Hi Greg,

I am partners in a boat rental company. We have several pontoon boats.
All but 2 have the Suzuki motors on them. Because of the weight carrying
capacity of the pontoons, weight is not a real factor. They seem to sip
fuel with an eyedropper, as 16 gallons will run a pontoon all day and
have some left over. The Suzuki engines have proven themselves to be
able to handle the rigors of rental and keep on running. Our major
expense is propellors, because many renters can't tell an eddy current
from an oyster shell bank. Otherwise, we have found the motors to be
excellent. We plan to purchase 3 more of the engines this February as we
expand the "fleet".

As compared to the Suzuki, the Merc 2 stroke engines are noisy and
vibrate at low speed. They also have a higher cost of ownership as they
require more repairs. The Suzuki 4 strokes? Well, you can't hear them at
idle except for the water discharge from the pee hole. No vibration at
all. And best of all, start right away, every time.

Capt. Frank Hopkins

Greg wrote:

Jon, Have a look at the Suzuki 4 strokes. their 90 weighs about what a
merc 60 bigfoot does and uses less fuel. Runs quieter and doesn't
vibrate at all!


I did just look at suzukimarine.com and they say the 90 is 416 lbs. (dry or
rigged?)
That sounds pretty heavy. The merc 60 is 264 dry