At the dealership we always said that a Mariner was a Mercury with a bad paint job. The powerheads are all black under that Gray cowl IIRC..
I did have a old 2.4Liter 200 (389 lbs and approx 175 prop hp) on the bracket at one point. Balance was spot on, I think it ran 48 MPH.
The 550 lb motor, is a drawback in the weight department. But I like to ride out. 45 is a good cruise with the Opti getting real good mileage. 50 is a fast cruise and well, not bragging about top end because 61.7 MPH has not been seen in a very long while. BUT It will run 58 any day, on the rev limiter. It is more fun to have the power and not need it than to not have the power at all. Just saying... LOL! The hull behaves absolutely normal at speed even though it has been said they weren't designed to be fast.
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1996 -19' NV Flats 115 Mercury 4-stroke
1983 -20' Wellcraft Center Console 250 XS
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