2018 Mercury Outboards

I like it! Especially that oil check door and the ability to remove the cowling by top access. Looks like smart, functional changes to me. I'm on my 3rd Merc motor, and they've all been very reliable.
 
A 200 or 225 6 cylinder that weighs close to most 150 4 cylinders is going to get some attention, especially where the power limitation is based upon the weight of the motor.
 
I did not say it was a bad look just , just that it reminded me of storm trooper.

I do like the door, oil and release. Those are good designs. did not notice the weight numbers. Will have to look at that.
 
The single 200 HP Merc weight is 475#, two 115's (30 over the HP rated for the boat), would weigh 718# (359# each)...that means a lot of extra weight on the transom. There are a number of 25's powered with twin 90''s which weigh more than this, but I am not sure that it is worth the extra weight. 200 hp is plenty for the 25. My impression is that somewhere over 30 mph the boats all get a little more difficult to control. The boats handle very well with 150 hp--granted that 200 hp is an advantage at high elevation and heavily loaded. We did OK with 130 hp (closer to the 115 Honda) on our 25, even loaded for a month's food and gear in AK. But I would have loved to had a bit more power--would not have needed more than 200 hp.

Colby has a 115 on his 22, and I am impressed by it--I am not sure what the weight is, since the motor is several years old. I certainly would consider a Merc if I was re-powering.
 
I'm one or two Mercury repower event from hanging a 115 on the back of my boat. While they still work very well, the Honda 45s I have best days are far behind them at well over 2000 hours and 25 years old. I would bet the 115 would propel a loaded 22 at 25-30 mph with ease. My 45s will do that too, but it is really pushing them harder than I am comfortable with as they are at 5500-6000 rpm (or more) and are at or near full throttle. I know I'm crazy not to run them until they explode....LOL....which I don't think will ever happen since they are as quiet as a church mouse mechanically speaking. It's more likely they just corrode away....
 
Chester":15gr1upa said:
Chester":15gr1upa said:
And you can put counter rotating Merc 115s on a 25.

Should have mentioned I got this from a C-Dory dealer who got it from C-Dory.

Problem is that C Dory dealers and the factory don't have as much experience with the boats as those of us who own them.... The factory web site (even thought the "Specifications" sections, still bears the "Fluid Marine" tag,) lists the Max. Hp for the C Dory 25 as "up to 200 Hp" With that statement on the web site, I suspect that putting 230 Hp on the transom would void any warrantee on the boat. I don't know about the current boats, but my 2003 was marginal in the support of the transom. The wooden core did not go all of the way across the transom, and the very thin laminate of the splash well appeared to have been engineered to take the thrust of the engine...
 
I have the current model Merc 90, which is the same as the 115, and so far really like it, about 250 hours in. It's quiet and smooth and super easy to maintain. All the outboard brands are good and I would buy any of them, but the main reason I went with Merc is because for not much more weight (363 lbs vs 353 Yam, 343 Suzuki and 359 Honda) you get larger displacement (2.1L vs 1.8, 1.5, & 1.5L), and the larger (optional) Command Thrust lower unit, on which I've been running a 15"D x 17"P prop. Because of the larger displacement, I didn't see a need to spend the extra $$ on the 115 for the 22 and have had no regrets with the 90. Another C-Brat has a 115 CT on his Venture 23 and seems to like, maybe he'll weigh in as well. I feel these Command Thrust versions have a lot of torque and power for their weight, similar to the E-Tec 90 I once had on a different boat (except the Merc is a lot quieter and smoother).

-Mike
 
yes we have the 2016 merc 115CT it's an awesome motor.Ilove the bigger prop we to run a 15by 17p prop and WOT is 5500rpm at about 32-33 mph with just one person and light on fuel.my venture 23 (cape cruiser)weighs in about 4000lb.with 6 people on board we can still do 22-23mph which isthe sweet spot at 4200rpm.I've had almost evry kind of outboar dand so far 130 hours this has beenone of the best.
BTW wen tfrom 115yamaha to merc115 CT jim
 
Hmm...guess we will have to see how they are priced and how they hold up in service. This is a whole new line, so your prior experience with Mercs may or may not be indicative of anything. This new line is like new cars, all electronic and digital, which is good until there is a problem. Our 2008 Hyundai Tucson had 8 computers, our new 2017 Tucson has something like 74 computers. They don't so much get repaired by mechanics any more as by computer technicians! This outboard line, I suspect, will be kind of like that!

OTOH, we nearly doubled the hours on our 2005 Honda 150 during our eight months cruising on the Great Loop (1,000 hours from May 2005 to April 2017, 844.5 more hours in eight months from April to November 2017), so we are just south of 2,000 hours now It still runs like a top, but realistically we know that a re-power is something we may have to face if we keep on boating, which we intend to do as long as our bodies are up to it. Probably back down to a number like 80 - 100 hours per year. If and when we re-power, installed cost will be a huge factor for us. So we will see how the Mercs stack up against the Hondas, Suzukis and Yamahas.
 
Pat and Patty:

You have put a lot of hours on your engine in a short period of time. Forgive me if this was previously posted but:

What engine
What is your average speed or
How many hours and how much distance did you travel.
What is your wot speed (to help me figure average hp used)

I am an anal retired engineer and would like to know how much load and stress you put on your engine in the almost 2,000 hours.

Post the data and I will figure the average hp you made and post the results.

David
 
Pat Anderson":2xwjxxtb said:
Hmm...guess we will have to see how they are priced and how they hold up in service. T
...

If and when we re-power, installed cost will be a huge factor for us. So we will see how the Mercs stack up against the Hondas, Suzukis and Yamahas.

I recall from a previous thread, your dislike for Mercury motors, Pat. Over the years, I have owned 4 Hondas, 3 Mercs, a Nissan, and a Tohatsu outboards; all have given great service, except for one small Honda, which was a pain in the ass from day one (purchased new). Other Hondas (cars, motorcycles, generators, and a snow blower) have also been reliable. That one bad Honda outboard doesn't spoil my opinion of Hondas in general.

What hands-on, actually-owned-one, experience do you have with Mercury, Pat?
 
Engine: Honda BF150
Average RPMs / speed: 2,000 - 2,200, 6 - 7 SMPH
Engine hours: 844.5
Distance traveled: 5,428 statute miles

We almost never ran WOT - we were slow cruisers before, and slow cruisers on the Loop! The single exception was we wanted to be able to plane so we could cross the Big Bend in the Gulf of Mexico on the plane, and we did achieve that thanks to Marc Grove and Wefings Marine in Apalachicola, FL.

This page from our blog and the short embedded video may help you understand our issue with RPMs and speed. Until we got the trim tabs repaired, put on the hydrofoil, and dropped to an 11 pitch prop, we simply could not get Daydream on the plane!

Back in our home waters, lightly loaded, our 15-3/8 x 15 (if I recall correctly) aluminum prop would give us 16-18 knots at 4,600 RPMs, so we were just at a loss to understand what was going on on the Loop. A hint, though - we were hauled out on a TraveLift with a scale in Michigan, and the scale read 7,500 lbs.!

DavidM":6zqyodp3 said:
Pat and Patty:

You have put a lot of hours on your engine in a short period of time. Forgive me if this was previously posted but:

What engine
What is your average speed or
How many hours and how much distance did you travel.
What is your wot speed (to help me figure average hp used)

I am an anal retired engineer and would like to know how much load and stress you put on your engine in the almost 2,000 hours.

Post the data and I will figure the average hp you made and post the results.

David
 
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