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Yamaha 250 SHO vs. Mercury Optimax 250 pro xs

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 8:06 am
by Cranedude
Why do the majority of boats come equipped with the Mercury? Is it cost? Power? Fuel economy? Popularity?
The Yamaha seems to be a great product. I had a HPDI 175 2 Stroke on my 2001 ZX190 Skeeter, never had any issues! Sure do miss that boat!! I'm in the beginning stages of putting a new boat together and would appreciate any feedback!!

Re: Yamaha 250 SHO vs. Mercury Optimax 250 pro xs

Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:13 pm
by bassrman
Hey Damon !..... the Yami is probably the better of the two , but the Merc will run Ya less $, but you can make that up by saving 40$ a gallon on 2stroke oil ' over time !, the only plus I can think of for the Merc 'is you can always find a dealer close by to do any warrenty work !

Re: Yamaha 250 SHO vs. Mercury Optimax 250 pro xs

Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 3:56 am
by rickyshabazz
The simple truth is that Mercury dominates the West and fresh water. There are more dealers and people to work on the motor. The Mercury is faster and more reliable. That isn't to say that the Sho isn't a good motor. It is but the Mercury is better.

Re: Yamaha 250 SHO vs. Mercury Optimax 250 pro xs

Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 9:36 am
by Spartan
So your sponsored by Mercury....right? :roll:

Re: Yamaha 250 SHO vs. Mercury Optimax 250 pro xs

Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 11:30 am
by DanIsaac
I'm not, and I have run both.....SUPPORT and SERVICE is by far easier to access on any Merc Motor than it is
on a Yamaha SHO. Trust me, Myself and friends have all had issues with our motors over the years, including
SHO's and ProXS's.

None of my Mercury Motors has ever been in a shop for weeks at a time waiting for parts. One did wait 3 days for a base gasket. My friends on the other hand, well their SHO's have spent months combined just waiting on parts over the past two years alone.

My Merc has an issue? I have 5 quality service facilities with two hours of me.....Yami, I believe it's Redding or Modesto, both of which are quality options, just a ways away......

Dan

Re: Yamaha 250 SHO vs. Mercury Optimax 250 pro xs

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 7:25 pm
by Cranedude
Any idea what kind of issues the SHO's have or have had?

Re: Yamaha 250 SHO vs. Mercury Optimax 250 pro xs

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 9:10 pm
by Jerred A Jennings
First off let me say that I don't feel that one motor is superior to another. They both have pros and cons ,the Merc XS is faster but slower hole shot.The Sho does not require oil like the XS does.look at it like truck disputes over who is the best Chevy,Ford,Dodge I have had them all in my work fleet when one goes in the shop it's normally driver abuse.Sometimes it's not.Ever notice the wife needs brakes on the car more often then you do. I have towed in both Mercury and Sho motors.
I have ran Mecury since 1991 I have blown my fare share of power heads.
Dan and Ricky are 100% on the money and this is why I bleed Mercury colors
SERVICE SERVICE SERVICE ,Kinda like real estate Location Location Location.
In 2004 I was going out of Packers Bay lake Shasta day before FLW event Bam Piston #5 popped . I took off in the cold to fast bogged the motor .Took the boat Redding Ranger Calvin replaced it in 3 hours .Did Mercury call and say what did you do ? Or what happened or sorry parts will not be available for two months.they said fix it and get our customer back on the water.My point is Mercury will stand behind there product and a lot of boat shops are Mercury sertified. I was able to FISH the next day because I ran a Mercury and that's all I care about. That is why I will always run Mercury.
Jerred

Re: Yamaha 250 SHO vs. Mercury Optimax 250 pro xs

Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 9:39 pm
by kb
First off yes I am sponsored by Mercury and have had one on the transom of every boat in my career since 1983, I have logged several thousand hours on OptiMax motors and have sold those motors to many tournament anglers. I currently run a 250 Pro XS on a Triton 21TRX and the boat runs 75-79 miles an hour with a Mercury propeller.

With that being said there are more Mercury motors than any other brand in tournaments out here in the West. Several motor companies including Yamaha have had motors that did not pass California Air Resource Board (CARB) star rating system and went thru a few years with no 250 motors that could be sold in CA and that also put the numbers in the Mercury category. The Pro XS motor is still a 2 stroke motor but a 3 star CARB motor, runs 87 octane fuel, has carbon fiber reeds, a proven high speed gear case with a motor that can and will run 6000 rpm with the proper set-up, low water intakes that allow you to run shallow water with high engine heights, I have never had an issue clearing a Mercury gearcase of weeds simply by putting the motor in reverse and blowing the debris off.......no toilet cleaning brush required!

The biggest bass boat dealers in the West are Mercury dealers and score high on Mercury's CSI scores, stock parts or can get them from numerous locations across the country including two here in CA that can have a part to a dealer the very next day...it your broke down on Wednesday and it's time to fish on Friday or Saturday that is very important. If you fish major events like FLW, WON Opens, Qualify for major TOC's like ABA, WON or others you will find Mercury has a service trailer or a supporting dealer with a service trailer like Anglers Marine at every event. You have a wider selection of propellers for Mercury than any other motor company and the ability to get the most out of your boat. If buying an Amercian made product plays into your decision they are made in Wisconsin. Mercury supports numerous organizations and major events here in the West like FLW, WON, ABA and other events like the Triton Owners Tournament and the BASS Federation.

So yes I am biased and have owned nothing but a Mercury product since running an Optmax I have had two gearcase failures, two air compressors and a set of coils.......one compressor, one gearcase and the coils along with a trip to the service trailer to get new thermostats after hitting a log at Lake Shasta were all replaced by the Mercury service crew on site at FLW or WON Bass tournament but I have never (knock on wood) lost an optimax powerhead...........

As far as oil they both require it......one you pour into a reservoir and one you pour into the engine block, both require a trip to your dealer to purchase and one likely requires a dealer to change it and the filters......with most dealers shop rate coming in around $120 an hour I think you may be a bit surprised at the difference in oil costs at the end of the year!

I will be at the BASS Event at Discovery Park with my boat and if you want a demo with a Mercury 250 Pro XS I would be happy to help you drop me a line or send me a message. If you have any questions you would like to talk one on one drop me a pm and I will give you my contact info.

Kent Brown
Mercury Marine National Pro Staff
Triton Boats Western Regional Sales Manager

Re: Yamaha 250 SHO vs. Mercury Optimax 250 pro xs

Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 6:37 am
by scott h
KB great post with good info and facts, Mercury is an awesome motor, I have owned 4 bass boats since 1992, three bought Brand new and one that I won,all four with Mercury motors. I have had some minor issues over the years but never had a single issue of nowhere to take my motors for repairs, there are several great dealers and service shops and I have seen the Mercury trailers at several major events throughout the west meaning they are out there showing support for the anglers and backing their product, I have seen other motor manufacturers trailers at events maybe twice. The service range the customer support and a great product is what it takes for me to remain a Mercury fan, I am currently running a 10 year old verado and couldn't be happier, It is a toss up for my next boat, undecided between the xs or another verado, either way it will be a Mercury! I am not sponsored by anyone, just .02ยข from a hard working hard fishing guy.

Re: Yamaha 250 SHO vs. Mercury Optimax 250 pro xs

Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 8:17 am
by jaden.parrish8
I have been running a merc on my bass cat for 4 years and the only problem I had with it was a bolt loose on the callon. This year in January I bought a Bass Cat Cougar with a Yamaha sho hanging on the transom. The first time i took it to Toledo-Bend in Texas I hit a foam marker and bent the prop shaft. Two weeks later i was on Sam Rayburn and I was idling at 1500 rpm's and hit a stump and bent it. Now I have an after market sheer hub prop and haven't had a lick of problem. My big problem now is that it is making oil. So Im for sure that when I get another boat there will be a 250 pro xs merc hanging off the transom.