thanks TidewateR, I will start keeping an eye out. This is the blue one that I believe you posted up here last month.


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## kyle_LMC (Oct 19, 2013)

For those who may not had read this article, I found it interesting: http://chrismorejohn.blogspot.com/2014/07/chris-morejohn-history-of-hells-bay.html

This is the part of the article that got me thinking about the Mercury 25 :

"I have always favored Yahmaha engines in my small boat dinghy world that I live in but the Mercury 25 hp that Flip was representing with Bass Pro at the time really put us on the map. Our first finished skiff had a Yahmaha 30 on it. The Mercury 25 is rated at the prop and was so much more powerful than the Yahmaha and other engines that we could get up to 32 mph out of our skiffs."


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## fjmaverick (Sep 18, 2015)

During those years I thought mercury got there powerheads from yamaha up until 06-07.


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## RunningOnEmpty (Jun 20, 2015)

The Yamaha 25/30 3 cylinder is a sweet motor and it has tons of potential with mods. http://www.shop.hydrotecmarine.com/product.sc?productId=116&categoryId=2


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

kyle_LMC said:


> For those who may not had read this article, I found it interesting: http://chrismorejohn.blogspot.com/2014/07/chris-morejohn-history-of-hells-bay.html
> 
> This is the part of the article that got me thinking about the Mercury 25 :
> 
> "I have always favored Yahmaha engines in my small boat dinghy world that I live in but the Mercury 25 hp that Flip was representing with Bass Pro at the time really put us on the map. Our first finished skiff had a Yahmaha 30 on it. The Mercury 25 is rated at the prop and was so much more powerful than the Yahmaha and other engines that we could get up to 32 mph out of our skiffs."


I bought the 03 Glades Skiff with original Merc 25 but switched to Tohat 25 after one year. There were a lot of things I did not like about the Merc, primarily the tilt lock, weak tiller handle, and corrosion resistance, but HB would not sell the skiff with any other motor brand in those days. The Tohat was one tough motor and I noticed no difference in speed. Most of those old two cycle Mercs that were used in salt did not hold up well. Good luck looking for out of production motors in good condition.


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## fjmaverick (Sep 18, 2015)

You mean like one of these?
http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/boa/5220392670.html


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## Snookdaddy (Jan 5, 2008)

fjmaverick said:


> During those years I thought mercury got there powerheads from yamaha up until 06-07.


^ Yamaha powerheads were only on the 4 stroke Mercury outboards ^

I had a Mercury 2002 Mercury 25hp with a 13 pitch Merc Vengeance prop on my 2005 Gordon Waterman 16. My skiff was a very light "no floor" model and would run 30.5mph WOT with me, fishing gear and a cooler of ice.. 28.5 WOT with 2 peeps loaded WOT and I would cruise around 26mph with all loads.. That outboard was outstanding for my skiff and I never saw the need to go to a 40hp.

I disagree with Mercury having weak parts and not very good for saltwater use.. The one I had on the Gordon and another motor that I kept on a stand as a backup never showed any signs of corrosion.. The only thing that would eventually wear out on my Merc 25hp's were the plastic bushings on the tiller arm.. When the bushing wore out, you would get a little play, side to side in the tiller.. Parts to fix the tiller wobble ran about $20 and took about 30 minutes to install.. 

The 2 stroke Tohatsu is also a beast and was also sold as the Mercury 25hp "Sea Pro" model with the shift on the side of the cowling.. The Tohatsu / Merc Sea Pro can be made into a 30hp motor in about 10 minutes with a simple $5 carb gasket change.. These are beasts too..

The things I liked most about my 2 Merc 25's were their simplicity. I could do an annual in about 45 minutes and parts are dirt cheap.. I really liked the built in "shift in the throttle" design.


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## GSSF (May 25, 2013)

My 2003 Merc 2 stroke I have on my IPB(skimmer) 14 is a beast. It is a first pull motor every time, and pushes the boat dry at over 30 mph. I have a few props that I run depending on load and conditions, but I could not be happier with the power and simplicity the design offers. Parts are plentiful and inexpensive, and like others pointed out about plastic bushings in the tiller handle, the fix is quick and cheap when it comes time. 

Mine is actually surprisingly good on fuel as well. I have had a late 80's Yamaha 25 on a jon boat in the past, and it was a great motor as well. Right on par with the weight as compared to the Merc, but the Merc's "seat of the pants" power just feels better.

FWIW....


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## jonterr (Mar 24, 2013)

I bought a new 25/30 Merc Sea Pro a couple yrs ago , kept it about a yr, sold it , because i bought another boat.
Contacted the guy last week about buying it back last week because it would be a sweet shallow skiff motor!!!


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## lowcountry88 (Sep 21, 2015)

I have a merc 25 that i had on a saltmarsh 14. It ran 31 with a beat up prop. The shift in the tiller is great, but if there is a weak point on that motor, it is the tiller.


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

fjmaverick said:


> You mean like one of these?
> http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/boa/5220392670.html


Yes, like that one except exclusive salt water use for 12 years.


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

There is a 25 merc for sale in Orlando https://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5196095708.html


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## Parkerskimmer (Aug 21, 2015)

yobata said:


> There is a 25 merc for sale in Orlando https://orlando.craigslist.org/bpo/5196095708.html


If anyone is looking for a 25 merc or yami 2 stroke this guy has them, I bought one of his motors just like the one in the posting, he is an older gentleman that restore them to perfect condition and then sells them for 1800 without the electric start and 2000 with it,the all the motors come from up north and are freshwater motors, the funny thing is that he says he has 60- 70 of them.


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