There are many important attributes that come into play when choosing an outboard motor. Ideally, we want to find the best choice, and get the best deal for our money. In the final analysis our vacation will be toned down, using slower speeds in our boat to reach the best fishing spots. We may end up catching a few bass, but spending more time with our children in the lazy days of summer. However, another side of us wants the quickest, strongest, most accurate custom-made rig with plenty of storage for rods, fish finders, casting decks, pedestal seats, and bait wells. To make it easier to deal with your purchase, prioritize the most important things, and try and make sacrifices.

There are a whole host of reasonable outboard boat motors available to consumers.

You've probably heard of Honda automobiles, so it should be no surprise that they make top-selling boat motors as well. Their Accord sedan is well-reputed as being refined and reliable, and such is the case with their BF115 Honda boat motors. If your boat has a lighter, shorter hull, you may want to consider a lighter alternative to the 2.3-liter four-cylinder Accord, which weighs 496 pounds. The perks of the Honda boat motors is that they're the quietest and best on fuel consumption, as compared to Evinrude, Yamaha, Mercury and Suzuki. Some outboard boat motors idle at 81 decibles, WOT at 121 and cruise at 106, amazingly the best are 76/106/104. Fuel consumption is 0.2 gallons per hour at 625rpm, 4.1 at 3500rpm and 9.0 at 5600rpm, while the other outboards perform at 0.3 - 16.0!

The Yamaha shares a lot of traits with the Honda outboard motors, but it weighs 89 pounds less and is smaller. The acceleration is a tad slower and a few decibels louder, but just as energy efficient. In addition to double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder.

The sophisticated four-stroke engine comes equipped with a computerized, multiport fuel injection system and separate throttle valves for each intake runner.

The best thing about the Yamaha outboard motors is that they cost $1370 less than their almost identical Honda counterparts, making it a great deal.

For a fair price, the Suzuki outbourds are compact and efficient. THe housing, performance and noise of the two storke 1.77-liter outboards are similar to Evinrude and Mercury. It's lighter than the Mercury outboard motor but just a little heavier than the lightweight Evinrude. The Suzuki outboards have a nice 6-quart oil tank hidden beneath the engine cowling that prevents spills better than the Mercury. For $8934 ($1,000-$2,000 less than competitors), you can choose a stainless steel prop as an addition to your base package. The one drawback is fuel consumption, with Suzuki burning twice as much gas as the Evinrude.

Avid boaters are often concerned about the environment. They want to keep the lakes clean and the fish able to reproduce healthily for their grandchildren. You'll find there are many folks who seeks ways to get in sync with innovative companies that lead the industry in energy efficiency because of it being a natural tendency. One such example is Yamaha, a company which has teamed up with ABB Robotic Technology to utilize improved painting quality to yield energy savings. The painting of Yamaha's outboard motors saves a minimum of 30% MORE energy than its competitors! How? By using robots to increase efficiency, lowering paint drying times by 40%, lowering dust pollution, air recirculation and eliminating paint waste.