Which is the better motor?
Printable View
Which is the better motor?
PRO XS hands down. I want a PRO XS 150 on my boat.The 150 is the strongest running 150 I have ever seen.
No comparison the ProXS is best motor on market today.
I am looking at a 115hp. Bass Pro has a good price for rigging my boat, but they charge $100 hr for shop time!!
I got an Etec quote that almost matches it, just a little higher. But Etec is offering a 7 year warranty.
And.....if you know anyone with a 2000 or newer 2 stroke Yamaha they want to sell......let me know
What size boat? If it will handle it I would go with a 150. Never liked a 115 they are usually under power and give trouble. Call Kyle at Bainbridge Marine or Mike Sr. at Mikes Marine. They are the best in our area. I use Kyle he is a fisherman and is very knowledgable and fair. He shows you the parts he takes off and why they broke. Mike is probably the most knowledgable mechanic I know, he been in it probably 50 years by now. He is usually backed up a couple weeks. I stopped by to ask him about welding a crack in my out of warranty G3 that I didn't by from him mind you and he called G3 and hand them send me a brand new hull. Everything but outboard was replaced no questions asked. What was really impressive was I had been looking at a new boat with him and he knew it was going to cost a sale but he does what is right and cares about the fisherman.
As for the outboard, I would get Mercury, Suzuki or yamaha. The Mercury will have more power and less fuel in the ProXS. I also would not mess with bass pro they cost more and are a chain store never know who will work on your motor or if they will still be there when you come back. I like the personal relationship with a mechanic who knows me, my outboard and how I use it. Kyle is the kinda guy I can call if I need a part and he will leave it out for me and tell me pay him later if I can't make it before closing. I can call him when on water and he will walk me through a problem. That's service is hard to find nowadays. Good luck!
My boat is rated for a 150hp, but I have a buddy with the exact same boat with a 115hp Yammy and it performs great, fast enough!
I also don't want the extra weight of the newer 150's. The 1988 150 yamahammmer on it now weighs just a little more than the pro xs 115.
I ll call Kyle.
Thamks
If ever get a new motor for my alumicraft I will get a E-Tec I got a installed price from Roland Martins Marine for a 115 HP. For 10,500 only if my cables will work and no prop now I have a 2004 Johnson 150 HP still run good but it's 11 years old but this E-Tec has a 7 year warranty first service is in 3 years starts on the first crank plus it get better fuel Econ and meets Calif EPA, I had a 2000 frock ram injection it stayed in the shop the first year after that it ran good the first e Tex's had lots of problems
I got quoted $10,300 OTD by one dealer for either the proxs or etec 115hp, basspro was around a 1000 less for the proxs
The dealer also will give me $800 trade in on the 27 yr old 150hp Yamaha, has someone that wants it. That is knocked off his price.
Just my take/experience: Working out of our aircraft maintenance shop, we pretty much work on everything other than aircraft here in the shop. Had many boats brought here to the shop for us to work on. I've owned Mercury motors and had a old 115 stack three for years on my last bass boat. Great motor but the three carbs keeping them in sync was a challenge. One weakness I've seen with Mercury is cylinders when they over heat from a bad water pump or other issues. And as we all know, water pumps will go bad. Yamahas, Johnsons and others I just haven't seen locked/frozen/damaged cylinders when they over-heat like Mercurys. Maybe its just us/me, but has anyone else seen this issue? One thing I've learned, if you got a overheat horn on a mercury (or any other motor), "MAKE" sure it is in fact working. I can't count the motors we've worked on after the water pump went bad and found the over heat horn not working.:bash:bash:bash
One more thing: Had a friend last year that brought us his 4-stroke 115 Merc that over-heated fishing out of Keaton Beach. Pulled the plugs and one of the plugs was bent at the tip. Looking through the bore-scope, had a hole right through the piston. Can't say for positive it was cause by over-heating but suspect it didn't help matters! Either way, not good for only a 3 year old engine.
Sorrydog you're making that Etec look better all the time!!
I have a pro xs 150 on my z118 Ranger. Friend of mine that fishes bass tourneys has the same boat with an etec 150. I've got about 3 or 4 mph on him on the top end. Lots better fuel economy in my opinion and a gallon of oil last me several 34 gallon tanks of gas too. Highest top speed I've hit with mine is 64 on the gps by myself with a half tank of fuel. Mercury smart craft gauge shows it is burning 5 gallons per hour at a 35 mph cruise and 14 gph and full throttle. Only drawback is Mercury's are louder going down the lake so it's hard to talk to your partner. But, wind noise makes it harder to talk top regardless of how quiet it is. Oh and I've put 149 hours on mine in the last 2 years and only thing I've done to it is change the lower unit oil over to Royal Purple synthetic lower unit oil.
Good points already. If you have to get parts for one Merc,Etech,yama,honda,ect is the question which one is eaiser to get parts,price and how many mech do you know that actually work or know anything about that motor. BASSBoatCentral has some good info.
Earl Kitchens is right about the pro xs 150 being strong. My old boat was a 374 v ranger. Had a 175 mercury xri on it. Dry weight of that boat was only 1200lbs. My z118 I have now is 1550lbs and it will run the same top end as the lighter boat with 25 more hp and uses about half the amount of fuel.
I've always been partial to Mercury motors and sorry dog …any motor will lock up after it's over heated!
Perception and preference are everything. I asked a mechanic that works on both. He told me 75 hp or less go with ETEC. Above go with the Mercury. With that said my little 25 hp ETEC will out perform the mercury I had on it.
What I'm trying to say is that 115s are an in between motor that is usually under power for most boats. Running a boat under power is like pulling a trailer full of concrete up hill. It will work and you may be able to go fast enough but it will eventually break or overheat. I was always told by experienced boaters to try to be near max HP rating when rigging a boat. I have learned the hard way this is true. That said most Mercurys put out more HP than they are rated for. My 150 gets around 168HP. Same year model Yammy only averages 147HP in its 150. I do not recommend the E-tec. I would go with the Mercury but the only comparable motor is the Yamaha SHO.
Never seen one that wouldn't lock-up (or any other type of engine) from over heating. But only seen one model that appears to can/have cylinders issues from over heating. Hey, this entire discussion is like men discussing if they like blonds, redheads, etc...... They all have their good and bad points and based upon ones experience, which is different with each person. I use to like brunettes with blue eyes until I got a divorce from one. Now I'm strictly a "blond" man. Let the blond jokes begin!:biggrin:biggrin:biggrin:biggrin:biggrin:big grin:biggrin
Got rid of my blonde 25yrs ago----if I had done what I wanted would have been out of prison by now,and not pay all the alimony
I totally understand where your coming from CL.
My hull is a little over 900lbs all composite. I am looking hard at the ProXs due to the extra HP as it revs up. Plus I like the graphics!
Etec--- Has 7 year warranty...less moving parts...more hole shot G forces
ProXs---only 3 year warranty...a lot of parts to go wrong....better saltwater resistant construction..more speed and a little better gas mileage...less $ purchase
To get the better purchase price with the ProXs I have to buy from BassPro...
sometime its cheaper to keeper her http://www.crappie.com/crappie/image...atchhed%20.gif
Merc is lighter, will have better fuel eco.. and is stronger!! But it sounds like you already have your mind made up. I haven't heard of a over heat issue with the xs or the four stroke.... many more black motors running around than them blue and grey ones... js. Merc opti vs Yammy 4 stroke 150s on same boat that my father has, the merc is faster and has lil better fuel economy.
I am still teetering.
Its the 7 year warranty thing for me.
I always wonder if manufacturers give you a longer warranty is it because they know your going to need it?