BobbyBergren
Member
Was wondering what would be the better pick between these 2 motors for an Alison boat?
Yamaha Sho OR Mercury Pro XS 250
- Thread starter BobbyBergren
- Start date
JWolff
Active Member
For maximizing the performance of the 21's you need to have low water pickups. For Mercury that is a simply buying an Opti with a sportmaster and bolting on the motor. For Yamaha, not so simple, or cheap. It can be done. It has been done. And it is a success. But it is going to cost more and be much more involved with shipping the motor to hydrotec and having the sportmaster put on the SHO. As well as the solid motor mounts on the Yamaha. Since you have the $35k budget for the entire boat I am thinking you don't want to spend the extra money on the Yamaha set up. I know of one guy that has that set up and is selling his boat but it is not in your price range. The price range you are at you are going to find a boat with a Mercury on it, 99.9% guaranteed. I personally would have had no issue with a SHO/sporty combo if I had the opportunity to buy one for the right price when I was shopping.
BobbyBergren
Member
Great knowledge, I appreciate all the help!
Tim Powell
Active Member
Cheapest route is a 250 Sport XS w/ Sportmaster Gearcase
Darth VMAX
Well-Known Member
You don't have to have the Sportmaster bolted on the SHO for it to "work". Wayne (Hydro-Tec) can mod the existing SHO unit and move the water pick-ups to the bottom of the gearcase (same location as the Sportmaster) and he has the heavy duty prop shaft (fat shaft) that he can replace the stock propshaft. This is less expensive that the Sportmaster conversion. He has ran these over 100 mph on Strokers. Mind you this is NOT a nose/cone mod. This is simply removing & sealing over the existing intakes and making new ones then repaint. It looks factory and no worries about the typical issues with coned units.
The only thing this doesn't give you is the 1.62 gear ratio. You will have to prop with 1.75's.
If you run heavy loads then this is more ideal anyways.
If you're trying for absolute big numbers on top then I agree, the Sportmaster is best. But if you're more concerned with everyday stuff the SHO unit with the HT touch is more than fine. Wayne also has solid mounts for the SHO so that's not an issue either. I have these installed on my VMAX/XB2002 and I have had my TRP lower-Unit modded with the lowered water intakes.
The real question is do you want 2-Stroke or 4-stroke? LOL
The only thing this doesn't give you is the 1.62 gear ratio. You will have to prop with 1.75's.
If you run heavy loads then this is more ideal anyways.
If you're trying for absolute big numbers on top then I agree, the Sportmaster is best. But if you're more concerned with everyday stuff the SHO unit with the HT touch is more than fine. Wayne also has solid mounts for the SHO so that's not an issue either. I have these installed on my VMAX/XB2002 and I have had my TRP lower-Unit modded with the lowered water intakes.
The real question is do you want 2-Stroke or 4-stroke? LOL
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JWolff
Active Member
Darth, about how much would that conversion cost? Gotta be cheaper than the sporty route but still having to disassemble the lower unit and sending it in. Some people would rather just buy the boat ready to rock. But i like the option for the sho. Wonder how it would effect warranty on a new ride.
JOEALLY
Active Member
Has anyone ran the SHO lower modded like Darth described on an xb-21? I'm wondering how it handled at high speeds.
I had a Yamaha 250 XCA on a saltwater boat & really like it. It's the same 4.2 block at the SHO but had a few differences, larger alternator, digital controls, etc. But it was a strong quiet motor that was good on fuel.
I had a Yamaha 250 XCA on a saltwater boat & really like it. It's the same 4.2 block at the SHO but had a few differences, larger alternator, digital controls, etc. But it was a strong quiet motor that was good on fuel.
Darth VMAX
Well-Known Member
$550 for the lower-unit mod and $1,447 for the fat-shaft conversion.