I am looking for input about higher hp outboards. This winter, I want to get a new boat, with a 200hp yamaha 4 stroke. My old ( C75 yamaha) had proven to be bullet proof. This 75hp yamaha is the only outboard motor that I have owned.
My boat will never be in salt water. I don't need the fastest boat, but I'd like to be able to have a cruising speed of around 30mph.
What I'd like to know is if anyone here has one of these outboards. The model I am wondering about is the f200 series. It is an inline four cylinder engine. My biggest concern is reliability, so if you own one, or a friend has one, let me know how you like it.
I have looked at a lot of reviews online, but it's the internet, so that can be taken for what it's worth!

My 17 ft Tracker and 50 H Johnson does that?

Bigbob, I should have been more clear. By cruising speed, I mean at 3800-4000 rpm's, which is about where most motors get thier best fuel mileage. At wide open throttle, it should hit mid 50's or so. I want a new boat, but I sure don't want the thing in the shop all the time. It is sad that they won't make a big motor that will last like the smaller ones. My old motor only let me down one time. I got water in the fuel, which was my fault. The missouri river is no place to be free drifting, with a dead outboard. My trolling motor saved that day!!!

The marina I am a manager at has probably 100 of these engines 200hp+ on boats. Newer engines. We are a grady white dealer as well as yamaha, so most of them are on gradys. Honestly, these engines are bulletproof. I have a 2013 yamaha 50 on my personal boat, and its phenominal. In terms of long life, we run yamahas on all of our work boats for construction and I am sold on them. I used to be a merc guy, and have several merc engines on other boats I own, but I am now a yamaha-merc guy.

We seldom have ANY breakdowns or warranty issues.

If you want more zip, get one of the SHO engines, but for bombproof reliability the yamaha four strokes are top notch. Quiet, good fuel consumption. The 200 is a really nice engine. If, like you say, you run it at cruise RPM for most of its life, it will go into the thousands of hours easily.

I am partial to the 225,because I believe it is the lowest horsepower in the v6 block shared by the 250 as well.not sure about the 275... I like my yamaha 50, becausethe 50, 60 and 70 use the same block (the 70 has some other modifications) the 70s go forever, so using the same block, with 20hp less should mean less stress on the engine overall. It might be bullcrap, but its my personal theory anyway

I know what you mean about the Missouri River, I won't go on it. Too fast and way too much crap floating in it. I was fishing from the bank and saw a guy come flying down the river and hit a wing dike. Ripped his motor right off the boat. I can still see that thing flying thru the air spinning and the big splash it made. LOL

We are on it a lot. It can be very dangerous.

I didn't see you say what kind of boat you will be putting the OB on. How did the 75hp push it?

It will be on a new boat. Around 1700 lbs. dry weight, w/o motor.

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Good info there, thanks

We have a 150 on a 204 grew. Heavy boat and we load construction stuff and four guys into it and run it flat out 2 hours a day. Do the math there. Run at wide open throttle 2 hours a day minimum, five days a week spring summer and fall. Had it now for over five years with not an issue. If you wanted a torture test that's it. Plus every cottage we service is on average half hr boat ride from the marina so all the cottagers use their boats as pickup trucks all summer, plus all the trips and excursions they might do. It's easy to rack up the hours.

Great story. LOL

Can you imagine what that would feel like, loosing you motor. That would make for a bad leak in the back end, if a chunk of the transon went with it!

Yamaha makes the best 4 stroke in my opinion. Honda is excellent also. Suzuki is the most troublesome for older high horsepower models. My experience is on salt water. Used to have Johnsons on fresh water many years ago.

The Hull Truth.com

Is kinda like trapperman for the boating world.

Good place to research and ask questions.

I will look into that, thanks Marty. I hope you make it to Twin Bridges next year. I should have a bigger boat by then!

Had a fuel pump go out while on the MO river several years ago. Went downstream a mile or so before I could get to the bank. When I figured out what was wrong I took the fuel lines off the pump. Used part of a ball point pen and the hose clamps to splice the two lines together. Got back to the boat ramp pumping the priming ball to keep gas to the carb. Was kinda exciting for a few minutes there. Bad current, rock jettys, lots of stuff floating in it always. Not the kind of place to take chances.

It aint no fun I can tell ya.....July 5th last year I was running the Kaskaskia river in my bass boat. Hit a submerged log and ripped the entire lower unit off my motor. (150 Merc) I was only running 20-25 MPH and it still nearly launched me over the side of the boat. The windshield kept me in.

I fished with a fella that had a 50hp yamaha. It was a very good motor except for the fuel mileage. That sucked big time. Also talk to lots of fellas here that have the Yamahas, mostly bass boats, and everyone likes them, till they do have a problem. Then it is expensive and hard to get parts for. One dealer I talked to quit selling them because he was having to wait 6 months or more for some of the computer and electronic components. Which from what I hear are the most common problem with those engines.

My yamaha 50 is as good or better on gas than my older Merc four stroke it replaced.

And our work crew will completely shear off between 2 and 4 complete lower units a year. It's all rock here and not always easy to see on overcast days. Two years ago we actually mashed off a lower and blew the mid housing apart right up to the block on one bad hit. That was a Yamaha 115 I think. That's guy isn't allowed to drive any more.

Last year was three lowers totally gone from the mid housing down. Lots of prop hits, scrambled gears and skegs gone, but again. If you want a torture test, we got it.

One Yamaha issue we had was after a couple rock hits and new lowers, the drive shaft got stuck inside the powerhead. You need to pull it out to change the lower unit. The splines mashed together somehow and wouldn't come out. Pretty sure one of the techs tore it apart and fixed it and the engine is going back on a boat this year.

If you aren't sold on the yamaha look into the Suzuki. 6 yr warranty and a very trouble free motors. And I'm told that they build the Yamaha blocks as well but I wouldn't know that for certain.