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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Yamaha Outboard Model 8LF

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jncarlin
1st Mate

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USA
45 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/07/2003 : 14:58:31

I am looking at buying an '89 8 hp Yamaha Outboard Model 8lf Xlong (I currently have a 6 hp Mercury Long - I sail on LI Sound, and it is not long, nor powerful enough). Does anyone have any experiance with this outboard?

Joe Carlin

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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 06/07/2003 : 21:24:39

A buddy of mine has one on his Mac 26. Nice motor.

Currently maintaining two holes in the water...'77 Venture 23 and new to the family,
'78 Catalina 25

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At Ease
Admiral

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672 Posts

Response Posted - 06/10/2003 : 20:59:07

I have a '96 8 hp Yamaha, runs great, starts great, pushes the '84 fin keel fine.

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CatalinaGuy
1st Mate

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USA
55 Posts

Response Posted - 06/11/2003 : 10:17:34

From what I have gathered from the posts on this board. It looks like the Yamaha owners are experiencing fewer problems than Honda owners. I was going to upgrade my 2 stroke Mercury 5hp to a Honda BF8, but after reading the Honda horrors, I think I'll get the Yamaha instead.

Doug Hibberd, 'Shiraz'
C25 SK/SR 1983
Austin, TX

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Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1772 Posts

Response Posted - 06/11/2003 : 10:48:34

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
From what I have gathered from the posts on this board. It looks like the Yamaha owners are experiencing fewer problems than Honda owners. I was going to upgrade my 2 stroke Mercury 5hp to a Honda BF8, but after reading the Honda horrors, I think I'll get the Yamaha instead.

Doug Hibberd, 'Shiraz'
C25 SK/SR 1983
Austin, TX
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

Hi Doug,

I sail on Canyon Lake, just south of you. I was talking to a guy the other day who owns a Honda. His big complaint was that there is NO place to take it to get it worked on. You'd think that San Antonio, a town with a million people, would have a dealer. I don't know if Austin has a dealer or not, but this guy said he found someone in Marble Falls who worked on Hondas.

Anyway, I'd love to have a Honda, but there aren't any dealers around here who sell or service them. The other problem I'd have with my boat is that I'd have to replace and reinforce the motor mount ... it would cost me a small fortune by the time I was able to hang a new Honda on my transom. As lame as it is, I'm going to have to stick with my 26-year-old Mercury 7.5 <img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle>

Buzz Maring
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3df23b3127cce9306a9b3abad0000001010" border=0>
~~Freya~~
C-25 SK/SR #68

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Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 06/11/2003 : 13:06:56

My post is not to argue who has the most or least problems...I don't know. Over the years, generally everyone has been pretty happy with what they owned so it seemed that it was a win win deal regarding outboards.

But I would remind the forum that;

* There seem to be more Honda's in use than Yamahas and therefore possibly more potential for problems.

* There have been two recent and seperate accountings of Yamahas freezing up. One on this forum and one on the Trailer Sailor forum.

* The older Honda's couldn't tolerate salt water without flushing well. Water passages in the head would clog with crystaline salt. For this reason Yamaha was preferred in salt water on the older motors.

* Making the Honda attractive is recoil start on the electric model, extra shaft length, higher output alternator and a built in regulator.

As to Honda service... Longview, Tx (75,000 people) has a service center as well as Shreveport, La. So I have one within 10 miles and one sixty miles away.

Arlyn C-250 W/B #224
<img src="http://www.stewartfam.net/arlyn/rr.jpg" border=0>
N/E Texas and Great Lakes

[url="http://www.cox-internet.com/arlynstewart/"]Arlyn's C250 Mods n Cruisin Stories[/url]

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Earl Landers
Navigator

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USA
157 Posts

Response Posted - 06/11/2003 : 14:50:19

Arlyn,
One more bullet for your list. Recently I did some shopping in tha SF Bay Area and looked at both the Honda and the Yamaha equivalent, both 8hp, both manual start, both XL, best price for the Yamaha was $2800 vrs $1999 to $2340 (depending on dealer) for the Honda.

Earl Landers
'83 C25 SR/SK
"Gentle Spirit"
http://home.bak.rr.com/edlgs

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frich
Captain

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USA
418 Posts

Response Posted - 06/12/2003 : 07:50:46

Joe

I have an 88 Yamaha 9.9hp 4 stroke. I love this motor for its dependability, power and smooth operation. It pushes my 25 with no problems, if you like I sail on the South Shore of LI come and see her in action

Frank

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 06/13/2003 : 08:51:52

The Yamaha 9.9HT is a great motor for the Catalina 25, but the Honda 8 has a rope-pull starter in addition to the electric starter. Since my marina (Folsom Lake) does not have shore power, there is no easy way to recharge a dead battery, making the rope-pull starter a "must-have". So for me, the Honda is the only sensible choice. You do need to keep your fuel system clean, not let the gas get old and stale, and replace the fuel line filter every year. Most of the problems people report on Hondas are related to crud in the fuel system, and maybe use of old gas that has been sitting in the tank since the previous summer.

Larry Charlot
Catalina 25 #1205 "Quiet Time"
Sacramento, CA

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Gary B.
Admiral

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USA
969 Posts

Response Posted - 06/14/2003 : 06:27:24

Arlyn: I may be responsible for the "freezing up" story. Yes, I had an EARLY model 9.9 Yammy that froze up (twice) and a friend's did too, just prior to a 125 mile offshore run down the Washington coast (not too hospitable a place). The engines would "make oil", by allowing gas to go down through the rings and dilute the crankcase oil. I am quite sure it was a design flaw and after much screaming and threatening they fixed mine the second time with no charge. The problem was the automatic choke sticking, which forced too much fuel into the cylinder.

BUT, this was a 1985 model, perhaps the earliest?, and the problem has been corrected. I bought a new one in 2001 and am VERY happy with it. It CAN be started easily by rope should the electric start ever fail (it hasn't). It has arguably TOO much power for a C25 and it's about 105 pounds. I would look into the 8 if I was doing it all again.....

I have had good luck with Hondas, too, but haven't used their high thrust model. The Yammy high thrust will out pull 2 conventional Hondas of the same h.p.

Love the Yamaha, (shop boat show specials for price). My 9.9 electric start, high thrust, 25" shaft was $2,200 in 2001.

Gary B.
Encore! SK/SR #685

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Doug
Captain

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USA
457 Posts

Response Posted - 06/14/2003 : 11:56:59

We've used both the Honda and the Yamaha. Both older, used motors of roughly the same vintage.The Yamaha was a trooper. Always started and never quit. We never did get it to idle quite right, but other than that it was great.
Our current Honda has had a long list of pesky problems: Recoil broke, carb clogs up, pops in and out of gear, and never ending tinkering to keep water running through the cooling system. It also breaks shear pins by the dozen for some reason, even when it's staying in gear.
I was never left at the dock or towed in with the Yamaha. Can't say the same about the Honda.
My biggest gripe is the Honda parts and service. They have a very protected network. I have to go a long ways out of my way to by parts, and they're expensive when I do. There's no place in Tacoma to buy Honda parts off the shelf. Yamaha parts on the other hand, are sold all over town.
We're hoping to by a new motor soon. I'll by either Honda or Yamaha if I come across a good deal used. But if I end up handing out the big boat units for a new motor, it will say Yamaha on the side.

Doug - #1913 Noeta

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IndyJim
Navigator

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USA
130 Posts

Response Posted - 06/23/2003 : 02:06:58

Okay, I wasn't going to jump into this discussion but then I thought I'd throw in my two cents worth. And that's probably what its worth! And I totally agree that whatever motor you're using is probably your motor of choice and personal favorite.
When my '84 9.9 Evinrude Yachtwin crapped out last year, I didn't have much time before my next scheduled voyage, so I had to make some hasty decisions. Part of that equation was availabilty and service in my area.
I got a Yamaha 8hp primarily because my local dealer had one in stock. I thought I was stepping down in power from a 9.9 to an 8. WRONG! My 2002 Yamaha long shaft also has electric tilt (wouldn't have ordered it, but man its nice!) I was concerned about the lack of manual pull start initially. But it starts on the first crank everytime! And they do give you an emergency pull cord (just in case)
The only problem I have experienced is that the Yamaha has much more thrust than my old motor, and when I'm maneuvering around the dock I have to use reverse gingerly. When I use moderate thrust in reverse, I get some water up through my swing keel cable hose. I'm not complaining though. My 8hp out performs most of the 9.9's on the lake.
The Bottom Line: If you like your motor and it works for you, then that's the best motor...whatever the brand!

IndyJim
"Itza Dew Sea"
'84 SK/TR #4525

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Doug
Captain

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USA
457 Posts

Response Posted - 06/23/2003 : 09:58:23

A footnote to my last commrnts on parts availability: Needed to buy shear pins for my Honda. Boater's World, West Marine, and every other place in town didn't carry them. Honda uses an uncommon size. Ended up driving to a dealership an hour out of town and paying $3.00 a piece for the pins.
Did notice all the Yamaha pins and prop nuts everrywhere I went though..

Doug - #1913 Noeta

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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 06/23/2003 : 10:14:01

IndyJim... cut up an old household sponge and stuff it down the keel pipe. It will swell up and keeep water from splashing up through there. Some folks shoot foam insulation compound down the hose too.

Currently maintaining two holes in the water...'77 Venture 23 and new to the family,
'78 Catalina 25

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