bigcreekdad Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 Saw Al Lindner on TV today advertsing a Merc Tiller outboard at, I believe, 150 Hp on what appeared to be no more than an 18' boat. Motor did not look that big and looked like it was flying. Also, it eqipped so that when he took his hand off the tiller it would hold course andcould not even be moved until he grabbed tiller handle again. It was quite impressive. While I may be a year or so from a new tiller outboard ( have a 9 year old Yamaha 4 stroke 50hp) this motor intrigued me. Anyone familiar with it? Also, when I was growing up we had three different Merc outboards.....all of which were consistently unreliable. Don't know why my dad hept buying them as he would get so ticked off I thought he would stroke out. Even ran into a Florida guide a few years ago who referred to Mercs as "black anchors". How do Mercs of today compare with Yamaha for both performance and dependability? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vance Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 That 150 mercury has hydraulic steering run by a pump off the motor have seen them in action and they seem to work great.As far as reliability I have a 2001 40hp that I use alot and so far I have changed the plugs twice(I don't know why as the ones going in looked almost the same as the ones I took out) and the fuel filter and of course lower end lube. I use amsoil synthetic oil that doesn't smoke and seems to make the engine run cleaner.At the camp where I have my trailer they run smaller 2&4 strokes with no problem and have yet to hear of anyone with a newer merc with problems. vance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Clemens Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 I've had two mercs over the past 5 years or so. First a 40 2S and now a 90 2S. Never really had any problems with them. One time I had to take the boat into the show was a problem with a valve in the fuel line. One other time to get the carb adjusted. Other than this, never had a problem with either engine. One reason I have the mercs is due to repair facilities where we fish. Although I don't wish for problems, it's nice to know there is a facility close by. There sure are a lot of mercs on the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomO Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 I've had my 25 hp merc since 94 not many problems here knock on wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taper Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 The boat show had the same set up as you were talking about except it is a 175 Merc. The new Mercs seem to be pretty good but personally I would stick with Yamaha. When I bought my 115 last year Yamaha was a few hundred cheaper than Merc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
express168 Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 I have a 2003 Mercury 40hp 4 stroke EFI and so far not a problem , just regular maintanence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danc Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 I own a '01 60 hp Merc 4 stroke. It's ran perfectly since day 1 with only routine maintenance. It's never been in the shop. The power head is made by Yamaha. So it's really a Yammy dressed up as a Merc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 My 2001, Merc 4 stroke, 90 HP, has been absolutely flawless since the day I bought it and I'd highly recommend it to anyone. Maintanence is simple and everything is easy to get at. Quiet, smooth and purring like a kitten the second you touch the key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danc Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 My 2001, Merc 4 stroke, 90 HP, has been absolutely flawless since the day I bought it and I'd highly recommend it to anyone. Maintanence is simple and everything is easy to get at. Quiet, smooth and purring like a kitten the second you touch the key. So you own a Mercaha too, eh Lew? Sounds like your has been as solid as mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 Dan, if I was buying another motor tomorrow, it'd be another Merc too !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishindevil Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 I have the same dan a brand new 40hp 4 stroke EFI, and it runs great and the power head is yamaha as well,so i dont think i will have any problems,i also have had a 15hp merc 2 stroke and it did have a few issues but nothing serius and i owned a 50hp yamaha 4 stroke and it had issues trolling slow she just wouldnt troll slow enough,but other than that i have had nothing other than regular maintenence...good luck cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 Well my pop was a Johnson man,I started out a Johnson man,then I went to a merc,and never went back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 I had a little Johnson too Brian....and went with the enhancement program to a BIG merc ! LOL Had a 4 hp merc as a kid, on our wood lory that my brother built in around 68 or so. I started it and drove it easily at 6 years old. It received no maintenance that I'm aware of and the thing is probably still running like a top where ever it went. The 9.8 merc I found in the corner of the boat house, in 2004, looked like it had been thru WW II. Filled the bottom end with oil, put some gas in the tank and 2 pulls she ran like a top...had to order a tilt pin for it and by serial number I believe it's a '76 model. Based on everyone's Merc experience here on OFC and my past knowledge...I've gone back to Merc big this year. 275 Verado and 9.9 Pro kicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernie Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 Hi guys. Based on what I see at our shop all engines made by the major players are good quality. Pick what you like and go with it. It all depends on what your needs are. None of them are infallible so not a bad idea to buy locally. If warranty repairs are required the dealer can look after you right away. Dont forget about the new injected 2 strokes-awesome engines and very reliable. Everyone has their preference. Most engines in the past had reliability issues from time to time and people get a bad taste for some brands. Competition has raised the quality to unprecedented levels among them all. I have used almost all engines available on the market over the years on many different types of watercraft. There is a reason there are so many options/ types boats and motors available-consumer demand. We are lucky to have these available to us experienced guys but to the newcomer it makes a decision very difficult. We see it at our shop all the time where a person purchases a new boat and a year later they are looking for something that suits their needs better. To keep the price of the boat down to make it attractive to a buyer some sacrifices are made. An inadequate horsepower engine is something most of us know already is the first thing. Oh geez...Im rambling Just a couple of observations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 275 Verado?? Hell, dat's like 3 year's pay for me! Must be nice to have money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daplumma Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 Buying a boat motor these days is like buying a tractor,you have red green and orange(in some places).You go with where the dealer is and how good they are.They are all really good but if you have a 2 hr drive for service it's not so good.Pick your color and fish on!!! Joe For the record,I have a merc.No problems at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 (edited) Behave Roy.............. As for three years pay...well I have no paycheck and haven't for a few years.... so I'm not sure on that and that would be HAD some money....since it's already paid for Edited March 31, 2007 by irishfield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 Hi guys. Based on what I see at our shop all engines made by the major players are good Your absolutely right Nip, none of these companies would still be around after all these years if they weren't producing good engines on a consistent basis. It just depend on individual preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDNfish Posted April 1, 2007 Report Share Posted April 1, 2007 To get back to the original post.... the motor had the Mertens power tiller system. It is not a Mercury product but is a dealer installed option. The run about $2000 US. They have been around on the walleye tour I fish for about 5 years now and are really sweet. Lots of the "Old timers" are going back to tillers because of the advancement. IMO Mercury makes the finest outboard on the water and is backed by the largest dealer network in the world. Shawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musky_man Posted April 1, 2007 Report Share Posted April 1, 2007 (edited) Next motor for me will be an E-tec Edited April 1, 2007 by musky_man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grt1 Posted April 1, 2007 Report Share Posted April 1, 2007 I remember years ago when I first came to NW Ontario, the camps were all changing from merc to johnson because the guests were always farting around with the gas mixture knob on the motor. The Johnsons were not as easy to play with and the camp owners all said that if they had to have one motor as their private motor, they would have stayed with the merc since they knew enough not to play with the mixture settings. But, since every guest seemed to think they knew what the settings were supposed to be they fiddled and screwed up the settings and as a result the motors ran like crap. They spent more time in the shop being retuned then on the lake. This is where they got the reputation for being "black anchors" in this neck of the woods. I got a 150 optimax and have run it for 5 seasons and have had 0 problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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