Repower with 90 or 115

[Live 2 fish]

Planning on upgrading/repowering new to me Scout 175 Sport fish this winter.

A Yamaha 90 was my first thought as the controls/cables and gauge is as new and could basically just swap out engines.

The used 90/115 market is slim to none and I’ve been told that with Covid there won’t likely be many camp/lease returns after this season.

there seems to be some good deals on the merc 90 and 115 and has me thinking about mercs more, especially the 115 as the weight is the same.

things I need to decide:
Do I get a main and a kicker? Or troll off main? I like the smart craft gauge merc has for controlling RPMs for trolling, doesn’t seem that Yamaha offers the same in the mid range outboards (maybe I haven’t looked hard enough).

Any input or pros/cons are greatly appreciated, and if anybody is looking to upgrade their power and has a 90/115 Yamaha with EFI I might be interested.

Cheers!

 

[scott craven]

Personally I would go with a 90 hp, lighter and ample power for your boat.

 

[kaelc]

Where do you fish/boat? How many people on board? Have you looked at Suzuki, they have some nice engines from what friends have been saying. I've seen a couple 115 yami's and 150's for sale over the years. Definitely worth posting a wanted add in a few spots for those looking for a few extra hp.

 

[sly_karma]

A quick look at specs for current model Yamaha shows best power to weight ratio on the 115. As most outboard makers have done for decades, the midrange series (75, 90, 115) all use the same powerhead (1.8L in the Yamahas), tweaks to fuel map and intake/exhaust passage geometry add the extra ponies. And this F115 gets a DOHC top end to make it kick harder.

90 hp: 353 lb = 3.9 lb/hp
115 hp: 377 lb = 3.2 lb/hp

So the 115 is 7% heavier than the 90, but delivers 27% more power. And the price penalty to move up is $2000 or less. I know it's not entirely a numbers game, but 27% more power for only 15% more money is fairly compelling especially with a weight penalty of not even half that of a second battery. Resale value of the boat will hold better with larger power.

Other consideration is OP already has Yamaha controls and rigging. Some savings there, although the smart gauge unit sure ain't free.

 

[Live 2 fish]

Have had the same thoughts SlyKarma with regards to p/weight. That brings me to question #2... main and kicker or troll off main? Mostly just fishing around sooke, renfrew, and Sidney.
Thanks for the comments, at least I have the winter to sort it out.

 

[sly_karma]

Save the weight and cost of kicker and its rigging. Or sell if you have a kicker to help offset the cost of new main. Rigging controls, electrical and fuel system takes time and money, I've just gone through that this month as I repower my own boat. I went with etec so I'm keeping kicker as 2 strokes need to be run hot and hard, endless idling and trolling gunks them up badly with carbon.

If you drop the kicker you're looking at real weight savings:

• 9.9 4 stroke w/ PTT and electric start, 130 lb
• 3 gallon gas tank, 30 lb
• Second battery (optional but advisable), 55 lb
• Rigging if you go with remote setup rather than tiller, 20 lb

You could easily add 200+ lb to the boat depending on configuration. Delete the kicker and you won't notice the additional weight of hi power Scottys and the 15 lb cannonballs they were made to lift.

Also say goodbye to tie bar and EZ steer systems for troller steering. And the time involved in moving back to the top of a tack, no kicker to pull in and redeploy. Most guide boats these days have done away with kicker and just troll on the main for this reason.

The critical item if you go main only is fuel. Replace the boat's entire fuel system: new USCG rated hoses, primer ball, fuel filter base, vent hoses, the lot. Even the tank/s themselves if accessible without major glass work. The most common thing that will take down a modern 4 stroke is fuel system issues like air leaks, collapsing hoses, debris in old tanks, moisture buildup, contaminated gas. Start with brand new and make sure every detail is perfect. And still carry that 3 gallon spare gas tank with hose and fittings that bypass the filter so you can switch over to clean gas quickly in an emergency.

 

[zurk]

ive got a yammy 115LB and a tohatsu 6HP kicker. both have remote throttle/shift and ez steer bar tie. works great.
yamaha does offer smartgauge style controls. just wire your engines to the NMEA2K databus with the built in plugs or in my case i use the yammy databus as my NMEA 2K bus and wire everything into my engines.
i would not use the main to troll. much better to have a pull start kicker with alternator. i have an aux tank for the kicker or i can use my main tank if the fuel is known good. just repower with a new f115lb and new 6hp tohatsu and you should be all set.

 

[paulo]

Something else to think about but certainly not the most important. Fuel, the bigger the engine the more fuel it will consume. Minor maybe but depending on your fuel tank or tanks and distances you want to run along with people on board it can be something to think about. My 2 cents.

 

[scott craven]

F70= 253 lbs
$10-12K and troll all day for pennies

 

[Live 2 fish]

From scouts website it would lead me to believe the tank is 30 gallons, plenty big for the boat foresure. I have not had to fill yet since I bought with a full tank! But I’ve put 4 hrs on it and haven’t burnt through 1/2 tank.

 

[Olde School]

I don't recall many people EVER saying they bought too much hp ;-)

 

[prodjsaig]

I wouldnt run without a kicker for the reason if anything were to happen even if its a warranty thing. Sometimes motors just quit working and if you have guests on board you will look better than being stranded. And you can still fish the entire day on the kicker.

 

[hippaisland]

Believe qcl will have a bunch of 115 Mercs avail, I’ll confirm with buddy

 

[Stizzla]

Planning on upgrading/repowering new to me Scout 175 Sport fish this winter.

A Yamaha 90 was my first thought as the controls/cables and gauge is as new and could basically just swap out engines.

The used 90/115 market is slim to none and I’ve been told that with Covid there won’t likely be many camp/lease returns after this season.

there seems to be some good deals on the merc 90 and 115 and has me thinking about mercs more, especially the 115 as the weight is the same.

things I need to decide:
Do I get a main and a kicker? Or troll off main? I like the smart craft gauge merc has for controlling RPMs for trolling, doesn’t seem that Yamaha offers the same in the mid range outboards (maybe I haven’t looked hard enough).

Any input or pros/cons are greatly appreciated, and if anybody is looking to upgrade their power and has a 90/115 Yamaha with EFI I might be interested.

Cheers!

Do you have a deadline? I will likely repower my double eagle in the spring and will sell my Honda 90 4 stroke and controls. It’s a little older but runs like a top will be priced accordingly.

 

[ericl]

If there is much wind/waves kickers rapidly become useless at both trolling & getting you out of a main engine failure - props are just too small; you will be constantly using the main engine to make course changes. On a boat that small the added weight is a huge factor. The electronic RPM control is a real game changer for trolling, plus you will get detailed MPG data useful for determining your best RPM for economy With electronic throttle you should be able to have a top speed of over 35 & still be able to troll.
It takes a lot of HP to get a meaningful change in top speed.

Go the the various engine mfgr's web site & look at the prop test data to see speed at idle/top end & MPG data.

As for brand, find a GOOD dealer & buy what they sell.

 

[Live 2 fish]

Do you have a deadline? I will likely repower my double eagle in the spring and will sell my Honda 90 4 stroke and controls. It’s a little older but runs like a top will be priced accordingly.

thanks but I’m pretty set on something newer with EFI.
Cheers,

 

[Stizzla]

Understandable. That’s the direction I’m heading too

 

[DanJ]

A quick look at specs for current model Yamaha shows best power to weight ratio on the 115. As most outboard makers have done for decades, the midrange series (75, 90, 115) all use the same powerhead (1.8L in the Yamahas), tweaks to fuel map and intake/exhaust passage geometry add the extra ponies. And this F115 gets a DOHC top end to make it kick harder.

90 hp: 353 lb = 3.9 lb/hp
115 hp: 377 lb = 3.2 lb/hp

So the 115 is 7% heavier than the 90, but delivers 27% more power. And the price penalty to move up is $2000 or less. I know it's not entirely a numbers game, but 27% more power for only 15% more money is fairly compelling especially with a weight penalty of not even half that of a second battery. Resale value of the boat will hold better with larger power.

Other consideration is OP already has Yamaha controls and rigging. Some savings there, although the smart gauge unit sure ain't free.

I have the Yamaha 90hp 2017 on my 17.5 Campion and love the motor. It has the troll control that makes it wonderful to dial in the perfect speed for fishing. It also has enough power to cruse at about 26mph top speed of 38.

 

[Fish_whistle_express]

I just got into boating and have a 2016 115 merc on my 18.5 ft KC goes like stink but maybe a tad heavy for the boat, also run a 9.9 merc kicker, they came with the boat all connected steering and a trolling wheel. 4 months steady use no issues with motors and good on gas, motors were lease returns.

 

[Pipedreamer]

Understandable. That’s the direction I’m heading too

Is the 90 Honda still available? What year? Approximate hrs?