Repower w/ Yamaha 115

[reeltordarius]

Hey Y'all!

I'm going to be repowering my 17 Arima in the next couple of months and was hoping to get a bit of feedback as to dealers/prices etc.

I realized I might be better off waiting until the boat show but just can't handle continuing to be gouged by my 2 stroke gas consumption (2mpg sucks).

At this point I'm looking at a new Yamaha 115. I live in Vancouver but am considering purchasing on the Island given that's where the boat (and the family) might end up in the next couple of years. I've touched base with Parker Marine and have plans to contact Sherwood as well.

Is there any advice/feedback y'all might be able to offer as to service/price with these dealers or others? Any other recommendations you might offer?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ReelSlim]

I'm shopping around as well. So far from the prices I have Sherwood is good on Yamaha and Excellent with Suzuki prices. Port Boat House is right there on The Yamaha quote and might be a hair better but I still have a few questions to sort out with them. I haven't hit all the dealers yet but some are offside right from the start...imo

 

[Stizzla]

Sg power is also a dealer of Yamaha and Suzuki.

 

[reeltordarius]

I'm shopping around as well. So far from the prices I have Sherwood is good on Yamaha and Excellent with Suzuki prices. Port Boat House is right there on The Yamaha quote and might be a hair better but I still have a few questions to sort out with them. I haven't hit all the dealers yet but some are offside right from the start...imo

Good to know about Port Boat House & SG. Not sure about that drive to Port Alberni for service though...

 

[Trophy]

First hand “terrible” service experience from Parksville Boathouse and
All Marine Sales and Service. Don’t know about big item sales ?? ...but I wouldn’t service my lawnmower at either! Bought a new Mercury in Port Alberni because of poor service from these closer dealers.

 

[sudsy]

I know your looking at Yamaha but I would seriously consider suzuki 115, I just bought a new boat from sherwood and they were excellent to deal with, I have a suzuki 200 and couldn't be happier but my friend just recovered with a 115 suzuki and it was not only cheaper, but 6 year warranty is hard to beat unless you go evinrude.

I know a lot of guys are brand loyal but I'm Suzuki definetly is worth a look.

Good luck,

Sudsy

 

[trophywife]

breakers port alberni, zuki!!

 

[Tips Up]

A buddy found Parker marine best price for his last 2 motors.
I’ve had good service experience at Sherwood.
SG not so much. I have had a few issues there and won’t go back.

 

[silversands]

115 will be too heavy for the back of the Arima. You will have water in the splash well..with kicker and gas and battery and engine all in rear. The 90 is the sweet spot for the 17 footer weight wise. And Arima is not a race boat..so you dont need the 115. Of course Yamaha is great and I prefer..but a friend repowered his Arima 17 with new Suzuki and the warranty, smooth ride and gas burn were amazing.

 

[Fishalot]

The new Yamaha 115 is 377 lbs and the 90 353 lbs. For 24 lbs I would take the 115 without question. My 17 Arima does well with Honda 90 at 359 lbs , I would definitely pick another 25 HP for 24 lbs however if repowering

 

[silversands]

Suzuki 90 is 344 lbs. Please see the Arima owners webpage and you'll see many reports of the sweet spot for the 17 footer is the 90...and even people pulling 115 to go to 90 so less weight at back . The 17 will sit more level on the water with less weight at butt end. If you are not running a kicker at all and single battery you might be ok with 115. but if you want kicker/ bracker and twin batteries...I think lean toward 90...you'll save money and weight..

 

[profisher]

I know from mechanic friends that work on both Yamaha and Suzuki that they say Yamaha are easier to work on but they donsay Suzuki do have some good design ideas. They also say that Suzuki and Honda are about the same with internal corrosion protection and Yamaha is out in front on that front. I have 1997 2 strokes and the inside water passages both in the block, mid section and leg are like new with the green coating they apply to the aluminum. Nothing sticks.

 

[trophywife]

go with the 115 and move batteries and fuel up the bow to counter the weight if needed. sitting balanced and lil heavier is good for a boat this size and configuration.

 

[fishyboy99]

go with the 115 and move batteries and fuel up the bow to counter the weight if needed. sitting balanced and lil heavier is good for a boat this size and configuration.

Definitely agree with Trophywife, move the batteries (and fuel if you can). I have had 36 of the 90's and over 60 of the 115's over the years, would pick the bigger engine every time. More popular engine with a bigger gear-case (better re-sale and stronger bottom end). Moving the batteries (as long as you have ventilation) forward is a huge plus, we did it on all of our 19' boats - less issues with them up front compared to the back of the boat. Good engine with a great re-sale value. I personally still like the Merc 115's, but that is just me LOL.

Regards,

Fishyboy

 

[Fox]

I did a lot of research on motor weights when I re powered my 16’ double eagle. I went with a tohatsu tldi 90 to save on weight and it performs as well as a 115 4 stroke if not better. First test run with one potable tank in the back and she sat pretty heavy on the back end with no one on board. Finally finished my belly tank connections, now at rest she’s level and a much better ride. Be carful with weight on the back end. Too much and the boat rides like crap. I had a Johnson 60hp before the tohatsu. The 1996 hull is rated for 115hp old 2 stroke.

 

[Discus]

Two stokes motors are lighter then 4 stokes motors.
My friend is a marine mechanic who lives in Bamfeild. He works for Suzuki. They are much better the old Suzuki .
I m a marine mechanic. I like Marc and Yamaha. The new Marc motors are looking nice.

 

[reeltordarius]

I know your looking at Yamaha but I would seriously consider suzuki 115, I just bought a new boat from sherwood and they were excellent to deal with, I have a suzuki 200 and couldn't be happier but my friend just recovered with a 115 suzuki and it was not only cheaper, but 6 year warranty is hard to beat unless you go evinrude.

I know a lot of guys are brand loyal but I'm Suzuki definetly is worth a look.

Good luck,

Sudsy

Thanks for this, I'll give them a ring to see what their thoughts are. Although I don't plan to use the main as a kicker, the thing I liked was the potential to use the Yamaha in its "trolling stage"....

 

[reeltordarius]

All of this info is invaluable and hugely appreciated. Most of the comments that are against the 115 are based on weight. My Arima has a smaller gas tank (16 gal) than the newer models (27 gal), which is ~80 pounds heavier. Given that, I was hoping to not have to move the batteries forward, given I just did a rewire last week . My current 2 stroke 6hp kicker is also pretty light, although there is a 2 1/2 gal tank that sits under the starboard sponson.....

 

[Fishalot]

The Yamaha 115 will be great. The weight difference is a non issue. If your boat has the standard Inca poly fuel tank it will be 23 US gallons, 4 gallons less than the 27 gallon tank on later 17' Arimas. That would be the 24 lbs difference between 115 and my Honda 90 with the 27 gallon tank. As well I have a F8 Yamaha kicker which would be heavier. More power is good