Which would be the better motor?

Hi folks and thanks for the great info on this forum. I need some advise or opinions on which motor might be better suited for me. I am going to buy a boat and my options are V150TLR (carbs) or 175 HPDI. Which of these would be the better as far as maintenance wise and cost of such maintenance long term. I don't care about the fuel savings. Is one more reliable than the other if maintained accordingly or what? Does ethanol have a greater effect on one or the other? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[boats.net]

Ethanol can cause expensive repairs on any motor. The carb kits and fuel filters are cheaper than fuel filters and fuel pumps for HPDI model but if maintained properly either engine is a good choice.
Check in your area for non-ethanol fuel, not sure about other states but here in Florida there is what they call Marina fuel which is non-ethanol unleaded gas and can be bought at most marina's along the coast. I don't live near coast but one of the local Bulk Oil company's started selling the marina fuel to the public right at the bulk oil plant which was a blessing to us boaters.
I would hope that all boaters that have access to non-ethanol gas would use to keep the demand for high enough that gas companys continue to supply it.

[Hamfisted]

I like the HPDI motors...

I have both carbureted and HPDI Yamahas and I like the HPDI better. Better performance, easier maintenance, and the compatibility with the Yamaha Diagnostic System software which makes maintenance and any troubleshooting extremely easy. Ethanol does play havoc with the primary cartridge fuel filter on the HPDI but it's a known issue and easy to watch for.



- Mike

Thanks for the advise. What differance is there between the two when it comes to yearly maintenace? I live in central Florida, so the boat will not sit for very long. I try to fish once a week, but sometimes during the hollidays I may miss a whole month before I take the boat out. Cost wise, is the HPDI a lot more for the yearly maintenace?

[Brisco58]

I live on the the Gulf Coast of Florida and have a 150TLR. I love the motor and have had no problems other that when I first started using ethanol blended fuel simply because of dislodged crud in the fuel tank. Those problems have been non existent for about two years and I run my motor weekly.

The motor is as reliable as any I have ever owned and the maintenance costs are minimal. In addition, I love being able to actually get myself home in case of an emergency since draining and or cleaning a carb is about the extent of any repair issue I have ever had while on the water. However, I typically make long runs across Charlotte Harbor and would trade up for an HPDI in a second due to fuel economy, which outweighs any maintenance costs substantially for me.