Back to the main site

90hp OR 115?

SPS with a 150HP is $10K more that a 115 with strakes. I don't want to water ski that bad. :)
 
On my 2075 GLi with a 90hp, only my wife and I and her brother out on the boat. I could not for the life of me dump him off the tube, heck, it was a chore sometimes to just get him out of the wake to get a whip going. He was bored, so much that he started being a smart**s and just laying back on the tube, not holding on. It was then that I knew I was trading in my first boat. I only had about 28 hours on it. I guarantee he NEVER tried that on my next boat with a 200hp!! It was worth every penny. The 150hp is an excellent option, based on how and who will be using it, I also believe it to be the right option for you. That being said, it is YOUR money, we all have been on here for a long time and have heard the regret stories many times and are just trying to truly help people get the boat best suited to their usage. Take our advice however you like. Even though the 115 won't be the fastest on the lake, it'll still be attached to one of the BEST boats on the lake!! :)
 
In my experience, you don't need nearly as much motor to ski as you do to tube. As a teenager, I skied off my parent's 35 HP. You just have to hold your breath a little while longer to get up.
Tubing is entirely different. Just as a rough estimate based mostly on how hard my motor works towing either, I'd say you need twice as much HP to tube. Roughly.
We bought our boat with the 115 when our kids were around 10 and 6. Kids grow fast, and they basically multiply when they get old enough to bring friends. The 115 was traded in after just a couple years. They were starting to not want to go boating because tubing was boring.
Now, I don't have any, yet, but I assume grandkids grow just as quick too. Last thing I ever want is to hear is those same words again from my grandkids. "I'd rather play video games that go boating." Sure, you can force them to go. You know how that ends up.
My advice to you would be if you go with the 115, don't even buy a tube. Make them ski or kneeboard. The insufficiency of the 115 will stay hidden from them, and you won't have grandkids not wanting to go boating.
 
This is great feedback... although confusing, based on my experience from ten years ago. It was 24ft with a 90HP Mercury. We had several people on the boat and I recall getting my brother and sister (adults) airborn on a Big Bertha tube. They flew off the tube, scaring everyone that I had injured them. I don't know the speed, because the Sylvan speedometer kept malfunctioning, but I seem to recall low 20's. So... I began this post thinking that a 90 would be okay, but wondering if I would enjoy the additional horsepower of a 115 enough to spend a few dollars on it. Now, I'm feeling like I'm going to be really disappointed in a 115 and perhaps, if I can't afford SPS and a 150, I shouldn't buy at all.

I ABSOLUTELY appreciate everyone's comments and the genuine effort to prevent me from making a mistake. But I'm still looking for something that makes sense of my previous experience. Surely a 90's model Mercury wasn't that much better than a newer Yamaha... was it? The boat wasn't anything special in any other aspect, but could the Sylvan have had some kind of performance package that I was not aware of?
 
My first Bennington was a 2013 22 SLX ,with a 90 Merc . It went 28 with 2 aboard , It had under skinning but no strakes .We dont tube or ski .
 
Funny you mentioned the Big Bertha. That could be part of the difference...

We used a monster tube a couple times. I think it held 5 people. It actually pulled a lot easier due to, I assume, lots of flotation and lots of surface area. It was nearly impossible to get back in the boat wet though. Only used it a couple times. Hated that it weighed 150 lbs wet. I had forgotten about it until you mentioned it.

Our much smaller 3 rider has a lot more drag on the motor than the great big mable, I think it was. That might be where some of the difference of opinions lies.
 
Can you call someone and see what hull that Sylvan had?
 
One last comment. You CAN pull a tube with a 90 or 115. 60 for that matter. It will not be exciting for the riders though.

Also, with our 115, it was full throttle all the time pulling a tube, and the "rooster tail" (what little of it there was) from the motor actually hit the tube. It would drown the riders. So, I had to constantly do slight S curves all the time. If I went in a straight line, the water spray would knock them off.

My 150 runs half throttle going the same speed as the 115 pulling a tube, so the spray doesn't reach nearly all the way back to the tube.
 
Water test before buying whenever possible. After we demoed a 200 with sps it was a done deal
 
Chuck, do yourself a favor and test drive a 115 and a 150. Take along a few adults so it is more "real world". Then make an informed decision. Better you wait a season then to buy too much or too little... Just my three cents.
 
We have a 24SLi with a 115hp - would I get the 150hp if I had to do it again, yes. However, the boat meets our needs. We typically have a total of 5 and a dog. With clean tubes the boat goes mid-20's with our normal load. I can pull a tube with 2 and get around around 20 mph. Youngest can kneeboard and ski (he's only about 115lbs) - the other kids have not tried. With just two of us the boat tops out about 28mph.

I can make tubing fun - even with a couple of adults on it. I can get it outside of the wake and have dumped them numerous times. The biggest problem is loss of power during turning. With the 115hp it is also always full throttle when tubing.

Bottom line - manage your expectations. If I were buying today I'd buy the 150hp. I couldn't afford it when I was buying and bought the best we could afford at the time.

I'm not sure you will be disappointed with the 115hp as it will do much of what you want. If you have 6 adults in the boat and a couple in the tube, I wouldn't expect much. On the other hand, a couple of kids in a tube with fewer people in the boat, it can be a good time. Again, manage your expectations and understand what your performance will be in advance of the purchase. If the 115hp is the right choice, then so it is. If not, then you need to find a way to go bigger.
 
I just went through the same decision. My dealer told me that I would never be happy with the 115. So I just ordered a 22SSRXP with SPS and a 150. I also ordered power steering which was highly recommended. I want to do exactly what you do and this was the recommended setup. It will cost a lot more to upgrade later.
 
Chuck 21SLX said:
I'm about to order my first new pontoon. A few years ago, I co-owned a used Sylvan 24ft. with a 90HP Mercury. I'm ordering a 21SLX with 2 25" tubes. I hope to cruise, water ski, and tube, often with 4-6 adults on board. Should I go with a Yamaha F90LB 4 stroke or upgrade to a 115HP?
Click to expand...

Chuck 21SLX, The opinions you are getting are fun to read but there are a lot of variables to consider from these opinions. Your question is asking if you should go with a 90 or a 115 for your specific configuration. As usual on this site, there is no shortage of everyone trying to spend your money. Also many of the opinions are based on older 115 motors so take it all with a grain of salt. The gen 2 Yamaha 115 is a big improvement over the gen 1 (pre 2015). The gen 2 in my opinion would move a 21SLX along as well as that boat can go without a tri-toon set-up of some kind. I have seen a few newer 21SLX pontoons with a Yamaha 115 on Lake Fenton with the exact configuration you are looking at and they move pretty along pretty good with a tube on the back. If you have an unlimited bank account then it's a different story.
 
You boys better stop already! This is a big decision... :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top