I just picked up a 2025 Tohatsu 20hp with electric start and power tilt. It's been a fantastic engine and so quiet. Tohatsu actually builds the smaller Mercury engines. Weighs in at 115 lbs
My dad have an old mercury 40 hp 2 stroke 2 cylinder from 1997 with carburetor. Good engine. We cut go trolling speed for hours with out sparkplugs being dirty and after my dad god sick 5 years ago. The engine had not been started for at least 4 years. I then replaced the impeller, fress fuel on it and 2 stroke oil. It started at the first crank on the startormotor. Mercury for life.
Great review! I picked up the 20 long shaft with power trim and electric start here in Australia 3 months ago. Have 50 hours on her so far and its such a great motor on my quintrex 390 outback explorer. Have changed the engine oil and filter and gear lube and it hasn't missed a beat at all. I added a solas 9 pitch stainless prop and it hauls ass with hole shot compared to the stock 10 pitch.
I bought this outboard few weeks ago and love it. I have one question, my water pump stream never even gets warm seems to be the same temperature as the water. Is yours like this as well? My motor is brand new 2020 I’m thinking the thermostat might be stuck open? Or is the water stream just by passed and isn’t the water coming out of the motor?
My old man bought a Merc 9.9 for his 14 foot wooden flat bottom. I told him it did not have enough power to get on plane with 2 or 3 people but he insisted it did. Was he ever wrong. Today we just got the 2019 Merc 20 EFI and holy crap. I only used half throttle due to the break in but even with just half throttle it is over 2x faster then the 9.9 and easily gets the boat on plane with 2. Crazy difference.
Just picked up a "used" 2017 25 Elpt 4 stroke merc from bass tracker boats. Previous owner wanted more power. Engine only has 9 hours. Swapping out with my 1988, 35hp, 2 stroke that has seen better days, the same weight as the 25. And don't have to deal with mixing oil as the oil injecttion system that was OEM was 30+ years old. Should perform better than the 35 as well as less engine noise. Thanks to the many youtubers videos and commets I have learned a lot of information on maintence one this engine. Hope to get a few more trips in this year to test it out before winterizing.
What is a safe distance for the transponder of a fish-finder from the prop so there is no interference? This is my first time installing one. Nice video. Thanks.
Hi I have the same motor except 15 hp. I notice that yours makes the same gurgling sound as my outboard when I am about 1/3 throttle, Do you know what is causing that noise? The waters starts to spray to the side of the engine when the noise starts.
Sure, it's lighter, but your 25hp is a 3cyl 526cc engine vs a 2cyl 333cc engine. The bigger motor will definitely have a low-end torque advantage; 27 lb-ft at 1000rpms lower than the 19lb-ft peak for the 20hp. Not saying the 20hp is not a great motor, but there is more trade-off than just 5hp. Agree that the tiller is very cool !!
I've this exact motor on a 1542. And it's a great motor. 4 ppl 2 adults. 2 kids. 48 qt icebox . battery. 6 gal tank . 6 rods. 4 tackleboxs. Bimini top. 25mph all day. Best motor I have ever owned.
@@thomasbrownjr6477 mr. Brown the 20 horse motor will push you 26 miles an hour with your whole family in it and all your gear excuse me I said I should have said 25 that's very fast
Is it really portable? I m considering buying it, but my biggest concern is weight. The issue is that I cannot keep it on the boat. Have to put it on every time I go on the river
Really debating between this 20 and the 25 for a Lund fury 1600 tiller, have any advice on which one to go with? Will I see a noticeable gain with the 25 over the 20?
@@TinyBoatNation Any particular reason? Really the reason i'm considering the 25 merc over the yamaha is first because I can get a better deal on it and second i've been seeing the Yamaha's tend to have more noise and vibration. You wouldn't recommend the 25 merc over the 20 merc?
The weight difference between these is actually more when you accept a few facts. One, the 20HP is just plain lighter, and you really dont need the power trim. At worst you add trim tabs at 10 lbs total transom weight and get fantastic attitude control out of it (much better than power trim). The 25HP is much, much heavier, and that outboard is a real back breaker to manual tilt. You pretty much have to get the power trim model. And now you have a lot more weight on the transom, so you probably also have to get trim tabs also to help with stern squat. Having said all that, the rigged weight difference between the two can be quite substantial all said and done. For 5 more HP? No thanks. IMO, the 25HP (Merc/Tohatsu current gen) never makes sense. If you simply must have more power than the 20HP, then go straight to the 30HP. Dont waste your time with the 25HP.
I run a 20 hp Tohatsu, very pleased with performance. But the 25 will justify its weight when hauling much heavier loads, where as the 20 will still be adequate, it wont keep with the 25. the age old dilemma , how often will you load heavy and need the extra torque and power, is the extra weight and cost really worth it ? Also, the 25 Tohatsu is same as 30 hp. You get the 5 additional h.p. on top end rpms, the 30hp runs 250 rpms higher then 25hp. So thats a big expense for nothing in my opinion.
@@rayk.5833 The Tohatsu 30HP has a higher power to weight ratio than the 25HP, just like the 20HP (EFI) vs the 15HP(EFI) and 10HP(EFI). There are those that would say going from the Tohatsu 10HP (EFI) to the 20HP (EFI) is merely 10HP more at the top end and that does not justify the extra expense. Ridiculous, IMO. With smaller outboards, that extra top end is what you need. In the larger outboards I would agree, say 90HP+ . Unless you are racing, the top end really is not that significant. Its more about holeshot and cruising RPM/speed. I have a 2020 Tohatsu 20HP (EFI), BTW. Its a fantastic outboard. But if I wanted a little more, I would go straight to the 30HP. The 25HP just does not make sense, just like the 15HP does not make sense. If you are strapped for cash, well, then you are strapped for cash. My suggestion here is save up another couple months and get the top HP to weight outboard for its class. You will be glad you listened. If I wanted even more, I would skip to the 60HP. Yes, thousands more than the 40HP. Save up.
Hey brother. Glad to see you always killing it. Wanted to see how I can get my hands on a tbnation decal For my 12ft build I finished. Put it on the water 2 weeks ago and caught my pb largemouth. I have a video on my channel. Thanks again for all the help and motivation. KEEP IT UP!
@@TinyBoatNation Thank's, this's good result. I bought the same engine and I have a boat of 15 ft. Waiting for the launch, I hope the motor will make me happy.
how much does your boat weight? i have a 1648 alumacraft modified v jon boat. i do a lot of river fishing. would the 20 be a good motor to have. my boat weighs 320 lbs.
@@TinyBoatNation I'll let ya know when I run it. Might be a few weeks. Going on an old Legend 14.5' widebody fishing boat. Caught an 18 pound salmon deep trolling lake huron with my mom and sister in july. #tillerlife baby!
@@TinyBoatNation hey Michael, I got out with my Mom today and we finally broke in the 20hp. Wow, we were impressed. Our boat is bare bones and after I had it trimmed all the way out, it went 26mph and messed up her hairdo pretty good haha. Nice to be able to have a normal conversation at idle or trolling speeds. Gets our boat on plane around 1/3 throttle. Lovely motor and design all around.
Both are good motors. You will be able to find parts and service dealers for Mercury almost anywhere in the world, Suzuki is very limited for customer/dealer support.
power to weight ratios are pretty important especially when you consider the Max horse power for tiller boats are de-rated compared to steering wheel versions. I'm in a similar situation where My 60CT is under powered but max is only 75HP but the 75HP is over 100lbs heavier! Is 100lbs worth 15hp gain?
60Hp CT is a great motor and propped correctly should be very comparable to 75HP. The 75Hp you can't get in Command thrust, that limits your prop selection meaning you might end up slower once you get your prop figured out. I would say depending on boat style, stay with a 60hp, maybe try a SS prop and move weight around to help with efficiency. Command Thrust lower is very important to your set up, you have better propeller selections available and that may get you where you need to be for performance.
I think that’s the perfect motor for a 14 footer. I’d probably go with more power for the 5mph in a 16 footer. Just my opinion. I think you got a great deal on the 25 and it looks like it belongs in your boat.
I heard a rumor that Mercury motors less than 40hp are not made in America. Any truth to this? My 200 Pro XS is made in the USA, main reason I bought it.
Great video. I am still breaking in my 2019 Merc 20hp EFI. Should be able to finally go WOT tomorrow. Love this motor. Big change from my old 1991 25hp Merc. Hope Pond Scum has a great season! Love the name! LOL.
Great review, BUT you didn't talk about the best part which is EFI!!! No carbs to deal with, no bad starting after letting it sit for days/weeks/months. ALSO with EFI you have a battery-less motor and the pull start goes after 2 pulls. 1st pull charges the EFI system and then it starts on the 2nd pull. So this motor is 57 lbs lighter than you Mer 25, BUT you also could ditch the battery for extra weight savings (but I recognize you have a battery for boat electronics). But you could be saving another 20+ lbs by losing the battery.
You have to have a battery connected at all times regardless of whether its dead or charged or else you will damage the charging system. If somehow tou throw your battey overboard and have to get home, it will run fine, but bye bye charging system.
So look at the ECU, it probably has Mitsubishi stamped on it. All these small efi battery less efis are licensing their ECU. You don't need a battery, it won't fry the charging system if there is nothing connected.
Buddy’s got a 2012 25hp. Beautiful motor trim/tilt and electric start. That the good news, I drive it fairly regularly. It’s a dog, couldn’t believe it.Got a 15 Evinrude two stroke it’s 1987 think it would dust your 20 too.
I have an 82 Evinrude 25 HP 14ft Jon deep and wide with Decks it pushes me with a buddy at 26 mph...? I'm not bashing on the new motors definitely quieter but still love the old 2 strokes especially since they don't cost a third or even a quarter as much as a new motor?
Anyone notice a rattle sound coming from their new 15 or 20 hp? Mine is a 2021 and I can hear a definite rattle in the 1/4 to 3/4 throttle range. Not sure if this is common in these models or if mine has a problem.
@@TinyBoatNation, here is a link to a recording of the EXACT same rattle sound my brand new 2021 is making. It doesn’t start until around 1/4 throttle. Can you say with certainty (from experience) that this rattle is common? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ws1nAgCaFi0.html