No G2 repower, thinking Mercury now

[cmbtvet]

Since last month my boat had been at a dealer in Port Charlotte waiting for Evinrude to re-open production so I could get a new G2 but I think we all know how that ended this week. Today I went and picked up the boat and brought it home. Now I'm thinking Mercury either the Pro xs 200 or regular 4 stroke 200. I'm not really sure what the differences are between them since I haven't had much time to research and haven't had time to get any quotes on them.

My question(s) are:
1) Has anyone repowered with either model?
2) What is a ballpark cost for either model?
3) Does either model have the ability to switch between hotfoot and hand control?

I would like to stick with Mercury since it is American made but I'm not completely ruling out Yamaha or Suzuki just yet.

[MengRanger]

I would post this on the Merc 4 stroke forum as Don Weed can give you more insight on the real differences. I do know that I just moved to the 4 stroke Pro XS and love it so far.

[mikesxpress]

On-line engine pricing available at Jacos.

[cmbtvet]

I would post this on the Merc 4 stroke forum as Don Weed can give you more insight on the real differences. I do know that I just moved to the 4 stroke Pro XS and love it so far.

Thanks, just posted it over there.

[clintbull1]

I just repowered in December with a new 2019 Yamaha 250 SHO four stroke crate motor for my 2004 Ranger 521VX.
Its a great engine and I wish I had done this years ago. I had a Yamaha 250 HPDI two stroke on it. the four reasons I repowered

1.) The Yamaha HPDI 2 stroke was LOUD
2.) I hated putting oil in it
3.) It was going to eventually need a new powerhead
4.) I got a smoking deal on the new motor.

So your questions, my answers

1.) There are huge differences between the Pro XS 2 Stroke vs 4 Stroke
2.) I got a smoking deal 18.5K for new engine. But normally they are way higher the Mercury 250 ProXS 4 Stroke was priced to me at 22K.
3.) My Yamaha does not have the ability to switch between. I believe Mercury is the same way.... I use a hot foot

I went with Yamaha over the Mercury because of the following reasons

1.) Yamaha Factory Service has been amazing and they have always gone above and beyond with every account I've had (which have been few over decades) or ever heard of from other owners.
2.) My new 250 SHO is extremely quiet. it truly purrs like a kitten
3.) The new Mercury Pro XS is way louder than the Yamaha by a mile. If you like the sound of a American muscle car with great exhaust notes. The Pro XS 4 Stroke is the way to go.
4.) Yamaha has worked all the bugs out of there SHO engines since the introduction I believe in 2011. There is no mystery with this Yamaha engine.
5.) Mercury Pro XS 4 Stroke is it a good engine? I don't know, Time will tell....

The new mercury is a beautiful engine. it would have looked great on the back of my ole 2004 Ranger. But I went with a reliable engine with a proven track record over a sexy new Merc that really doesn't have very much of a record yet. Again time will tell

Suzuki. Ive heard great things about that motor. Only problem for me is finding a dealer to work on them. But your in Florida and I know there are more Suzuki dealers over there.

Hope this helps ya

CA

[Jig34]

You can wait until Suzuki buys them and see what deals come out

[cmbtvet]

I just repowered in December with a new 2019 Yamaha 250 SHO four stroke crate motor for my 2004 Ranger 521VX.
Its a great engine and I wish I had done this years ago. I had a Yamaha 250 HPDI two stroke on it. the four reasons I repowered

1.) The Yamaha HPDI 2 stroke was LOUD
2.) I hated putting oil in it
3.) It was going to eventually need a new powerhead
4.) I got a smoking deal on the new motor.

So your questions, my answers

1.) There are huge differences between the Pro XS 2 Stroke vs 4 Stroke
2.) I got a smoking deal 18.5K for new engine. But normally they are way higher the Mercury 250 ProXS 4 Stroke was priced to me at 22K.
3.) My Yamaha does not have the ability to switch between. I believe Mercury is the same way.... I use a hot foot

I went with Yamaha over the Mercury because of the following reasons

1.) Yamaha Factory Service has been amazing and they have always gone above and beyond with every account I've had (which have been few over decades) or ever heard of from other owners.
2.) My new 250 SHO is extremely quiet. it truly purrs like a kitten
3.) The new Mercury Pro XS is way louder than the Yamaha by a mile. If you like the sound of a American muscle car with great exhaust notes. The Pro XS 4 Stroke is the way to go.
4.) Yamaha has worked all the bugs out of there SHO engines since the introduction I believe in 2011. There is no mystery with this Yamaha engine.
5.) Mercury Pro XS 4 Stroke is it a good engine? I don't know, Time will tell....

The new mercury is a beautiful engine. it would have looked great on the back of my ole 2004 Ranger. But I went with a reliable engine with a proven track record over a sexy new Merc that really doesn't have very much of a record yet. Again time will tell

Suzuki. Ive heard great things about that motor. Only problem for me is finding a dealer to work on them. But your in Florida and I know there are more Suzuki dealers over there.

Hope this helps ya

CA

Thanks for the answers. After having a little time to look into the Pro xs and the regular 4 stroke, I found out that all the Pro xs models except the 175 are V8s and they have a bit more torque than the regular 4 stroke models.
I have a hotfoot currently and I love it but there are times when having the hand control would be really nice to have (long no wake zones going from lake to lake in some of our lake chains here) so the ability to switch between them was a nice feature the G2 had and was hoping that other manufacturers had it as well. I've requested quotes from a couple Merc dealers around here and I'm waiting for either a call back or email from them. I'd like to go with Mercury since they are American made but I think cost will be the big determining factor. Mercury is the dominating motor around here with Yamaha being a close second. I've been told by a local outboard mechanic that the Suzukis will take the abuse of everyday use and that's what most of our local commercial shiner fishermen power their boats with.

[MichaelJ3]

All the new Merc’s are digital throttle and shift at their core, some have mechanical control input that converts to digital internally. To do the combo HotFoot and Hand Control, I think you need an actual DTS motor, which is available, and then the DTS controls for both hand and foot.

[clintbull1]

Thats interesting about the DTS/Smart craft controls for mercury. Wonder what the price tag is

[Bassin Bob71]

In regards to sound, the Merc V8 4S sounds absolutely bada$$ at start up and idle but quiets down considerably at 1500 RPM and above. Its much quieter running than the old Opti's were.

[jmartin56]

Just wanted to chime in on your comments about the hand throttle and hot foot. I have an 05 250 Verado and it has this function. I believe(could be wrong of course) that this is a fairly common item for a verado. Verado is more expensive than the new Pro XS from what I've seen. A couple thousand more on sticker price i believe. I know of a local dealer here in west KY that has a new 250 Pro XS for 18,500.

I love the hand throttle function btw. Long runs from the north end of KY lake down south are a breeze with the hand control throttle, but can still use the hot foot during bad waves and short runs. Worth extra money to get it IMO.

If I was buying new, I'd lean SHO just from the reports from multiple dealers/mechanics i talk to that have very few issues with the motors. One perk of a SHO that I know of is you can flash the computer to make a 200 a 250 if you'd like. Had a local dealer inform me its a same size motor just turned down for the 200 rating.

[MichaelJ3]

Just wanted to chime in on your comments about the hand throttle and hot foot. I have an 05 250 Verado and it has this function. I believe(could be wrong of course) that this is a fairly common item for a verado. Verado is more expensive than the new Pro XS from what I've seen. A couple thousand more on sticker price i believe. I know of a local dealer here in west KY that has a new 250 Pro XS for 18,500.

I love the hand throttle function btw. Long runs from the north end of KY lake down south are a breeze with the hand control throttle, but can still use the hot foot during bad waves and short runs. Worth extra money to get it IMO.

You do not need a Verado to get DTS, you only need to get the DTS motor, and associated DTS controls.

[Thorny]

I have a hotfoot currently and I love it but there are times when having the hand control would be really nice to have (long no wake zones going from lake to lake in some of our lake chains here) so the ability to switch between them was a nice feature the G2 had and was hoping that other manufacturers had it as well.

This was the feature I was looking forward to the most whenever I bought my boat with a G2. It just seems to make so much sense to be able to switch back and forth depending on the boating situation (like the 2 hours of slow driving during break-in). But, I guess since a Hot Foot is an aftermarket item, the engine manufacturers aren't totally in charge of making it a standard feature.

Seems silly to me, though. The John Deere tractors from the late 1960s that I learned to drive on could figure out how to have a hand throttle that was augmented with a foot throttle. Why not a boat in the 2020s?

Tight Lines.

[jmartin56]

You do not need a Verado to get DTS, you only need to get the DTS motor, and associated DTS controls.

Correct.

I was not saying that it only comes on the verado, just that it seems to be a mostly standard item on the verado from what I've seen. And if that is the case(ask a dealer) then it may be cost effective to get a verado if that's the main feature that is desired. May not be cost effective whatsoever, but just wanted to point it out as another option

[cmbtvet]

Update on the DTS; It bumps the price up considerably, close to $3k. The DTS hotfoot alone is about $900. The ability to switch between hand control and hotfoot would be nice but not $3,000 nice. That being said, I've gotten a quote from a local dealer that was way under what I was going to pay for a G2 so I'm having a jack plate put on as well, mostly because the dealer said using sandwich brackets for the Talons will void Mercury warranty. Anyway, I'll just be happy to get back on the water and still save a little bit of $$$

[MichaelJ3]

So, the benefits of DTS are bigger than just DTS. By default, you then get a smartcraft network (will be extra charge on a mechanical). You get Drive/Fly by wire, no cables to adjust, no mechanical linkage at al. But, yes, it probably jumps the cost up.

I do recommend getting some sort of SmartCraft network and gauges installed...you will be glad you did, trust me. I will never own a boat without again. (You don't need the DTS motor for this)

Ask the dealer, I would either go with the SC-1000 SYstem Tach and Speedometer combo, or add a VesselView Link and hook to your Lowrance.

[cmbtvet]

I'm getting the MercMonitor with NMEA backbone to connect to my Lowrance graph.
MercMonitor.jpg

[MichaelJ3]

I'm getting the MercMonitor with NMEA backbone to connect to my Lowrance graph.
MercMonitor.jpg

Good Choice

[Whiteboat]

I'm getting the MercMonitor with NMEA backbone to connect to my Lowrance graph.
MercMonitor.jpg

You might want to see if it will retofit into the Tachometer hole.