Optimax or Honda

[paw paw perch]

Looking at new 17' DVs the choice is Fisher with Opti or Triton with Honda 90 hp. What would be your choice and why. Thanks for any input ya'll might have.

[J White]

Door # 2 for me :D better boat, better motor - but that's just my .02

[jaxsprat]

That j white sure knows his boats ...... that triton & honda will still be running when other is in for its 3rd major overhaul --that from a merc owner

[Minnerman]

I agree with the first 2. I would go with the Yamaha 4 stroke or the E-Tech before the Optimax.

[pstone]

Yep, My new Merc lasted a whoppin 2 trips to the lake before I had to take it in for a selenoid replacement..... Hopefully not a sign of things to come....

[Scott S]

Regarding the outboard, Honda. Because it's super dependable, quiet, and fuel efficient.

[stumpy76522]

I own a 115 hp 2007 Optimax 2-cycle. Of the 9 previous motors I've owned, it is the most fuel efficient and quietest motor of the bunch. If I had to redo my purchase I would buy another Optimax.

[WhitePerchJerker]

Honda! Only way to go with those two choices. Do not know about the boat.
Lets see, going back to about 1963 checking the facts, I have towed more Mercury motors in then any other motor. That includes Elgin and SeaKing. The runner up would go to Chrysler. Now when they are running I can't catch them.

[jimfish]

I have a 97 tracker with a 75 merc. bought it new , never had a lick of problems, except for hitting rockpiles and messing up lower unit(2 times in 10yrs.) Went out yes and cranked it and arter 4 mons it fired right up. If it got trashed, i would get another tracker with Optimax.Not a big fan of Jap products.

[fished-out]

Did alot of research before I bought my 225 optimax. Looked at e-tech and yamaha, didn't consider the honda too seriously. A few things I considered:

1) talked to 3 guys that owned etech's on the tournament circuit I fish--everyone of them said they'd give me the etech, free of charge. These engines were circa 2002 or so, so they may have improved. I didn't want to take the chance.
2) If you want a 4-stroke, I'd buy a yamaha. For awhile, they were even making some of the merc 4-strokes. The 4's tend to be heavier, a little less hole power, but they're quiet and efficient. I didn't buy one because of number 3) below, and because the 2 stroke Optimax is pretty quiet and efficient too. My 225 Optimax uses less gas and oil than my 90 "regular" merc did. I didn't want the extra weight.
3) Service. After talking to alot of mechanics in shops that sold both, they basically told me there wasn't much difference between the optimax 2-stroke and the yam in down time. I don't want to start a debate, that's just what they told me, and I talked to 3 independent shops. I asked them why I saw more of them in the shop and heard about more problems--they said because there are a heck of alot more of them and they're older on average because Merc's been around alot longer (don't see many 20-30 year old yamahas or hondas). Before the Optimax, I had "regular" mercs up to 90 hp--more trouble than they were worth. But the Optimax seems to be a different animal--haven't had a lick of trouble so far. Starts in cold weather, and just flat runs. But when a motor does break down, you want to be able to get it up again fast, no matter where you are; I fish in Canada and a number of other places. Not everyone works on Yamaha's--course some would argue you don't need to, but I wanted to know I could get it fixed regardless of my location. So consider where you'll be taking it and whether number of service locations matters.
4) Why I didn't consider a Honda--even fewer service locations than Yamaha, and (I know this is stupid---so sue me) I can't stand how they look!

On the Triton versus....I assume you're talking aluminum? I seriously considered the Tritons, got bids on them, the whole 9 yards. My other finalists--Crestliner and Lund, both good boats. Finally settled on the Lund Pro-V and absolutely love it. What sold me--found a dealer who sold both. In glass boats, he absolutely loved the Tritons. For aluminums, he wouldn't even sell the aluminums. Told me they had servicing issues (access to certain areas was more than difficult, factory finish wasn't good, etc.). Triton just hasn't been making aluminum boats that long. I decided to stick with tried and true.

This is what worked for me and I've been very happy with my decision. Your mileage may vary!