Yamaha SHO’s?

Don’t know much about them, personally. What’s the overall concencus on them?

Flawless!

I’ve heard that some mechanics are near refusing to work on them. What’s with that?

I know a Ford mechanic that want work on a Dodge too .

I think the new are good, I had a 2011 that was junk.

the first ones had some problems the later generations are like anything else if you service it like Yamaha says to they are great motors that build a lot of low end power. its nice not having to smell unburnt fuel an they are quiet .

Not sure where you heard that but I am sure it was most likely from a guy that is in love with his Merc.

I bought an early model 2011 250 SHO and it too has been flawless. I ran it for six years without a hitch. I know some of the 2011 250's had faulty oil pumps that led to catastrophic failure but they stood behind every one of them.

Last year I got a letter from Yam saying that my serial number fell into a group of motors that could potentially experience oil pump failure. They told me I had one year from the date of the letter to take it to any authorized Yam dealer and have an all new powerhead installed.

I waited until this May then took it to Fun N Sun and they did just that. I have 4 hours on the new powerhead and it runs like a scalded ape on my Legend Alpha 211.

Love my 2014, best motor I"ve owned.

My experience is exactly like Ken's except I have the 225. Mid year 2011. Zero problems. Just had the new powerhead installed at Diamond Sports. Super happy with it to date.

2015 250SHO w/458hrs on it, has had nothing done to it but routine service.
Jury is still out on dependability............

All the reading you'd ever want to do . . . I love the internet.

https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&...322.j7uukw9B4zU


https://www.google.com/search?ei=lULzWdv...1.0.DkzwbHLQ_Uw

I've owned 3 SHOs. Never had a mechanic refuse to service any of them. I've also had no trouble from any of the three. They've GOT to be warmed up IN GEAR before you go hammer down and make a long run, though. Summer I give them about 2 minutes. Winter 4-5.

Think of how many skeeters are sold or you see in a year. If it was a bad motor you would bear a LOT more about failures. I love mine

Speaking of Skeeter, what makes them so popular (other than being built in Texas)? I don’t know much about them but I’m interested.

Why would a mechanic not want to work on something and get paid for it...like that is his job. I would definitely find another mechanic. By the way had 3 SHO's and all have been great!

Skeeter's ( I've owned 2 ) Ranger's ( owned 1 ) Basscat ( owned 1 ) are all great boats as are Phoenix, Triton and Legend, Can't go wrong on either. More important than the brand is the dealer you buy from and I don't think anyone will disagree. Yamaha Sho, presently I own a 150 and hands down the best motor I've owned and I can give you the names of 3 highly reputable dealers who would love to work on them but don't get to very often. The SHO's ( 4 stroke ) is much like the engine in your truck in that you change the oil and filter the same way. They burn gas like a lawnmower and makes about as much noise as a golf cart and Yamaha stands behind their products. Buy the boat you like the most from a reputable dealer and hang a SHO on the back of it, you'll be very happy.

The guys above are spot on.

I have also owned Sho's and Mercuries. I have no problem with either and prefer the Sho. I have had them on Skeeter's,Ranger's and Phoenix boats all good boats and both motors have their perks. I would choose Phoenix with Sho for me. I would say who ever told you that has sour grapes for some reason because dealers get paid by Yamaha if they do warranty work. I know most dealers will tell you that's how they make most of their money, so I am not buying they won't work on Sho's unless their are underlying issues.

Love my SHO!

They are popular because they are a great boat. They also are a VERY stable platform to fish from, thanks to its "sponson" type rear corners of the transom. They also are built so well, that the entire boats weight can be supported from the four transom bolts. The transom is made from encapsulated alloy and it is also welded to a metal "floor support" that runs up a ways along the hull.

The SHO motor is a beast. Maybe not the absolute fastest motor, but it is one of the most reliable designs ever made.

Oh......and yeh, I own a Skeeter with a 4-stroke Yamaha. I'm not just saying the above because I own a Skeeter. Until recently, I had been looking for "the one"'for over two years. The two choices were a Skeeter or a Ranger. Only had one motor choice....Yamaha.

One more thing.......in case you are curious...Skeeter invented the "bass boat".

I just wishin' I had a SHO....

They're just a good boat. Made in Texas helps and they look good also. I don't own one. I have a phoenix with a sho. Both are bad @$$. I was just pointing out that compared to how many skeeters/sho combos get sold you don't hear of many failures. That's not counting all the other brands that guys choose to go with a sho. I won't go back to a 2 stroke again.

I have a sho and it's been great

Basschamps has been a driving force in Skeeters dominance of Texas. Incredible bonuses for Skeeter ownership.

250 SHO is the best motor I've ever had on a bass boat. Love the simplicity.

You can pretty much run anything through them, 87 (hp is lowered but you can run it), 89, 91, 93 Octane, ethanol free or not, doesn't matter. No reservoir for oil, no mixing. Fantastic low end hole shot. Mine runs 75 MPH on a ZX250 fully loaded with me and my partner, fast enough for me. It's quiet and easy to talk over when you are idling over structure. Doesn't smoke or smell like a weed eater. My 2-stroke days are over.

wonder why you dont see many hondas -- freshwater

i love every honda product i own

see lots of them saltwater --gotta believe that they are good

Anyone running the 175 on a 18.5 boat? Just wondering what the numbers are? I’m torn between upgrading to a bigger boat or keeping and rigging my zx 190 to the max ultrex/blades/gator hull/ sho 175 with warranties.

I have a 2013 SHO 250 and I love it, I had a 2 stroke Merc and won't ever go back. My dad has a Merc 4-stroke on his Center Console and likes it now but did have a couple issues with it early on. I think the SHO oil pump issue ended after the first handful of 2012 models were produced but I could be wrong. After owning a SHO, I won't be owning anything else anytime soon.

I've noticed the same thing. I work down on the coast around New Orleans and either Honda has one heck of a dealer down there or Hondas are just the boss in salt water but all I saw was Hondas. Dirty, filthy, outboards, that work like they are suppose to.

Anyway, I change my own Yamaha 250 oil and gear lube every year, just did, and I always notice that it runs a little smoother after I do. Also, if you smell the used oil, it will tell you if there is any metal in it. It never has a smell to it. it runs great.
The ZX250 is a big heavy boat, once I load it down, I have gotten it to about 70+/-, but I don't really care about that. I just want it to run right, behave, and be reliable, which it is.

I think Sea Ray makes one of the best mid-sized cruisers on the market....Oh., he asked for opinions on the Yamaha SHO not if you thought Skeeter was better than Ranger? :-)

The old ones were terrible- true some had no problems but most went to the shop as high as 3 times- the new ones are fine - the old ones use to be a joke- when the owners of the early ones came in the Stump some one would say those show's sure are quiet and they were because lots of them were in the shop

2011 that had some parts replaced by Yamaha. Its been great.

Ive owned both sho and Mercury pro xs. My 2011 sho was junk, had to replace 2 powerheads, im not bashing the sho but I went back to Mercury. My son blew his 250 pro xs, so they all will blow. But I can say from personall experience, Take the cost of replacing a Mercury powerhead times 3 and that is what a sho powerhead cost.

The SHO powerhead is within $1,000 of a Merc. If it's covered under warranty why does it matter?

I have bought both and you are wrong

Cost for 2014 250HP SHO and Merc. Pro XS Powerhead.

[img]http://www.boatmotors.com/motorparts/ind...2014&hp=250[/img]
[img]http://www.boatmotors.com/motorparts/ind...2014&hp=250[/img]

Try getting a brand new SHO powerhead from Yamaha for that price. Im not trying to start a argument , Yamaha good willed me a powerhead for my 2011 and I had to pay the labor cost so I seen the total bill and it was just shy of $18,000 , i had a 250 pro xs done for $6400 out the door. Maybe I got shafted on the SHO, im just saying what it was.

Last time I looked you could by a brand new 250 sho for less than 20k for the complete engine. How could a powerhead be 18k?

+1

Sounds like a "warranty claim" type of price .....

A friend blew one last yr, Skeeter dealer in San Angelo replaced it. He said the powerhead and parts were $17K, not including labor

Then I'm thinking he should have just bought a new engine.

You would Yamaha would do that, I seen a brand new 250 SHO for under $18K, i guess its like my wife rechargable leaf blower, the battery died, a new battery is $135, or a complete new blower with battery and charger, $165 ??? Yea I just got the complete blower, lol

My guess is it's no different than car, truck or even a Peterbilt. The cost of the components individually far exceed the retail cost of the vehicle.

I know this isn't a Sho but the link below is for a Chevy crate 350 @ about 3440 dollars how is a power head 17,000 I would think the labor to put the Chevy in couldn't be over 2-3 thousand dollars.

I am in no way doubting you just thinking out loud, if this is the case Yamaha is taking advantage of a lot of people

https://www.chevrolet.com/performance/crate-engines/small-block-350-290-hp

yep I should have looked further, I just pull up on web sho 250 price

Yeah, good luck with that Chinese scam site. It's been mentioned on more than a few different fishing and boating forums.

Ok...so I don't sound like a total "Yamaha Homer". I will say this....

The 50 hour service, doing it myself today, it was expensive.

I bought all 3 filters..... VST-$47, low pressure pump filter-$21, main fuel filter-$40.
Plugs, $9ea
5 quarts yamalube $9 .78 ea. Yamaha/Denso filter $27.50
Fuel injector service $80.
Yamalube 90w for lower unit -$30.

Then....$40 worth of Yamaha Ring Free every two months.
Plus, add all the little junk needed to cleanly change the oil.

Looks legit!!

I believe in the next year or 2 you will start to see the rebuilding start to come about more. The flame spray coating can be redone. As ling as the block is in good shape it can be rebuilt. Now, when the block is shot and you have to go to yamaha is when it will get pricey. Hopefully a shop or two with the capabilities will salvage some blocks for rebuilds and sell them.

Which SHO do you have? I thought the 200, 225's and 250's had 20 hour service and then every 100 hours from there.

And people say they prefer a 4 stroke over a 2 stroke because they don't want to add oil...

I bought a used boat with 42 hours.....and no service history. So I decided to do it all at 50.

The 4's and 2's cost about the sale over the long haul.

My merc dfi oil is $40.00 a gallon and it burns it like there is no tomorrow. The sho oil is cheaper.

I appear to be burning 1 gallon about every 8-10 hours.

Scout try buying oil online . I know not everyone buys online, but I have 2 boats, mine and my sons, I bought a 55 gallon drum of dfi from domo online and got it cheaper than preminm plus at Academy

Hows big blue been fishing Scout? Did you fish Two Guys?

My bud and I did, we got our azz handed to us! We didn’t even bother to weigh in because we knew we didn’t have enough. I used to do fairly decent there, but the lake has had my number the last few times I went there.



I finally have enough jugs to buy in bulk on the oil, should save a few $$$.

Makes sense