115 or 150??

[bumpster]

lovin the inpute

i plan on using it to play in the bay, some mild back-country and oceansidee trips to the reef. i am really leaning towards the 115 yamaha and i heard the only difference between the 130s and the 115's are the carbs. does anyone know the weight of the yamahas im talking about?
 
and if i put a half-tower onthe boat would the wind drag effect my equation.

if i put on the bigger carbs would i be burnin roughly similar to the 150 but have less power at the same consumption?
 
more .02 cents please

The tower will cause drag and slow you down some.
you wont carb a 115 or a 130 up to a 150 simply because you are going from 4 cyl to 6. Not sure what the burn rate is for a 4 cyl.

[Capt Matt]

Love to see the outboard debate. Everyone has there preferences but let me throw in my 2 cents
I work as a full time fishing guide spending 250 plus days a year on the water putting  700hrs a year or more on my outboard. I run a 150 opti max and the fuel consumption and reliability are incredible. Its the 4th one I have owned as I'm on there guide program and run them for 3 years before trading them in. I have ran many other types of motors on both clients or other guides  boats and am yet to find one to compare.  My boat with a 150 and a 21 pitch prop runs at 3000rpm  burning 4.5 gph  at 30mph cruise thats about 6 mpg.  No four stroke gets better fuel economy than that. I have buddies that run the same rigs one with a 150F4 and one with a 115F4.   The fuel economy of the 115 is about the same as my opti but you have to run about 4000 rpm's to cruise. The 150F4 burns more fuel and does not come close to the performance of my opti. The smartcraft gauges that are available really let you dial in your fuel economy.
The Yamaha four strokes are very reliable and quiet but as far as performance are just not comparable to a 2 stroke.  If your looking for economy, reliability and out and out torque get a merc opti.

Capt Matt

[gran398]

Capt. Matt,

Read your commentary with interest a week or so back. Appreciate your honesty, no reason for you to pump one brand vs. the other, except per experience. NO ONE here runs an outboard every day. So thanks!

Have been doing quite a bit of research on the Mercs.....pretty darn impressive.

Please post your guide link in the classifieds...or PM....may decide to head your way.

Thank you,

Scott

[Capt Matt]

www.captmattmitchell.com

[aquaterra]

Ok then..
how much fuel is to much fuel to carry with a 115.  40-50 gallons?
its on a 19.6
coool

[RickK]

My tank is approx 25 gallons in the 170 and at 6gal/hr at cruise, gives me a good range.

[GoneFission]

Thanks for the input Capt Matt!     The guides and pro fishermen I know that run Optis have the same opinion - they love 'em!  There were a few hiccups with the first Optis back around 1999-2000, but those issues were worked out and it seems the current Optis are very reliable and fuel efficient.  

It's always good to hear the opinion from someone who's out there daily - few of us put over a couple hundred hours a year on our boats, so lack of use is often more of a problem than wearing out.  

See ya on the water!