Mercury engines

B

BaseCampAnne

New member
After hanging around the demo day in Anacortes yesterday I am even more serious about getting a 22 CRSR for hanging out with the C-Brats.
The Seattle dealer has some 07 boats on sale, but the only engine allowed is the Mercury.

I notice this is a Honda community, and know help will be available with a Honda engine, but wonder about the Mercury. Is it better to pay more and get the Honda? Suggestions? Also do most of you prefer two engines? That cost differential is significant also.The deal looks to be worth several thousand dollars. I was thinking of getting the 90ELPT EFI, but have not found any discussion on the Mercury engines.

Suggestions? Thanks,
 
You might try calling several west coast dealers and ask what they have in stock..... I saw a really nice 22 in Ventura yesterday and it had a 90 Honda on it.... ya might get a deal, but I don''t think the boats sit on the lot very long .....I am kinda amazed a dealer had a 2007 model ..

Good Luck...and Welcome Aboard..

Joel
SEA3PO
 
A point that Jim from Master Marine made in Anacortes - the Seattle Boat Show may NOT be the place to get the best deal on a C-Dory - Jim was lamenting how much it cost them to be at the SBS. And LUSR will probably be the prime C-Dory display at the SBS. Their price in Anacortes on the TC255 with two 140 Suzukis was $115K...
 
The TC 255 with two 140's at $115K is high, in comparison to what others are getting boats for with the Suzuki 150's--which I would recommend.

I thought that part of the "deal" with LUSR was that boats could be ordered from the factory with Hondas.

All of the current 4 stroke and the E tec are good engines. I personally like the Suzuki's because they can swing a bigger prop. Also they have outstanding longivity.

The 130 Honda I own, had some electrolysis in the lower unit--and that may have been a result of the previous owners maintance.

It is worth shopping around, and buying the best price, and what you want in engines and accessories. Buying C Dories is not like buying cars--there is the opportunity to still have some choice in accessories and engines.

Good luck in your quest.
 
BaseCampAnne,

I just purchased a used C-Dory 22 with a 90 HP Suzuki on it and so far it runs just great. I have only been out twice since I bought the boat.
I was considering a Mercury outboard if I bought new from a dealer in New Mexico and never saw any complaints about the Mercs.
Flagold is running a 90 hp Mercury on his C-Dory 22 and seems to be having good luck with it. You might try contacting him.

Bill Roche
 
Does anyone know if the present Mercury 4 stroke engines are still Yamaha powerheads with Mercury lower legs? And in which HP ranges?

I wonder if Mercury intended to set up their manufacturing process and tooling to build the valve trains and cams necessary for 4 stroke engines?

Joe.
 
And remember, the hp maximums are largely based on weight. For those of you who want to plane a TC on one engine, possibly; the E Tek 200s (2.6 version) weigh less than the Honda 150s. Also the Suzuki 175 is the same
block and weight as the 150. :roll:

Of course there ARE insurance and liability issues to consider :wink
 
Pat Anderson":3j4awrwb said:
A point that Jim from Master Marine made in Anacortes - the Seattle Boat Show may NOT be the place to get the best deal on a C-Dory - Jim was lamenting how much it cost them to be at the SBS. And LUSR will probably be the prime C-Dory display at the SBS. Their price in Anacortes on the TC255 with two 140 Suzukis was $115K...
Click to expand...

I think that is the 06 Tom Cat that they had when I bought my TC exactly one year ago -- my guess is they have not been able to sell it, so they might be willing to deal. My boat was the next one that they received from the factory. The black color would not have been my first choice but I have grown to like it.

Warren
 
I doubt if you could plane a Tom Cat 255 with a single 200 hp engine--let alone a 175 (the 175 has to spin up near its top RPM to take advantage of the valve advance and get the extra HP--and you would need a lower pitched prop to get those RPM.

The steering effect of the widely space twins, becomes an issue before the boat gets on a plane. You will be pushing that single engine to the opposite side to overcove that, and this will most likely take enough HP, that you will not get the boat on a plane, even with a 200 hp--but then someone may prove me wrong...I just would not try it--the boat does fine with the 150's--no reason for 175's or 200's. Heck spending $600+ for fuel for a weekend's run is bad enough!
 
Re: Mercury engines: I've had 2 Mercury marine powerplants, a 15HP kicker and a 470/Alpha one IO setup. Unless Mercury has made recent strides in quality, I'd recommend you avoid them. THIS IS ONLY ONE BOATER'S OPINION AND NOT MEANT TO OFFEND ANYONE!!! I've had excellent reliability/longevity with the 2 Johnson products I've owned (both were pre-Bombradier and non-FICT), and now run Honda outboards. The reason I chose Honda: I've owned 5 Honda automobiles, a Honda ATV, and have a Honda based pressure washer. I've not had a single engine issue of any kind with any of these products. Honda is essentially an engine company, is a relatively green company, and historically emphasizes simplicity/reliability/durability. Evinrude E-Tec, Yamaha and Suzuki also appear to make great marine engines and each has its unique advantages. Honestly, the Merc is the only one I eliminated from consideration for my boat, based on previous experience. I don't know about the specific model you're looking at, but some of the Merc. units are actually made by the other firms, which should be OK. Good luck with whatever you decide! Mike.
 
JimD":1mf2l93p said:
<stuff clipped>And remember, the hp maximums are largely based on weight.
Click to expand...

Yesterday I saw a Bayliner runabout with a big Force (formerly Chrysler) outboard on it going down I-5 near Shasa Lake.

The motor was titled up all the way, so that it was doing a balancing act, half the weight forward of the transom, half aft. It has been said before that this is much harder on the transom than having all the weight to the rear with the motor down. Essentially, you have an upside down pendulum!

The transom was flexing back and forward as the boat and motor bounced along on the uneven road surface. I'll swear the transom flexed back and forth an inch and a half constantly!

Would have been interesting to check the transom for stress cracks!

I've thought before that if someone really wanted to load up a boat over the recommended hp rating they could

1. add several transom knees inside the boat,

2. add a heavy plywood reinforcement sheet on the outside, glassing the plywood, then

3. add a large aluminum or stainless plate between the reinforcement and the motor to help to spread the load further.

However, such a modification would drastically affect the boat's resale value.

But then, you'd only care if you survived the handling changes that would come with the overpowered hull!

Joe. :teeth
 
thataway":3uwv9h18 said:
I doubt if you could plane a Tom Cat 255 with a single 200 hp engine--let alone a 175 (the 175 has to spin up near its top RPM to take advantage of the valve advance and get the extra HP--and you would need a lower pitched prop to get those RPM.

The steering effect of the widely space twins, becomes an issue before the boat gets on a plane. You will be pushing that single engine to the opposite side to overcove that, and this will most likely take enough HP, that you will not get the boat on a plane, even with a 200 hp--but then someone may prove me wrong...I just would not try it--the boat does fine with the 150's--no reason for 175's or 200's. Heck spending $600+ for fuel for a weekend's run is bad enough!
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same about the horsepower (only in the high rpm's would you have the added power).

$600+ in fuel over a weekend?!?!?! Wow...where did you cruise?!
 
That's only 150 gallons...at $4.....and if you averaged 2 mpg that would only be 75 miles.... that's not unreasonable.. Kinda scary yes...
I think that may be another reason I love my 22 C-Dory... I get between 4 and 4.5 with my twin Yamaha 40's

Joel
SEA3PO
 
SEA3PO":2hssaujk said:
That's only 150 gallons...at $4.....and if you averaged 2 mpg that would only be 75 miles.... that's not unreasonable.. Kinda scary yes...
I think that may be another reason I love my 22 C-Dory... I get between 4 and 4.5 with my twin Yamaha 40's

Joel
SEA3PO
Click to expand...

Joel, I think 2mpg for 150 gallons is 300 miles :roll: A lot more reasonable than 75! :thup
 
Bob mentioned he consistently gets 2.2 MPG, so with 150G of fuel that's 330 miles. Gas is selling for about $3 a gallon here. That means $1.36 in fuel per mile traveled.

That is definitely no C-22, but it's not horrible either considering the ride, power, space, and speed.
 
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":335ugq24 said:
I thought that part of the "deal" with LUSR was that boats could be ordered from the factory with Hondas.
Click to expand...
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
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