Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire mercury coming out with a couple new outboards

Nope Calvin, not full of it. I have direct experience with a 150 Verado. I am glad Mercury has finally got them figured out. My 2007 150 Verado was a total POS. It stayed in the shop more than it ran and it cost me a buttload each time to fix it. But hey, it only took them a decade to get it right.

would never buy another Mercury that hadn't at least been tested for 5 or 6 years by the public so they can work out the "bugs".

Then again, why buy a Mercury at all when there are such better motors out there. Residual resale value tells the story.

The 150 Verado was one of the best they built. When they dropped the 150, guys were scooping up the remaining as quickly as they could. I know 1st gen 150 Verados still running strong with over 4k hours on them. Entire lodges use the 150 and will replace them with the 175 once they blow. 1st gen 250s were a bit wonky, but we still got 2500 hours out of them. The lowers were a bit weak, but that has long been addressed. And we use them hard.

Sorry you got a lemon, but as a whole, they are the best thing going right now.

Didn't warranty cover the first 3 years? I feel there is more to this story...

This.

My 24' offshore center console will just break 50mph...far from scary and wish I had a little more top end.

My father's 19.5' Ranger will do right at 74mph. Much more "Flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" feeling and at the limit of what is comfortable as a passenger (IMO). Driving it is a different story...can't get enough of it.

I've gone 90mph in a buddy's Allison...once. Won't do that again.

Yep. B.O.A.T = Break Out Another Thousand.

Reliability is paramount. Some inboards are stalwarts in the sport but down here at least, there has been a very steady gravitation towards outboards vs inboards. Reliability isn't as big an issue as it used to be with outboards. The same advancements that have benefited automobiles have steadily made their way into outboards as well. And some things I would have never thought to see on a dedicated saltwater rig either--things like fly-by wire throttles, steering, and monitoring of systems that was once not even imaginable. And maintenance is far simpler on outboards. No need to stand on your head in a filthy bilge to change an oil filter or swap a hose. Outboards give you unlimited access to perform routine engine maintenance and they also don't require additional holes in your hull for cooling.

I had two years of warranty remaining after I purchased the boat/motor, but it virtually broke every time I took it out so it was constantly in the shop. After the warranty expired, I pay out of pocket for repairs till I had had enough and sold the package.

No offense meant about Verado's. Mine was just a bad one I guess, but it certainly put a sour taste in my mouth as you might expect. I am sure that in Alaska they get abused about as much is possible for a motor, so if you say folks love them and are getting thousands of hours out of them I can certainly respect your opinion.

225 and under I'd be all over from Merc. But I wouldn't touch this with a 10' post.

That I agree with.