# 25hp 2stroke merc vs 20hp 4stroke merc?



## scoobeb (Mar 11, 2012)

Hello to all.I have a nice 25hp 2stroke merc as most people know.I have been thinking of maybe going to a cleaner motor in the future.I asked my marina that i trust a ton and asked what kind of performace difference i would see from a 25hp 2stroke outboard to a 20hp 4stroke outboard besides the torque out of the hole.He said the 20hp 4stroke merc is no slug because of the new 2.15 gear ratio they gave them plus the over all top end on a flatbottom boat would be so small.

I have seen a ton of 20hp 4stroke mercs on you tube in action as well as the 20hp tohatsu which is the same outboard,plus a nissan.They seem to have a ton of power for a 4stroke.Has anyone here gone from a 20 or 25hp 2troke to a 20hp 4stroke and liked what they are getting out of the motor?

I would like to go cleaner one day as that may be the only way to go in the future.I went to a boat show this last weekend and they had a ton of boats rigged with the 20hp 4stroke merc.My marina i go to says the over all performance between the 2 is very close.He thinks a 20hp 4stroke merc can get darn near the same top end as my 25hp 2stroke merc which is hard to belive.According to a ton of videos on youtube most of the people running the boats with the 20hp 4stroke outboard reports good gps readings like close to 30mph with the merc outboard.Plus the mpg was amazing.

A few marinas at the show offered me a brand new 20hp 4stroke merc,(just a manual start for $2400).Seems like a really good price compared to what i have seen.Don't know if i could ever part with this 25hp 2stroke merc but i can always have another boat with a motor.I will use the 25 for my bigger 1648 in the future and put a 20hp on the one i have now.

Well if anyone has some experience with a 20hp 4stroke merc please let me know how thay run on a jon boat.Thanks.


----------



## scoobeb (Mar 13, 2012)

Well i guess no help on this one.Wow i thought someone would have a 20hp 4stroke merc that could give some info on what type of performance i would expect on a 14 ft flatbottom jon boat if i decided to go that route.


----------



## lucescoflathead (Mar 13, 2012)

I'd get the 20 hp Tohatsu unless I got a super deal on a Mercury. I have a 2 stroke 9.9 Evinrude on my 1468 Polar Kraft.My next motor will be a 4 stroke 20 HP. 

I mostly fish in the Aleegheny and Kiski rivers, but do like to go to some limited HP areas also.


----------



## turbotodd (Mar 14, 2012)

The 20 HP Mercury 4 stroke IS a Tohatsu. Exactly same outboard, different decals. And depending where you look, different price.

Performance difference-there will be a little difference. I run a 20 Tohatsu (exactly same as Mercury) on a 1448. Top speed fully loaded is around 22-23 mph. It's not a hotrod but it sips fuel and runs clean. If it were mine, I'd run a Yamaha but since I didn't pay for it, it is what it is.

The biggest difference is fuel usage. Had to drop from 6 gal tank to a 3 gal as the fuel would get stale before it ever got used up in the 6 gal tank. That also helps offset the weight difference between the 25 2 smoke and the 20 4 stroke.


----------



## lucescoflathead (Mar 14, 2012)

The Tohatsu is the same outboard as the Nissan. They also make all of Mercury's motors that are under 25 HP. I'd buy the Tohatsu unless I'd find a sale on the Mercury and they were cheaper than the Tohatsu. Nissans are usually 100-200 more that the Tohatsu, Mercurys are closer to 500 more.I don't know why. They are the same motors. I read Tohatsu is going to be building Evinrude motors under 25 HP. I never hear anything bad about one. One of my buddies runs a 9.9 Tohatsu as a kicker on his 28' boat. He loves it.

I like the Honda 20 HP. It's quiet and about 10 lbs lighter than the Tohatsu. It's also a lot more money. I hope this helps. Todd


----------



## lovedr79 (Mar 14, 2012)

I have one. It is underpowered for my 1448 side cinsole. I want a two stroke! It's heavy but fuel efficient. It works fine with just me in the boat bit add another person or two people and it won't get on plane.


----------



## lucescoflathead (Mar 14, 2012)

Are you talking about the 20 HP Honda or 20 Hp Tohatsu? My boat is maxed out for a 25 HP that weighs 150lbs. A 25 Hp 4 stroke weighs more than that.


----------



## scoobeb (Mar 14, 2012)

The one difference in all 3 motors that i noticed is that the merc has a ratchet system that neither the tohatsu or nissan have.The show i went to had all 3 motors side by side.They were def different prices.The one i wanted was the merc because of the ratchet system that would be way easier to move the motor up and down and no pins to move once you have it set were you want.To me that is worth the money itself.With the tohatsu and nissan if you want to tilt it up and down you have to stop the boat and move the pin manually to each hole which is a pain in the butt.With the merc all you do is move the motor up and down till it locks into place and if you want to start over all you need to do is tilt it all the way up and it will go back to the lowest tilt so you can start over.That is a back saver.

The merc was $2700,the tohatsu i found on onlineoutboards.com for like $2600 and the nissan a well was about $2750.I called then for the heck of it and they could do better on the prices.They could shave like close to 10% off those prices which is not to shabby.They also had the merc for $2875 and they could take like 8 to 10% off that price.Like i said i found it at the boat show for $2700 and i was able to talk them down to close to $2400 with tax included,that is a awesome price from what i have seen so far.The powerheads on all 3 are exactly the same just some different features like the ratchet system on the merc and all the controls in the tiller of the merc,other then that they are identical.I wish the tohatsu had the ratchet sytem but it is just a merc feature,

I can't belive how different the gas consumption is.That would be worth it by itself only needing to use a 3 gallon tank,plus never needing to add oil to the gas is worth a ton.From what i gather from reading the posts so far the motor is good for a jon boat with full gear and no more then 2 people on board.With 3 it seems to struggle to get on plane.


----------



## lovedr79 (Mar 15, 2012)

I have a merc 20. I don't mind mixing oil and gas as I ride/race a two stroke dirtbike. And the smoke is also a great mosquito deterrent.


----------

