Why does the boat with the twin Hondas in the back look like a cop boat in that picture?

Those are the boats they use on that show cajun justice my friend hanko builds them.

I would still have plenty of room as I would be fishing from the TOP of the wheel house sittin in a lawn chair, it has a good air conditioner and generator and a heater too,

Mention of outboards. I ran a Nissan until parts were so hard to get I finally bought a Yamaha. I miss the old Nissan, it always ran great but needed lower unit parts. If I had the money and in retrospect it would have been a better long term investment to get a Honda.

I fish out of Port Isabel frequently and don't see many Mercs out there. Cousin runs an Evinrude E-tec and dad runs an old Johnson. They give me grief about my Yamaha but I beat them at the fuel every time. Most bay boats between Mansfield and Isabel are running Yamaha.

Really like the Mako CC but not the Merc.

Good luck!

OK....like I said....NOOB. Whats the deal with boat motors, I know Im gonna start a war here, but I need to learn.

A motor is a motor, and their all the same.

<Pulls the chin strap real tight on kevlar helment, and adjusts body armor for full protection....awaiting incoming barrage, pencil and pad at the ready. >

I've Mercs for years with no more issues than any other brand. IMHO, if you going to run anything under a 150hp then go 2 stroke. 150 hp and up then go 4 stroke.

Yamaha and Suzuki would be my choices for a 4 stroke. Honda's are good but parts are high.

Stay away from the Johnson/Evinrude FICHT motors. If you ever decide to get rid of it you'll have to give it away because nobody will buy it.

good info guys

Merc and Yamaha are by far my two top choices, no regrets about my tohatsu/nissan, but it finally threw in the towel after 16 years of hard life.

Suzuki parts are iffy, and honda parts are iffy and very expensive.

Good buddy of mine is an offshore guide. He runs Suzuki motors on his boat. He averages 1000+ hours per year. The motors run non-stop, all day, every day that he fishes. He's only had a few minor issues with them. No more than any other motor he's run. Before the Zuke's he was running Merc's.

Want to choose a motor? Simple...
Tell the sales guy to take a break, and walk back to the shop, and talk to the guy who works on them. Ask him directly "what would you buy if this was your rig?" That's the guy who'll be working on it, and generally he'll give you the straight answer.

While in Cancun one year, I had a good long conversation with the owner of a small fleet of snorkel trip boats (20 or so) he said that switching to Honda outboards was one of the best financial decisions he'd made since starting the business.

They are expensive and parts are too. But they are light weight, run like the wind and very reliable. Like I said if I wasn't such a poor man and cheap skate I would have bought the Honda.

I drive a GMC truck and the wife has a Honda car. Both run great but after 150k miles the wife's car doesn't leak oil. I love my old truck even if it requires more service.

My understanding is that outboards that run more frequently run better regardless of the brand. It's the sitting out not running that's hard on them. Maybe true maybe not.

Lots of good info !

Stoner Boats Are Good Run very Shallow 4-5 Inches And Very Affordable $13,500

Just get kayaks, can ride in the shallowest of waters, far cheeper than a boat, not gas and very little maintenance needed, EASY to pull behind you while wading.