Yamaha 250 sho or the 250Pro Xs

Jmax

Active member
Got to vote Pro on this one. Every time I have ever changed away from the mercury I regretted it. emoThumbsup Jmax
 

lafae7

Member
If you're getting new then I would go for a 2018 250 Yamaha. However though, on my new bullet when I can afford it I'm going with a 250 evinrude.
 

elwestb

Active member
I can't say enough great things about my 250 SHO! The hole shot is awesome. You have more to torque with a four stroke. I thought it would be the other way around but ask your dealer or mechanic. The fuel economy is unbelievable and it runs so quite!
 

Tn bullet

New member
Pro hands down Austin they would need to do a make over on that ugly motor lol the sho is quieter but I do t think I would ever get away from the merc
 

FishingwithRusty

Active member
Mercury ProXs........................
 

jb366

Member
They're all good motors anymore and you can't make a wrong choice. I had a pro xs(2014) on my last boat and now I have a sho. I went with a sho mostly because I was tired of buying and dumping oil into the merc all the time. I also didn't like the number of compressors grenading on new motors that I was hearing about along with leaking oil pumps. Sure the sho had its issues with powerheads but they seem to have gotten it taken care of.
I've got around 12 hours on my sho and I don't miss the merc one bit. Holeshot and midrange are stupid quick with a full load and I've just now started dialing it in. Its only going to get stronger once I get it set up and the motor loosens up.
 

lafae7

Member
jb366 - 1/2/2018 8:10 AM

They're all good motors anymore and you can't make a wrong choice. I had a pro xs(2014) on my last boat and now I have a sho. I went with a sho mostly because I was tired of buying and dumping oil into the merc all the time. I also didn't like the number of compressors grenading on new motors that I was hearing about along with leaking oil pumps. Sure the sho had its issues with powerheads but they seem to have gotten it taken care of.
I've got around 12 hours on my sho and I don't miss the merc one bit. Holeshot and midrange are stupid quick with a full load and I've just now started dialing it in. Its only going to get stronger once I get it set up and the motor loosens up.

That's exactly how I feel. I have a 2014 pro xs currently and have had my share of problems with it with only 128 hours. I'm also tired of dumping oil into it. I knew the SHO had problems when it came out, but they have seemed to have fixed all the bugs exactly like the evinrude G2. The G1 had a whoooooole lot of problems but they seemed to have worked them all out on the G2. Im excited to see the G3! I'm not brand loyal whatsoever and I always look ahead. However, the older mercs can not be beaten! I would love to have my old XR2 back and the even older 115 hp tower of power.
 

Paul Nichols

New member
I like them both, but if your warranty runs out and you blow your motor up the Pro XS can be rebuilt, the SHO can not be rebuilt.
 

Fishindawg25

New member
Also consider that it is a lot easier to find a Certified Mercury Technician vs. a Yamaha Technician. And we probably have some of the best around here! Paul Nichols especially!
 

finbully

Active member
Just ordered a 2018 Z521L with a 250 SHO. I thought long and hard about a XS or Verado but I have no reason to change from Yamaha.
 

silvertalon

Active member
Should be a good motor. They are a beefy motor and the 4 stroke is beyond smooth. The competition has narrowed over recent years but, Mercury has the track record, has always been the majority and will always dominate the market, IMO. Mercury simply has the best quality aluminum in the world bar none. It even exceeds mil-spec grade and has been sought out by the military for years. Durability along with stainless steel fasteners and hardware are the best. The new OMC looks good so far but I'd give them a while longer- another year or two. see how they hold up. Its a tight market out there. They're all good. Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha. The Japanese market is strong. The Merc's can be rebuilt for 1/2 the cost of a new Yamaha power head.
 

ficht158

Member
I read over on bbc that no sho available for production year 2018. not sure as to why but might want to check with your dealer.
 

silvertalon

Active member
ficht158 - 1/8/2018 8:19 AM

I read over on bbc that no sho available for production year 2018. not sure as to why but might want to check with your dealer.

That would be bad for Skeeter unless they have stockpiled 2017 SHO's to install on the 2018 boats. Like all new boats, they are usually in stock and for sale by fall the prior yeart. If this is the 1st news of it... weird.
 

PH_Fishing018

New member
Unless you're set on a dealer already give some consideration to Anderson Marine in Old Hickory, Tn. Little bit of a drive from around these parts but its owned by some great people and is a very reputable dealer!
 

silvertalon

Active member
Here's what I found out with some grapevine research; Yamaha doesn't mark their motors with a year model on their labels. so, unless there is a major change in a model, you can buy a 2 year old motor for example, and its still considered a 2018 NIB. I heard that Yamaha may have simply 'run out' of SHO 250's. They're trying to catch up with production. You just may have to wait awhile. Don't know how this will effect Skeeter or any other subsid owned by Yamaha. This news is grapevine info from the internet so...
 
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