Yamaha Outboard Versus Gator-Tail Surface Drive: Which is the Right Motor For You?
Yamaha Outboard Versus Gator-Tail Surface Drive: Which is the Right Motor For You?
Are you searching for the best motor for you? Are wondering what the difference is between Yamaha outboards and Gator-Tail surface drives? This is a common question we receive as many customers come in looking for their next boat and are curious about what the difference is between surface drives and outboards and what’s the best fit for shallow water. No matter what kind of motor you’re searching for, we’re happy to help you find which one would best fit your boating lifestyle. L&M Marine and Day Break Marina have nearly 40 years of experience with Yamaha outboards and have been a Gator-Tail dealer for nearly 10 years.
Here are the differences between Yamaha outboards and Gator-Tail surface drives.
Gator-Tail Design + Function
The name of a surface drive engine explains its design and function - the motor sits nearly parallel to the boat at a roughly 20-degree angle and the top of the propeller pushes the boat as it brushes the surface of the water. The engine of a Gator-Tail surface drive is designed to make it make it through vegetation, mud, and swamp and you’re able to prop the boat as shallow as it will go. The surface drive is air-cooled and the thick blades of the props are made to take a beating and break up vegetation.
Yamaha Outboard Design + Function
A Yamaha outboard’s build is different from a Gator-Tail surface drive as the motor is at a perpendicular angle and the props and the thrust are below the running surface of the boat. The engine is designed to lift the hull of the boat and the propellers are fully submerged in the water versus just brushing the surface. The Yamaha outboard is just as intricate as a vehicle motor and is water-cooled, the only difference is a car uses a radiator to pull in water while an outboard uses a pump. The blades of the props of the outboard are made out of polished, stainless steel.
Limitations + Longevity
The Gator-Tail surface drives are made for narrow, shallow, swampy, silty, and muddy environments.
If the boat will float then the Gator-Trail surface drive will push you through it as you only need 4-5 inches of water and an inch of mud.
They’re easily able to get over debris in the water, for example, if there was a log in the water, you could nudge your boat up to it and hammer the throttle to get over. Even if you did get stuck you could trim the motor down and the propellors would lift the boat up to clear the debris.
It’s important to have the right boat for a surface drive engine, the flattest boat possible is necessary to be able to slide through the mud.
Mud boats don’t have any ribs on the bottom of them and there are several cuts of hulls, some are rounded, some have straight angles, some have a crimp, and some mud boats are modified V’s.
You could run a Gator-Tail surface drive where you run a Yamaha outboard, but not the other way around. You could run your outboard through lilies, as long as the pump doesn’t run try or a lily pad doesn’t block the the water inlets for your pump, and only if there’s deep enough water underneath. When you have an engine that’s not water-cooled, like the surface drive, it makes a huge difference in how you use your boat and where you can go.
Outboards have more limitations since surface drives can go where outboards can go but you wouldn’t want to take your surface drive out into choppy water. They’re made to stay shallow and it wouldn’t be very comfortable in choppy waters.
50% of surface drives are essentially built like lawnmower engines. For example, the GTR40 Mud Motor has the same amount of power as some big zero-turn lawnmowers. The 40 and 50 HP surface drives are slower than Yamaha 40s overall, surface drives are as efficient.
Longevity
The surface drive is always exposed, versus the outboard that’s always fully encapsulated, which helps preserve and protect the motor. Yamaha outboards generally have more longevity (which typically can get closer to 1,500-2,000 hours) than the Gator-Tail surface drives which typically can get 1,000-1,500 hours but it ultimately depends on how you maintain them.
Maintenance + Price
A Yamaha outboard is 2-3 times more expensive to maintain a Gator-Tail surface drive and here’s why:
Gator-Tail surface drive needs: grease gun, oil, oil filter, and two spark plugs
Yamaha outboard needs: oil, an oil filter, water pump, and four spark plugs
The cost to maintain a Gator-Tail surface drive would be around $50 while the maintenance cost for a Yamaha outboard would be around $100-$150.
Overall, surface drives cost more than outboards:
For the cost of a GTR40, you could buy a 90 HP Yamaha outboard for just about the same price ($11,000).
For the cost of a GTR25, you could buy a 50-60 HP Yamaha outboard for around the same price ($8,000).
Summary
The Gator-Tail surface drive and the Yamaha outboard run completely differently for different purposes. The surface drives are made for shallow, marshy areas with lots of vegetation while outboards perform better in deeper, choppier water. The Gator-Tail surface drive is very loud in comparison to the Yamaha outboard and the comfort level is lower than a boat with an outboard. The surface drive is able to access more shallow areas than a boat with an outboard. If you were comparing a surface drive and an outboard with the same horsepower, the outboard will always be faster. And if you were comparing the two different kinds of engines for the same price, you’re able to get an outboard with a higher horsepower than the surface drive.
Take a look at our current inventory, which is equipped with both Gator-Tail surface drives and Yamaha outboards. We’d love to show you both kinds of motors in person, set up a Sea Trial, and answer any questions you may have at either of our locations - L&M Marine in Baldwin County, AL and Day Break Marina in Pensacola, FL.