Mercury engines

[Pat Anderson]

We were initially told that part of the LUSR - C-Dory deal was that LUSR would become a Honda dealer. Evidently did not happen. It would be hard to imagine LUSR selling boats with Hondas that they could not service. The Fife location would actually be reasonably convenient for us if they were a Honda dealer...Oh, well.

[thataway]

Tlhe trip was about 400 miles--and the total of the fuel bills was over $600, but my tanks were fairly low when I started and they are about half full now.

As to re-enforcing transoms--I saw several Bayliners in AK which had the entire transom and back of the cockpit replaced with Aluminum plate.

I had a Grady White, which developed transom rot--and discussed the various options with experts on transom repair--the cheapest thing was to replace the plywood core. I would suspect that the Bayliner on the road had some defects in the transom.

I once had a "space age plastic" transom on on an inflatable. It broke right along the edge of the outboard (25 hp electric start) when I was planning the boat in 2 foot chop--Ever seen any one "hand hold" a 25 hp outboard? I got the inflatable along side the larger boat, and Marie jumped off--of course as I slowed down, more water came in the boat. She got a spinaker Halyard down to me on the next pass by the larger boat, and we hooked it to the transom, and pulled the boat out of the water by the motor--didn't get any water in the engine.

I thought--simple--I'll just re-enforce the entire transom with 3/4" plwood and 1/4" aluminum plate. I bolted and epoxied all of this together. The first "trial run" The transom cracked right where it attatched to the pontoons. We made a new transom out of marine plywood--no "space age plastics"...So if a transom has a problem, probably best to rebuild it--although the knees were standard in wooden boats and it probably would work well, as long as there was a good structure (stringers) to attatch to.

[Bad Boy]

I have twin, counter-rotating 150 HP Mercury Verados and couldn't be happier. Every manufacture's 4-strokes are quiet at idle, but the Verados are quiet at cruising speeds. Their lower end torque is amazing.

[flagold]

My Mercury 90's have been flawless, but, they are the Yamaha powerhead models. I understand they are no longer in the lineup. The Merc 200 2 stroke I ran commercially was also flawless, as was the 90 Johnson and 175 Evinrude . . . but the Merc IO I attempted to run was nothing short of Elm Street, so I guess it's all the luck of the draw.

[Yellowstone]

Am using the Merc. 115 EFI on a 22 CD cruiser. It is a 2006 model which has the Yamaha power head, which I understand from the dealer was the last of the Yamaha mix with Merc's line up. Starts and runs like a dream, but at WOT it is noiser than the Honda 90. Don't know if current Honda models have Merc. lower units, but they did not so long ago. I'm quite convinced that no bad four strokes are made today, but I am biased for any power head made in Japan. Regarding the EFI, I believe Merc. wrote the book on that.
Yellowstone

[Jack in Alaska]

My 1997 Honda 90 HP has a Merc lower unit. It has been a flawless set-up for me so far. The later model 90 HP have a Honda made lower unit and it is compatible with my motor also.

Just got back from "visiting" my boat today. There sure is a bunch of snow on and around it. I am going to Az. for several months and let "the big heater" in the sky take care of it in the spring.

[Jeanie P]

Pat
Sail Annapolis, which replaced Cutter Marine here near Chesapeake Bay, is not a Honda dealer. At least their not listed on Honda's web site.

Then again, Cutter is listed on C-Dory's web site even though Cutter has dropped the line.

As far as Mercury OB, my last boat had a Merc 90 EFI. Loved it. Started right up every time.

Allan

[Sea Wolf]

This is the first I heard of a Honda with a Mercury lower unit.

I do know it could be a confusing issue, since Mercury used the Yamaha powerheads on their lower units for several years, and at approximately the same time, OMC sold Suzuki's that were painted white as Johnson outboards.

These two adaptations of Japanese outboards to American brand products were necessitated by the increasingly tighter emission control standards, which were easier to meet with 4-stroke motors, and the American factories were not yet tooled up to produce 4-stroke outboards. Other attempts to meet the emission standards were done by creating direct injection fuel systems on 2-cycle engines, with varying degrees of success.

The air/emission standards usually referred to are the C.A.R.B. (California Air Resources Board) requirements which precede those of other states. This led to the two star, three star, and four star C.A.R.B. ratings for outboards as the standards were gradually tightened over the years.

I'm personally convinced that a 4-stroke engine with EFI is the very best engine design currently available, but then I've never owned an Evinrude etech motor.

Joe.

[tsturm]

[Sea Wolf]

[Jack in Alaska]

SeaWolf.......

It is my understanding that the 1st 75/90 HP Hondas used a Merc lower unit because Honda did not make a lower unit to fit it. It was quicker/cheaper to buy from another maker until they did have one.
I got into this 3 yrs. ago when I damaged my lower unit in a high speed reverse shift while going onto my trailer on the surf in high seas. It was my fault and had nothing to do with the type of lower unit. When ordering a replacement my mech. told me that I could have either a Merc. built again or a now available Honda built one. He said that the Honda was cheaper (surprise) but that the Merc. was more rugged. Long story short......there were no Honda lower units available but there was a Merc. As the salmon were swimming by with me on the bank it was a Merc. ($2250)that won the game.

[Sea Wolf]

[Yellowstone]

Folks - In the FEb. 2006, Trailer Boats edition, Jim Barron, the engine expert, has an article "Who Makes what for Whom?" A few quotes from his article, "Honda has used its own powerheads for years, but there was a time several years ago when some three-cylinder Honda powerheads employed Mercury lower units and props. That's no longerthe case, and now Honda builds the entire line....last year, Yamaha-built powerheads were used in Mercury four strokes from 25 through 225 hp, with the exception of the Verados, of course. Mercury supplied the lower units and some EFI systems in place of the carburetors used by Yamaha in its comparable engines...For 2006, Yahama-built four stroke powerheads are used by Mercury in non-Verado four stroke applications from 40 to 225 hp. Unfortunately, the 75, 990, 115,and 225 versions are not SmartCraft compatible because they use Yamaha's EFI system." There you have it from the horse's mouth.
Yellowstone

[flagold]

So the above article would take the 90 I have far longer than I thought it was built (possibly even to now). It would be worthwhile checking if you use the boat in skinny water (as I do). You can dang near trim a Mercury all the way out of the water and it still pumps coolant (one of the reasons I switched from Johnson to Mercury (2 strokes at that time). The powerheads on both 90's are bulletproof (I assume the Yamaha people would say the same).

[matt_unique]