Scott Overholt, a loyal Yamaha customer who splits his time between Knoxville, Tennessee and Sanibel Island, Florida, grew up on the water with Yamaha power on the back of his boats. In fact, he still has a 1987 Yamaha 200 and runs the motor on a Norris Craft bass fishing boat to this day. Why did he hang on to that motor for so long? Well, there are a couple of reasons.
When he took Teresa, his wife of 35 years, on their first date in 1987, it was on his boat powered by a brand-new Yamaha 200. The motor has sentimental value for sure but what’s more, it still exhibits that signature Yamaha reliability, cranks every spring and runs through the boating season without any issues.
“The motor and the wife are both still doing great!” laughed Scott. “In fact, that Yamaha 200 will still push my boat roughly 70 miles per hour 37 years later. It’s a true icon of a motor and the reason I chose Yamaha for all my other boats ever since.”
Scott is now the owner of five Yamaha outboards. In addition to the original 200, he has a 2005 Yamaha 50-horsepower model on a 13-foot Boston Whaler®, Dauntless®, an F150 on an 2023 Action Craft Flats Master and two F200s on a 24-foot Boston Whaler Outrage® in Sanibel. He also had a Yamaha F115 powering a restored Hewes flats boat, but he lost that boat and outboard during a hurricane.
As parents of four grown children, Scott and Teresa made boating a big part of their family life when their kids were younger. His youngest son Pierce, now 25, is also a Yamaha owner, choosing a 2006 90-horsepower outboard for his Ranger® Ghost 169.
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“Life on the water is something we have proudly passed along to our kids. My grandfather owned property around Norris Lake near Knoxville, and my dad built a cabin there when I was twelve. We spent every weekend and every summer there,” said Scott. “I had a Jon boat with a different outboard back then. When we bought that first Yamaha in 1987, it felt like we were taking a bit of a risk. You didn’t see many Yamahas on the water at that time, but it performed so well that we would never choose any other power for our boats.
“We still have the place on Norris today, and our kids grew up constantly on the water skiing, tubing and fishing,” Scott continued. “I have 6 boats today, four in Tennessee and two in Florida, and my kids still use Dad’s boats whenever they can!”
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As it turns out, the same grandfather who had the property on Norris Lake also loved Sanibel Island and often took his grandson Scott down there for spring break to fish. Eventually, Scott’s parents bought a house in Sanibel, which they have had for more than 30 years. Just like he did with his freshwater experiences on Norris Lake, Scott passed down a love of saltwater to his children. Working with the team at Clearwater Marine, he repowered his two boats in Florida with Yamahas. He now stores them, one powered by twin Yamaha F200s and the other by a Yamaha F150, on a lift in the canal that leads to the Sanibel Harbor. Scott and Teresa spend three months out of the year there where they fish for snook, redfish and grouper.
“Our time on the water over the years has really brought our family so close together,” said Scott. “Now we have grandchildren and what do we all do together, take the boat out for a spin! All 12 of us can pile onto our Yamaha-powered Boston Whaler® and cruise around, just enjoying the water. It’s been the best mechanism for pulling us all together for some great times. These are bullet-proof outboards, and I wouldn’t trust any other brand to transport my family safely across the bay or the lake. I owe many wonderful memories on the water to Yamaha. We’re all grateful for these experiences and look forward to new ones as our family continues to grow.”
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When he took Teresa, his wife of 35 years, on their first date in 1987, it was on his boat powered by a brand-new Yamaha 200. The motor has sentimental value for sure but what’s more, it still exhibits that signature Yamaha reliability, cranks every spring and runs through the boating season without any issues.
“The motor and the wife are both still doing great!” laughed Scott. “In fact, that Yamaha 200 will still push my boat roughly 70 miles per hour 37 years later. It’s a true icon of a motor and the reason I chose Yamaha for all my other boats ever since.”
Scott is now the owner of five Yamaha outboards. In addition to the original 200, he has a 2005 Yamaha 50-horsepower model on a 13-foot Boston Whaler®, Dauntless®, an F150 on an 2023 Action Craft Flats Master and two F200s on a 24-foot Boston Whaler Outrage® in Sanibel. He also had a Yamaha F115 powering a restored Hewes flats boat, but he lost that boat and outboard during a hurricane.
As parents of four grown children, Scott and Teresa made boating a big part of their family life when their kids were younger. His youngest son Pierce, now 25, is also a Yamaha owner, choosing a 2006 90-horsepower outboard for his Ranger® Ghost 169.
“Life on the water is something we have proudly passed along to our kids. My grandfather owned property around Norris Lake near Knoxville, and my dad built a cabin there when I was twelve. We spent every weekend and every summer there,” said Scott. “I had a Jon boat with a different outboard back then. When we bought that first Yamaha in 1987, it felt like we were taking a bit of a risk. You didn’t see many Yamahas on the water at that time, but it performed so well that we would never choose any other power for our boats.
“We still have the place on Norris today, and our kids grew up constantly on the water skiing, tubing and fishing,” Scott continued. “I have 6 boats today, four in Tennessee and two in Florida, and my kids still use Dad’s boats whenever they can!”
As it turns out, the same grandfather who had the property on Norris Lake also loved Sanibel Island and often took his grandson Scott down there for spring break to fish. Eventually, Scott’s parents bought a house in Sanibel, which they have had for more than 30 years. Just like he did with his freshwater experiences on Norris Lake, Scott passed down a love of saltwater to his children. Working with the team at Clearwater Marine, he repowered his two boats in Florida with Yamahas. He now stores them, one powered by twin Yamaha F200s and the other by a Yamaha F150, on a lift in the canal that leads to the Sanibel Harbor. Scott and Teresa spend three months out of the year there where they fish for snook, redfish and grouper.
“Our time on the water over the years has really brought our family so close together,” said Scott. “Now we have grandchildren and what do we all do together, take the boat out for a spin! All 12 of us can pile onto our Yamaha-powered Boston Whaler® and cruise around, just enjoying the water. It’s been the best mechanism for pulling us all together for some great times. These are bullet-proof outboards, and I wouldn’t trust any other brand to transport my family safely across the bay or the lake. I owe many wonderful memories on the water to Yamaha. We’re all grateful for these experiences and look forward to new ones as our family continues to grow.”
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