Check the web for boat dealers in the areas you will visit.
Chances are there is a Merc dealer there and probably a Yamaha somewhere
close.
Suzuki is going to be rare in a lot of areas of the country.
Honda is more popular but can be hard to find parts and dealers in smaller
towns/areas.
OMC - you know my thoughts on that.

--
Tony
my boats and cars at http://t.thomas.home.mchsi.com
"bo jangles" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 02:43:44 GMT, "tony thomas"
wrote:

I am not saying that Merc is perfect. No motor will run forever without
doing maintenance and repairs.
I just personally have had great experiences with my local Merc dealer.
As
I said earlier - dealer is the most important issue.
I don't normally mention it but I am actually OMC certified as a mechanic.
I went to their school in Atlanta back in 1987. The older ones are great
and have very little problems.
Reason I say don't buy DFI of any brand is not based on the fact that
every
one of them is junk. There are a lot of engines out there that are great.
My dad has an Optimax 135 on his pontoon and loves it and has never had a
problem. He bought the Optimax because he wanted the HP and that was the
only good option in that size at the time. Don't buy DFI is based on
resale. As you can see from all the posts - most will tell you the horror
stories and tell you to stay away. There just is no need at this point to
buy one. You can get a 4 stroke or 2 stroke EFI for the same price (or
less) in any size you want so why bother with the DFI.

As for the original question. Figure out who has the best dealerships and
service departments in your particular area. Then find a boat you like w/
that brand 4 stroke or 2 stroke EFI engine in the correct HP for that
boat.
Just be aware that Evinrude / Johnson resale will probably be less (and
harder to sell) than the other brands due to corporate problems and
reputation.

Thanks Tony --- and Tom - glad you could stop rolling and laughing
long enough to put a thoughtful response together. My problem will be
that the boat will not be used where I live but where I visit. If I
bought a boat today (and the temperature was above freezing) I would
have to travel 3 to 30 hours to use it. I hate to think of a 21' boat
in most of the Susquehanna River (Pennsylvania) - wouldn't be much
left of the lower end or the hull. So, when I actually use the boat
(4 months of the year) I will be traveling and have no idea who does
what to who and for how long and how much it will cost. Thus my
original question, not "What's the best..." but "what should I avoid".

I guess I won't completely give up on the idea of getting a boat but
it is getting pretty frustrating.