Repower with Mercury from Yamaha

[ROBERTHBBC]

Hi Folks, I am thinking of repowering and have seen random information and tests of these newer 4 stroke Mercury motors and seem to be they are very impressive.
I used to have a 1968 115hp Merc on my 17' Starcraft and loved it. Right now, I have twin 200hp 2006 Yamaha HPDI's and getting tires of the maintenance they must have to keep them going....O2 sensors every season, clean out the carbon, change all fuel filters, etc. Right now fighting one motor that is shaking and we can't seem to figure out the issue. Injectors pulled right now and will hope that resolves it, but will see. You get my point on would like to repower.....

Now, would love to know more about these newer Merc 200's. They are same weight as my 2 strokes, so would be a good replacement in that respect. Anything you can tell me about this is great. Reliability is key...knowing new designs have bugs, how are these motors doing now? How long have they been out?

I run mostly all ocean running out 50-60 miles mostly, so anyone with experience on these to help me make my decision is appreciated.

[Another Distraction]

I'm in the same boat. My only comment is go 225hp if you don't want to loose any performance. Then there's the question of v6 225HP or V8 225hp. Good luck!

[Pulsare2020]

I'm in the same boat. My only comment is go 225hp if you don't want to loose any performance. Then there's the question of v6 225HP or V8 225hp. Good luck!

The weight difference between a 200 HP V6 or V8 is not really that much. I would think that a 200 HP V8 (the lowest HP rating for the 4.6L V8 package, has to be the least stressed engine in the Mercury V6 / V8 lineup. That has nothing to do with failures of other components like alternators, fuel injectors, coils, ECM's, etc. However the mechanical components of engine have to be the least stressed, so if you run far offshore that might be a good thing. It would be the same for a 200 SHO Yamaha, versus a 300 SHO Yamaha.

[ROBERTHBBC]

From what I see, they only offer the 4 stroke in 6 cylinder for the 200. I am limited to total of 400hp for my boat. Would the performance not be very similar to the Yamaha HPDI now with the new improved torque, etc on the 4 strokes?

[Another Distraction]

He's talking about the 200hp V8 PRO XS. That's the only v8 200 that merc makes.

If reliability/longevity is your #1 concern, go v6 sea pro 200. It'll be much quieter than any pro-xs.

Performance is the $45k question. Are you 21 years old running wide open in the ocean tied to the T-Top so you don't fall out?

[ROBERTHBBC]

I don't think I need the Pro XS. Just the 200 4 stroke. I think the sea pro model has much less in options, not sure about it.
I typically run on a good day about 35 to 40 mph. Not so good days, 20-27mph depending on seas.
Some times, I will run full speed for a bit to get out of boat traffic and help burn off some carbon. Top speed for me now is around 48mph with full load. Boat is very heavy. I have just tipped 49.7 before with light load.

[EuropeanAM]

Sea-Pro model is primarily for commercial use.

Might also look at the Verado version in your case. DTS and the Advanced Midsection are really nice when it comes to twins (and features that will keep you busy thinking about the options for days). Joystick Piloting, Skyhook, Auto-Pilot, Total control by wire, Theft Deterrent, and the list goes on.

What you've not mentioned is what type of boat you have.

[Another Distraction]

He would need a bigger motor than 200hp to get the real Verado wouldn't he?

If you do repower from HPDI 200 to Mercury 4S 200 report back with results. Speed, RPM's, time to plane......

[ROBERTHBBC]

I have a 1992 Grady White 252G Sportbridge model.

I have read some over the years on the Verado's and they seem great, but when the new 4S model came out, I really like the new design and features. I don't see a Verado offered in 200hp size.

If they have a 200, the Joystick Piloting, Skyhook feature would be awesome, and would help I am sure with the docking, but I do ok there today...of course there are days when jogging to the dock would make life easier.
I want to find a way eventually to install a trolling motor to keep us in position when bottom fishing.....the new 96" model would work with some custom installation, but that is another $5-6K investment. I am sure repower would be over $40K range.
I have autopilot with my Lowrance HDS Live 12 and it works great.

I thought the 4S 200 has DTS also?

By the way, anyone have any idea why I am not getting notifications when someone responds to a post? I have the settings to allow this, but not getting them. I checked my spam and they are not there either.

[EuropeanAM]

On your last question- I've found some email addresses aren't letting the email notifications through. I don't get any notifications from BBC (whether or not they're turned on).

You can always log in, go to "Links" and "Subscribed Threads" to see the topics you've been involved in most recently.

The 200hp is available in 35 different models (most are V6, ProXS is V8), many of which are DTS. To get Joystick Piloting and many of the advanced features (especially the AMS or Advanced Mid-Section that comes with the Verado models), you'll have to go to 250 or higher models.

[ROBERTHBBC]

Thanks for the info....I am following the Mercury website for this series here: https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/...ke/175-300-hp/

Based on their performance claims against the "competition" which I take it is Yamaha, the performance is better by far in many categories. This to me seems to be the first motor that is competent enough to replace and follow similar performance of the 2 stroke HPDI motor, with improvements in sound level, smoothness, maintenance and fuel consumption amongst the newest developments since the 2006 motors that I have.

Mostly what I am worried with is take off power when navigating heavy seas, especially in the inlets. Need the torque to get my heavy boat in control and not let it slide back into the swells that like to overtake you especially on an outgoing tide with incoming seas.

The existing motors I have now are very powerful, enough that if you are not hanging on when putting in gear, will catch you off guard and take off is insane. The Grady planes very fast even though she is very heavy. I think in like 3 seconds or so. If I am close to anything like this with the 4 strokes, I am good and happy with them.

The next item of concern is the reliability factor. I know new technology has issues, but I am hoping by now most of the bugs have been worked out. I have seen concerns about the alternators and proper batteries so far. Sounds like the latest alternators might be improved and stable. What else is out there that should be of any concern?

[EuropeanAM]

Seen very few problems with these overall... even in the early models (in part due to TENS of thousands of hours running pre-production engines in R&D).

Since we're now heading into the 6th production year on the V6/V8's, I think it's safe to say that they've proven to be significantly more reliable (overall).