Yamaha 4stroke 15hp users

[chowdan]

Looking to get some feedback from users who have a Yamaha 15hp 4 stroke.

My Nissan 6 was stolen a few weeks back, it was strong enough to get 1 person on a plane but that was it. I had intended on replacing it with a 9.9 down the road when i found the right one, but alas with my 6HP getting stolen - I am forced to be on the market.

I am going to look at a 15hp Yamaha on Sunday - great price, looks like its in good condition, but will know on Sunday.

Before i pull the trigger, just curious of "common" problems they have or just general comments on these engines? Owners state 20-30 hours on the engine(it does look VERY clean) but it is from 2002 so that is a bit of a concern for me.

I am a full time liveaboard, 42 foot sailboat. I'm not too worried about the weight as any long offshore passages the engine will be stored on its side lashed to the deck under the dink. Day sails and what not she'll be towed depending on distance and all else fails i can hoist to to a bracket on the stern rail.

That said, whats everyones opinions of these engines?

[Rumrace]

I have a Yamaha 4 stroke same age. Looks and runs new.
I have a new 9.9 on an aluminum hull inflatable. Goes like stink but my wife and I are featherweights.
I don’t like 2 strokes but I worked on a Yamaha 30 from the 90’s and the darn thing is so well built it runs fine. I had to make a spark plug wire set for it. The resistance was very high on the old factory wires. I’d replace any rubber on the motor. Like impeller and the fuel pump membranes. Check for signs of salt water damage near its water intake. Some folks don’t flush.
I’m impressed with Merc V12 but otherwise quit paying attention to them but it’s a political decision. I’d run the opposite direction from Suzuki and the 3 Chinese knockoffs of merc and Yamaha.

[chowdan]

Originally Posted by Rumrace

I have a Yamaha 4 stroke same age. Looks and runs new.
I have a new 9.9 on an aluminum hull inflatable. Goes like stink but my wife and I are featherweights.
I don’t like 2 strokes but I worked on a Yamaha 30 from the 90’s and the darn thing is so well built it runs fine. I had to make a spark plug wire set for it. The resistance was very high on the old factory wires. I’d replace any rubber on the motor. Like impeller and the fuel pump membranes. Check for signs of salt water damage near its water intake. Some folks don’t flush.
I’m impressed with Merc V12 but otherwise quit paying attention to them but it’s a political decision. I’d run the opposite direction from Suzuki and the 3 Chinese knockoffs of merc and Yamaha.

Thanks for that!

The photos of this one looks like it's been stored indoors it's whole life. Interior and exterior of the engine looks basically brand new. We have an AB fiberglass hull inflatable (double floor one). 15hp is the highest rated Outboard according to the plack so atleast I'm not over powered(even though I think it actually may be too much).

Ideally I'd want the 9.9 but in WA is damn near impossible to find Honda/Yamaha short shafts used and I can't afford a new one(market crash has hit us hard right now).

I'll take a look at the intake and look for signs of corrosion. My shitty never dying Nissan looked great like it was brand new, but I never ran it(got it for $400) when I looked at it. Big mistake since the oil instantly turned milky. Lesson learned - run the engine prior to buying and check the oil.

Any other areas to inspect? I've never had Yamahas but always envied them since I felt like they are higher quality machines

[GreenWave]

Make sure it runs and runs well before you buy it. I would be worried about lower leg corrosion... what type of water did it run in? Did they routinely run fresh water through it? Regardless, plan on a carb cleaning and even if kept inside, the fuel pump may need replacement. I'd pull it and inspect the mechanism etc.

[Jammer]

I had a 2003 Yamaha 8 hp high torque (8 hp same as 9.9 but derated). The 15 hp is a larger block but in the same family and with the same lower unit as the 8 hp high torque.



I was pleased with it overall. I bought it in 2017 and it had been sitting for a year or two and needed carb work and routine maintenance e.g. water pump, spark plug, fuel filter, fuel pump. We had the motor for about 4 years and probably put 200 hours on it. We only really had two problems with it during that time. One was an oil leak at the oil pump -- I had replaced the oil pump as a preventative measure since they can fail with age, and had somehow missed the fact that the new pump didn't come with an o-ring to seal it to the block. The other was that after four years the motor would idle rough, presumably due to progressive clogging of the idle circuit in the carburetor -- a problem we left for the next owner.


Yamaha would be my first choice for engines in this size range. When I bought a 9.9 for my aluminum fishing boat I got a (new) Honda because no one had Yamaha engines in stock. It's worked out well, too.

[chowdan]

Well I'm back on the hunt. Seller messaged me the day before saying someone bought it.

Back on the hunt now. Appreciate everyones response though!

[chowdan]

Just circling back to this thread for updates

I ended up with a lovely 15Hp Suzuki that was a 2016 unit - absolutely wonderful engine.

End of Jan was on shore and came back to go home to the boat late at night and entire dinghy was stolen.

Progressive is fighting tooth and nail stating this isn't covered under my big boat policy(under personal items onboard) - which okay fine I may just be trying to get them to cover something but I've accepted what it is.

Going to look at a 2017 15hp Yamaha with a 10ft aluminum rib. Hopefully this is the last time I am searching for a damn dinghy for a long time. Dinghy and outboard will be cable locked to each other and to the dock cleats anytime it's there and I'm putting air tags on both the boat as well as the outboard - the wife will have her fun on spray painting the engine as well as parts of the dinghy. If I am gone over night or for any period of time, dinghy will be hoisted on deck and cable locked to my toe rail.

Financially I can't keep paying this amount of money for dinghies this often, nor do I want to.

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by chowdan

Just circling back to this thread for updates

I ended up with a lovely 15Hp Suzuki that was a 2016 unit - absolutely wonderful engine.

End of Jan was on shore and came back to go home to the boat late at night and entire dinghy was stolen.

Progressive is fighting tooth and nail stating this isn't covered under my big boat policy(under personal items onboard) - which okay fine I may just be trying to get them to cover something but I've accepted what it is.

Going to look at a 2017 15hp Yamaha with a 10ft aluminum rib. Hopefully this is the last time I am searching for a damn dinghy for a long time. Dinghy and outboard will be cable locked to each other and to the dock cleats anytime it's there and I'm putting air tags on both the boat as well as the outboard - the wife will have her fun on spray painting the engine as well as parts of the dinghy. If I am gone over night or for any period of time, dinghy will be hoisted on deck and cable locked to my toe rail.

Financially I can't keep paying this amount of money for dinghies this often, nor do I want to.

Progressive won't cover your dinghy or motor UNLESS you had a separate policy for it. Nor is it covered by the towing service either. Good luck!

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by chowdan

Just circling back to this thread for updates

I ended up with a lovely 15Hp Suzuki that was a 2016 unit - absolutely wonderful engine.

End of Jan was on shore and came back to go home to the boat late at night and entire dinghy was stolen.

Progressive is fighting tooth and nail stating this isn't covered under my big boat policy(under personal items onboard) - which okay fine I may just be trying to get them to cover something but I've accepted what it is.

Going to look at a 2017 15hp Yamaha with a 10ft aluminum rib. Hopefully this is the last time I am searching for a damn dinghy for a long time. Dinghy and outboard will be cable locked to each other and to the dock cleats anytime it's there and I'm putting air tags on both the boat as well as the outboard - the wife will have her fun on spray painting the engine as well as parts of the dinghy. If I am gone over night or for any period of time, dinghy will be hoisted on deck and cable locked to my toe rail.

Financially I can't keep paying this amount of money for dinghies this often, nor do I want to.

Just curious, Did this theft happen in the PNW?