Yamaha SHO question.

Are they solid motors or do they have problems? 2012-2015 models

Mine has been great. No problems what so ever. It is an early one, 2011 built in 2010 I guess. It was on the list to have a new powerhead installed. The letter said in BOLD print that it was not a recall. You have to respect Yamaha for being willing to replace powerheads that have experienced no issues.

Plus 1 to what ken said. I could write the same thing.

I would take one in a heartbeat. I have been in too many boats and have too many friends that have had exceptional performance out of them.

I am a Yamaha fan though. The HPDIs were all flawless for me. I loved the Etec HO I had though I initially had reservations about it when I bought the boat. It was such a good deal though I jumped on it. Ended up being probably one of the best outboards I have had. Got Merx Pro XS now that I am liking more and more but it has a long way to go to prove itself as good as the Yamahas and the Etec.

I have never owned a Yamaha before so I was just wondering. I have been looking at the Phoenix line of boats and they have Mercs. or Yamaha's on them.

250 Pro XS or the 250 SHO

Merc if you have the choice

I have a choice because I am just looking so far. I wish there were more used ones out there. I have been looking at the 920 and the 921 models.

Merc.

Talk to some techs that actually work on them. Mine has said since the initial issues with the new technology the first year or so they were out he has seen very few major issues with any of them.

Mine is a very low serial number from the initial first run of motors. Yamaha replaced my powerhead because of some issues and no it did not "blow up". Since then I have had zero issues and that has been almost 4 years ago. The SHO is a very solid motor.

I would take what the peanut gallery posts on here bashing the motor for what it is, gossip. The majority of them have never owned a SHO.

Read all of the post from the "peanut gallery", not one bashing.

Well they will come, always do.

Funny thing is most people that bash any motor brand do not own that brand, many are "brandless" period.


Mercury will be in the same position Yamaha was in a year or so when they introduce their new 4 stroke to the market. So if you want a 2 stroke Merc you better buy it in 2016.

Mercury guys hate yamahas. You have to have an open mind and look at all of the variables. People bash the sho without any first hand experiences. The story normally starts with "my buddies fathers partner had one blow". They never state the fact if their pro xs having issues. No matter what engine you have, you are pron to engine failures. Think of the number of high hour skeeters you see running around. Yamaha has been a leader in the 4 stroke industy. Displacement for power is more reliable that forced induction to achieve the same power.

P.s. Since the detune, sho's are posting numbers along side a large group of pro xs.

I have owned 2 and they both have performed flawlessly. Sold one at 347 hours and have 75 on the new rig. Quiet, smooth and lots of torque.

Did you sell the Stroker?

yes sir, Moving to the coast in 2 weeks, so have a Cat hull now. (Lanier)

Wow, moving to the coast..

I have ridden in a boat with a 250 SHO and it seemed very strong and very quiet, just concerned about how well they are holding up.

More reliable than any other motor on the market. Jmo. Now they are building a 25" model and are giving them a real test in the salt. No problems.

In the last 30 years or so I have owned every manufactured motor out there

OMC- Evinrude - Had several of these and the only problem was the VRO Systems sucked on everyone

Mercury - Not really any problems per say, just minor things here and there

Yamaha - had both HPDI and SHO. I thought the HPDI was great, but I love my 250 SHO, I have it on a Phoenix 921 and the two things I really like about it is 1. No Oil Smoke 2. Quiet running and I haven't noticed any difference in power from a 2 stroke to a 4 stroke.

One thing to remember - Do the maintenance and break in as instructed. A $100 worth of preventive maintenance now will save you $$$ later.

I have a 2010 SHO with almost 200 hrs. Never had one problem with it. I received the letter from Yamaha to replace the power head, but I see no reason to do it if I haven't had any problems. I think most of the major problems with the SHOs were due to improper break in. When I get ready to buy another new boat, it will have a SHO on it.

Their both good motors. I've blown power heads in both. But I think I favor the SHO for performance. It's just like one of the other threads said, it's how they were broke in that will determine how long the powerhead will last.