plz help me..mercury or johnson?!!

Hi am a new member..
i bought an inflatable rip from about 1 month ago but i didnt buy the engine yet..
so am confused cause i have to take a decision between 2 used engines..
30 hp johnson or 40 hp mercury..
actually am not confused about the diff. between the power..but of about the brands!!..i dunno which is better as am a new guy in the marine world and i dont have any background of them..which is better?!!..
i have a friend own twin's of johnson 70 hp on his boat but he is going crazy from them..as they always stops or something happen in them..but am quite sure cause they are too old..
can anyone help me please..
the johnson model is 2001

 

Which ever has the lowest hours on it will be the better choice. The brand really doesn't matter much if you take care of it.

 

Mercury

 

Yes It doesn't matter as long as they been serviced right. Good luck

 

Personally Merc. but that's just because of personal preference, but it doesn't matter as long as you take proper care of it.

 

They are about the same in quality if we are talking about fairly new engines. You need to give more information. Are we comparing a 1966 Mercury to a 2001 Johnson?

 

Also, is there a good local dealer for both....if the motors are equal then choose the better dealer's brand.

 

Mercury will be an inline 4 and smooth running !!

 

Not necessarily true, but if the engine comes from the right era, yes.
The 4-inline Merc was probably the best outboard design ever, smooth running, economical and durable. It had a starter the size of a windshield wiper motor: it even started with an almost flat battery.

 

I think Johnson may have had a problem w the 30hp in certain years that were white. We have 2 of them here and they have always run rough and noisy. Check the gear case and all the other OB stuff and if the Jonson runs smooth just buy the one you like but if the Johnson runs rough go w the Merc.
CDK,
Are you talking about the old two strokes? Around the Everett area in Wash state Weyerhouser ran Mark 55s on their log boom boats. They rebuilt them regularly but those engines took a savage beating and were remarkably trouble free. Don't remember them as "economical" though.
Tunnels,
I agree ... smooth running is very important.

Easy Rider

 

Yes, the 40 hp was the smallest 4 cylinder outboard ever. By current standards it was a thirsty engine of course, but at the time the competition like the Johnson Workhorse wasted even more fuel and oil.

 

Probably not a model problem. The 2 cyl. 35 was made from 1976-1994, is reliable, high torque in mid-range, fast. The "30" made from 1986-1993 is the same as the 35.