99' 25hp Yamaha any good? Electric start, auto oil...

Just joined Tin Boats! I just bought a 2010 #1648 NCS Alumna craft and looking for a motor. Ran across a 99' 25hp Yamaha(which I know nothing about) including steering and throttle hookups... Are these good, reliable motors? The stamp on the AC says 1010lbs max wt and 30hp. think it will do alright? I don't need a speedboat but want some power if i need it on the river or runnin across Patoka Lake. The Yamaha is electric start, oil injected and in great shape from what i can tell..Thanks

I have the alumacraft mv 1648 ncs and with a mariner/mercury 25hp. With 2 220lb guys 2 batteries trolling motor 6gallons of gas 20lb anchor and fishing tackle we run 26-27mph. Add another 210lb guy and it drops to 22-23mph. Puts it on plane fast even with 3 guys. The yamaha 2 strokes are good motors and easy to work on. Do a compression test before you buy but for the right price it will make a great motor for your boat.

Excellent motors, as long as they were taken care of.

Twin carb. They idle a little better than every other 25, which were single carb.

Never had an oil injector die. Have seen plenty of swelled oil injection lines get swollen and leak, but never seen one die. They idle a little smoother than the pre-mix 25's, which were the same motor but slightly different carburetion.

Can't think of any major ongoing problems with them. Duck hunters have torn them up but that's to be expected when jumping logs, trees, etc. They are easy to work on for the most part.

They are quiet and for a 2 stroke, pretty smooth running. Not necessarily a powerhouse, though, at only 395cc. They still make 25 hp regardless. Stock prop is 11 1/4" pitch which should be close for "most" boats. Heavier rigs sometimes like a 10 1/2" pitch (which is oddly enough, a stock factory installed 4 stroke 25 prop).

They are like most outboards, meaning no air filter. If under the cowling you see dirt dobber nests or signs of them being under there previously, figure on an eventual rebuild.

Not much maintenance needs to be done...plugs, impeller, greasing and checking is about all they require. They are simple-hence why I said easy to work on. I do like to check the timing on them if I have them in the test tank as it's easy to do. Sometimes an amateur will have the carbs off for cleaning and forget to double check the carb sync and the timing pickup after the job-and while it's not going to blow up by not looking at that stuff, I do it just because I like them to be 100% when delivered back to the owner. Not 95%.

Normally a dealer servicing is under $125. At least ours is. Most of the time, under $100 including impeller.

The 2 cyl motors are a good motor. The 3 cyl motors are excellent motors. The 3 cyl are very strong and fast.

Oops...forgot about the 3 cylinder 25's. 3 carbs. Model 25MSHU-2 and 25MSHV3, etc. Yes they're fast. Yes they're tough. They are also manual start only, and if you can find one for under $2500 that's not been modified, get it. But finding one of those, for sale, is like finding hen's teeth.....Duck hunters love them. Rarely are they "stock". Most of them have been worked on, even mildly. 40 carbs, etc. AND-they were only made a few years so they are/were somewhat rare to begin with.

Keep the twin carb 2 cyl motor....great little motor. Light, fun, reliable, smooth and quiet. And electric start. And millions of them were made, not many changes from 1988 (IIRC) until 2008.

thanks everyone! I'm checking my settings on my notifications...i didn't realize anyone had responded. The guy that has the Yamaha is asking $1500 with throttle and cables...its in great shape that i can tell. I am thinking that something a little newer will be better for me because i don't want to get stranded somewhere with my kiddo-(hes 5 goin' on 20 already #-o ) and since I'm learning more every time I'm dealing with something, why not do it with something a bit newer versus a 73 Evinrude. Nothing against Ev's cause I know they are awesome. I found a 89' Ev short shaft as is for 700, going to hear it run today, but again i don't know much about what to look for or listen for. It wont be a good deal if i have to put $1500 into it! Should I stick with the Ev versus the Yamaha? Opinions are welcome

I'm trying to find some clear instructions to measure for my steering cable on here - any links?

An "evinrude guy" is going to tell you to keep the 'rude.

I like Evinrudes. I like some Merc's. I like some Tohatsu's. I also like a few oddballs-Scott/Atwood, etc.

I look at it this way. If you look at forums, such as this one, you rarely see anyone asking question about Yamaha motors. Does that mean that there are less Yamahas out there? I don't know.

The twin carb 25 Yamaha is probably the most popular 25 hp motor ever made, IMO. I had one for a while and loved it. Friend of mine has one-a '98 model, bought new, it has like 3 hours on it. It sits but you can't tell by looking at it-still looks showroom new. One I had was well used (duck hunter had it and was rough on it) but it never missed a lick.

If there was any problem with them, it's that not every outboard tech is familiar with the twin carburetor setup-and it confuses them. I love working on 'em but I'm used to em. Very easy to work on, even the carbs. Some guys like to remove the auto oiler (Autolube)-but I like it as it allows you to run them on straight 100% fuel-no premixing. Some of the cheaper oils tend to swell the bigger oil hoses over time but that is obvious...they will be soft and the clamps won't clamp well enough, so they'll seep a little. Lower cowling gets oil soaked. Not a big deal. Replace with OEM hose(s), bleed the oil pump, and away you go. If one wants to do away with the Autolube system, plug the feeds in the intake manifold (or replace the manifold with a later style that doesn't have the nipples for the hoses) and then premix at 100:1. Lot of guys are stuck on 50:1, and they run ok but 100:1 they idle cleaner and there's obviously less smoke to drown in.

thanks TT for that. As it turns out, someone snuck in on me and grabbed that yamaha the morning i was on my way to get it :evil: The 89 Evinrude E30RCED Short shaft i went and looked at turned out to be a good grab I think. Heres why: the compression on both cylinders steady at 120 for both. Cranked over fast and steady...kept idle, although set a little hi. But no hesitation to start at all. Manually shifted fine. Doesn't appear to be leaking fluids around the gaskets, motor looks clean enough. Shaft isnt bent, prop ok but the a piece of the bottom of the lower gear case is snapped off(looks like the tip). It is an Electric start, Steering cable bracket/set-up, and came with the Control box and cables are in good shape. Control box needs the ignition switch, but nothing cracked or broken. I believe it needs a new impeller? lower water pump or whatever its called, but still I managed to pull away with everything for $500. The guy has a bait shop that is a good ole fella and has all kinds of stuff around, but always great to go in and see for odds and ends, weights and who knows when you need it.

Cool thing is i guess is that i have a 50 hp Ev, electric start steering with Control box etc that will be up for sale soon that I couldn't use on my Alum cause it was too big. Been getting ideas for my new custom project on TB which are great, and trying to get the pieces together to start.

ALL OPINIONS , WARNINGS AND COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!! THANKS.

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=356256#p356256 said:

tomme boy » 18 Jun 2014, 13:51[/url]"]The 2 cyl motors are a good motor. The 3 cyl motors are excellent motors. The 3 cyl are very strong and fast.

Click to expand...

Glad to hear that because I was really disappointed when I figured out that the approx 220lb 50hp Evinrude I had probably wasn't going to work due to the stress on the transom ...maybe not as much in the water as much as out but still - thats a big jump from the Boat stamp. Plus Im not sure in Indiana yet how they are about goin over the Manufacturers numbers, and dont need any tickets. I have the NCS model because I like lots of room, like being comfortable while i fish and have a 5yr old that, well, he's 5 - nuff said. I wanted room for 4 people, in case the women wanted to go when we go camping, or just to get the wifey out sometimes. If you read my other post, youll see what i picked up. Will have pics soon. Thanks!

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=356106#p356106 said:

stevesecotec02 » 17 Jun 2014, 12:58[/url]"]I have the alumacraft mv 1648 ncs and with a mariner/mercury 25hp. With 2 220lb guys 2 batteries trolling motor 6gallons of gas 20lb anchor and fishing tackle we run 26-27mph. Add another 210lb guy and it drops to 22-23mph. Puts it on plane fast even with 3 guys. The yamaha 2 strokes are good motors and easy to work on. Do a compression test before you buy but for the right price it will make a great motor for your boat.

Click to expand...

How many Batts total do you have onboard? I do alot of catfishing, and am getting into bowfishing, and trying to plan my storage project for the room. Im keeping my floor deep because I already have a 4x5ft front deck that is the boat - mines flat all out front. Im gonna put some or all or some batts up front to keep it leveled out ok?

Glad to hear that because I was really disappointed when I figured out that the approx 220lb 50hp Evinrude I had probably wasn't going to work due to the stress on the transom ...maybe not as much in the water as much as out but still - thats a big jump from the Boat stamp. Plus Im not sure in Indiana yet how they are about goin over the Manufacturers numbers, and dont need any tickets. I have the NCS model because I like lots of room, like being comfortable while i fish and have a 5yr old that, well, he's 5 - nuff said. I wanted room for 4 people, in case the women wanted to go when we go camping, or just to get the wifey out sometimes. If you read my other post, youll see what i picked up. Will have pics soon. Thanks!