mercury all the way...

Mercury is my choice.

Both are good motors. Everyone has a horror story of a friend who had one blow up. That happens with any product.

Both companies do a great job with warranty support.

However, I have always leaned toward Mercs. Easier to get parts and get serviced if you do have an issue.

There isn't a perfect motor out there. So buy what you want. All the engines today are very good straight out of the box for the most part.

Like I said earlier, every engine brand has it's own issues. I've seen brand new Merc's, Yami's, and E-Techs blow up. The only one that had an issue about the warranty was E-Tech.

Both are great, so buy the one you can get serviced/repaired at a reputable dealer/svc center close to you. I have a Yamaha again because the first one I bought was BULLETPROOF. There is no way in hell I'm going to drag my boat 3 hours(nearest reputable Merc dealer) to have it repaired.

I have a Merc, a Johnson, and a Nissan. I like them all but if I had to pick one to run from now on, it would be the merc. Just never given me a single problem.

Run the Yamaha HPDI 150 for a year and a half of tourney fishing and only problem had was 02 sensors going out. Bought a Legend LE199 back in September and already replaced the WHOLE lower unit (pinion gear went out and straight through the side) and now blew something up in the motor itself. Only had it back app. 3 weeks. The motor is a Merc 225 Pro XS

As I said earlier, There are stories about EVERY boat brand. Take test drive all of them, and buy what you personally want.

I owned a Triton with a Yamaha 300 last year. This year I have a Bullet with a 300XS Merc. Both are excellent motors. The Yamaha had a five year warranty and the Merc has a two year. If you don't care about the last tenth of a mile per hour and you can live without one of Merc Racing's motors, buy one of the Pro XS Mercs and get their 5 year warranty.

My experience has been good with both products. Depending on what boat you are looking to buy, you may not have a choice. Yamaha owns several boat companies, like Skeeter for example. Mercury's parent company also owns several boat companies, like Triton.

You would be hard pressed to get a Triton with a Yamaha and consequently it would be difficult to buy a Skeeter with a Merc. About 15 years ago, the motor companies saw many of the boat companies struggling so they started buying boat companies to ensure they would have a good product to put their products on.

IMO, it is a matter of personal preference which motor you buy. They are both excellent products. Yamaha practically owns the saltwater four-stroke market but Merc is stronger in the freshwater bassboat market. They are Fords & Chevys.

You can't go wrong with either.

Ken

bassboat has a merc and the flats boat has a Yamaha, both are great motors