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Location: Green Bay, WI | I have never owned a Ranger. But I have owned Honda, Yamaha and now Mercury (Verado) 4-strokes. Here's what I think after owning all of them, although I don't have any experience with Suzuki, but wouldn't hesitate to try them at all.
1) Yamaha. The weakest of the bunch. My F150 started very hard, and was somewhat of a dog. This would be my third choice of the three I've owned. However it ran very smoothly, and never hinted that it wouldn't go the distance. When I lived in Florida a few years ago, Yamaha 4-strokes outnumbered other 4-stroke engines probably 10:1. I was simply underwhelmed with my engine's performance at times.
2) Honda. Sweet engine. Started immediately, ran ultra-smooth. Mine was a non-VTEC 200 horse, and I would buy another without hesitation. I would like to compare them to Suzuki, as many tell me the Suzi's run every bit as well but have more torque due to gear ratios. In many ways, Honda has now become last in the 4-stroke department--they haven't done much to offer new products in almost 8-9 years. But it's hard to argue with the success of a few million miles in autos...and if I absolutely had to have an engine I could trust my life with, it would be a Honda.
3) Verado. WOW...What an engine! Torque for days, smooth, quiet, fuel-efficient. My current 150 runs as well as the Honda 130 & 200 engines I've had, but has 2-stroke torque. It's unbelievable, especially with the DTS (digital throttle & steering). The larger 6-cylinder engines are all power steering, which might cause you an issue if you plan to troll though--the kicker's alternator usually isn't powerful enough to recharge the battery while powering the power steering unit. There are kits available apparently, but they are problematic from what my dealer tells me. If I were to go with a 6-cylinder (225, 250, 275, 300 or 350) Verado, I would definitely go with a larger kicker. The new Mercury 15hp Pro-Kicker has a 11-amp (edit) alternator, and I bet this would be adequate--but I've not talked to anyone who has tried it yet. But the Verado has only been out 4-5 years now, and there are still skeptics out there. However mine impresses me more & more, each time I run it.
That all being said, it would be a TOUGH call as to what engine I would choose, if I was ordering a boat. I have a friend with an F250 Yamaha on a Skeeter and he loves it. I have driven it, and it seems to be much more snappy than my F150 was. So you might be better off with a Yamaha, simply because of your current rigging. I should add that Yamaha makes some VERY nice digital gauges, that won't kill your pocket-book. Their digital fuel flow gauge is invaluable and will pay for itself in 1-2 years, if you learn how to use it.
But I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the 4-strokes in today's market. You do have to research the pro's & con's of each though, and decide what's best for you. If your boat dealer has Yamaha and has given you good service, you might be hard-pressed to go with any other motor. In my case my dealer is outstanding, so it'd probably be Mercury or Honda for me, just to be able to continue to have the work done there. If I was to ever repower my current boat, I might like to try a Suzi--just because I haven't had one yet, and I hear nothing but good things about them...
Good luck!
TB
Edited by tcbetka 5/5/2009 10:48 PM
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