I recently purchaced a 87 Boston Whaler and it had an 200 mariner. I took it out and it was running on only 3 cylinders. I took in in to the shop and he fixed the problem. for only 300 dollars. He then found a bigger problem. Water leaking from the Head gaskets. He said they sould be replaced every 4-5 years. I said do it(250 dollars). He then found other problems such as bearings on the Head. Now I need to rebuild the engine for 2000 Dollars. I said okay do it. He starts the rebuild and finds the crank to be bad and usless. must pay 1000 for used crank or 2400 for new crank. I am up to 5000 dollars to rebuild a 87 Engine. I am looking to buy a 200 yammi or merc. Any suggestions. I heard that it is cheaper up in Canada. I am looking mainly at 2 strokes becuase of the price buy I may have the chance to buy twin 90 horse 4 stroke Mercs for only 2 grand more than 200 ox660 yammi.

Any suggestions as to what to buy.

Any thoughts on fule economy for the twin 90's vs the 200 efi 2 stroke.

thoughts on head gasket replacement?

Merc vs yammi?

Thanks for your response

Does any body need a 200 mariner for parts?

Yikes! I dunno about you, but as a prospective boat buyer this post makes me cringe...can I venture an observation? It comes from a boater of--what--17? 18?

Best outboards:
1. Yamaha
2. Honda
3. Merc
4. "S" Things
5: Force

...and OH! did he ever sneer at the fact that I'm going to go look at a boat with a 90 Force!

I would pass up on rebuiding the 200 and purchase a new motor. It may cost a bit more but it will save you lots of heartaches down the road. Plus the fact it will be new with a warranty if anything does go wrong. I have not owned a 4 stroke but have heard lots of good things about them. They weight more but use lot less fuel. Although Merc has some new 2 stroke out that is pretty fuel efficient. I am a total Merc fan.

1-Merc
2-Honda
3-Force (which is all merc nowdays)
4-Yamaha

There are many more Merc Dealers and motors out around the world. I also have owned a Force for 12 years and have well over 6000 hours on it and have never been happier with it. 120 HP.

I have had tow different mercs, two different hondas, and a yamaha. All good engines The mercs seem to be a little tempermental to start but run great once you learn how to get them up and going both seemed like they would flood easy , hondas start no matter what run all day but they were also 4 strokes, They yamaha starts like a champ runs great its a 25 hp and will die two or three times a day trolling with it but allways starts right back up I been using it for the last 12 years and would guess about 1200 hours on it just change the lower unit oil and spark plugs every year it is a oil injected 2 stroke so no mixing. I have a 200 merc on my big boat and it idles all day long if need be.

yoadrian,

Don't even think twice about doing it!

Buy a new Yamaha!

Cowlitzfisherman

Is the taste of the bait worth the sting of the hook????

Buy a new one, buy a Yamaha and buy in Canada. They are cheaper up North.

Remember to buy up North in Canada, and then when you want warranty work done you can take right back up there to get it fixed!!!!!!!!!!!!

TM,
So why would I need warranty work done on my Yami? Mine runs beautiful. Another brand maybe, but Yami no.
JMS

Whoops.....hope I didn't just jinx myself! Knock on wood.

just got the final estimate in and it will be 3600 with tax to fix my motor. Tough to turn down. The mechanic will give it a one year warranty on the new parts on labor.

I can't believe anyone would put a force outboard before a yamaha. My thoughts are, That if you have to get into a powerhead that deep, Tos it!. One thing to conceder is just buy a new powerhead. If it was a 150 Yamaha, You can get a new powerhead for five grand.Next thing to concider is ,Who is doing the work. There is probly only one good guy in the Bellingham area and that is Jim's outboard repair on Mt Baker highway. As a charter opperator in Craig,AK, I am able to see what works better and what seems to have problems. For my money I use nothing else than Yamaha. The mercury opti-max is also very good. They have had a little problem with the lower unit. I think it is more the opperator than the equipment. The new Honda's 130hp 4-stroke seems to have a lower unit problem. I know of five new one's in town this summer and three have craped out so far.
Anyway, what ever you do, Make sure you get a big enough engine for the boat. The biggest mistake people make is under power. You will not even get a hundred hours on an engine if you go that route.

Man how can you guys even mention a Force!?!?! The only thing those pieces of crap are good for is anchors!!! Even with the tough times they have been through I'm still an Evinrude guy. I will echo loudly what B. Gray has said do not underpower the boat, it will eat your motor. I did learn this the hard way and smoked a 115/80 in 4 years and 125 hours of use. Upgraded to a 150/105 and am real plesed with the setup. The 115/80 was the older 90 degree design and the 150/105 is the newer 60 degree design. If I had to chose a different manufacturer it would be Yamaha. Another one to stay a long way away from is Suzuki.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

Warranty work on a Yamaha? Is there such a thing??

does not matter , Yamaha, Merc, what ever. I was only letting you know that if you buy a motor in Canada , it is not going to get warranty work done here in the U.S. ,if it needed it.

one of the best days of my life was when I came home and found that someone was stupid enough to steal the force outboard that came with my boat. I didn't even give the cops the serial number because I was afraid they might find it and bring it back. I just hope the SOB that stole it has as much trouble with that hunk o junk as I did.

Trout Master,
No offense intended......your warning is valid. I wouldn't want to be surprised with an extra trip or two up North without knowing I was potentially setting myself up for it. In my case I knew the risk going in and chose to take it.
JMS

i would take the motor up to three rivers marine in woodinville for a exam.they will treat you right.bar none the best marine center in wa.state.1-877-661-1575 ask for dave or scott. scott

Go See Scott or David or Bryan at three rivers marine, they Sell Merc's and Yamaha's.
Work em for a price too !!!!
Peace Superfly

FORCE !!!
You have got to be kidding me, Dude, you must have smoked your own body wieght in Crack to think that.
Peace Superfly

JMS, no offence taken, It's just that we see this all to often over the last year or so at the shop I manage. People who have purchased engines up north and then when they need warranty work done ,we cant do it as Merc and Yamaha wont pay us for the motors that were sold up in Canada.
By the way folks, here at Mercer Marine we have CERTIFIED merc ,yamaha, evinrude,johnson,nissan
Tech's, Also Volvo, omc,and Mercruiser, techs.

Thanks for all the responses. My boat is currently at Jims marine up here in Bellingham and I feel like he is treating me right. $ 3600 with tax for a completle rebuilt engine with used crank and one used Piston and a replaced power pack. I have heard alot of good things about Jims marine and when I do buy a new motor it will probably be a mercury 200 optimax just because I know a good mechanic.

Merc 200 optimax in Canada $10625 in us dollars

Merc 200 Optimax in U.S. $12725 in u.s.dollars

Know any body who can beat these prices?