Info Merc Opti 150

[Chesapeake Troller]

Guys again I am the new guy but what a load of great advice and support can be found here! Reading the comments on the various engines is a huge help as I am looking at that very issue for my project.

On the Zuki's, I did a Boat Trader search within 500 miles of me here in North Central FL and found a 140 hp 2007 new in crate for $7,999 and the 2008 in the mid to high $8K range. That price for a 150 yammy 2 stroke from Ed's is a great one for sure though.

I have a charter boat captain friend who added a 26 Panga to his fleet and swears by his Merc 225hp Verado 4 stroke. Price is higher that the Zuki (I found a 150hp 2006 for $8K and the 2008's are in the $10 to 12 range depending on dealer. I noticed nobody said much about the Verado in this thread... no likely it?

CT

[cterrebonne]

[QUOTE=

I have a charter boat captain friend who swears by his Merc 225hp Verado 4 stroke.

CT[/QUOTE]

i have never heard that phrase before in my life and i am not joking either. i can tell you this much about the verado's i would shy away from the ones that had non-forged internals. i would like to say they are either the 06 or 07 and older.

[Seaducer]

I don't know much about Verados other than that they are heavy, but can get a boat out of the water twice as fast as other four strokes fo the same HP. A huge disadvantage is that they are supercharged and will use twice as much fuel as most four strokes. Don't believe me; google mercury and yamaha marines. Click on engine tests and find a suitable comparison. They are pretty accurate. I am a pretty big Merc fan though. Optimaxes are my favorite. The older ones can get you in a bind though.

[spareparts]

the problem with the verado is that you have to be just about married to a dealer. All the new engines require more advanced diagnostic equipment, but a lot of that stuff is ready available. The verado stuff is dealer only(right now anyways), the engine has to be set up by a dealer(electronic shift and throttle). All the new engines are going to be or allready are this way, you will have to go to the dealer for anything. Not a bad thing if you have a good dealer(it helps if you buy the engine thru your local dealer), but for those that don't have a good dealer, it sucks. The days of rigging your own new engine are over. Yamaha and Suzuki 4 strokes can be rigged by anyone that knows how to rig an old style 2 stk(just dont add double oil for break in). But for the Verados and E-Tecs, you will have to do everything thru your dealer. If you are spending that kind of money on an outboard, you better have a good dealer iin mind, otherwise you're going to be stuck with an engine that can't be serviced

[Airslot]

Verado's aren't bad on fuel at all. I've been able to run several and they are nice for certain. Even the 150 Verado tips the scales at about 530# if I can remember, so it is not suitable for a v-20, otherwise it would be at the top of my list.

[Chesapeake Troller]

Good info on the verado. Thanks guys. Looks like either Yammy or Zuki is the best fit if you want 4 stroke with Zuki looking really like a winner. I like the price!

CT

[THEFERMANATOR]

Originally Posted by Airslot

Verado's aren't bad on fuel at all. I've been able to run several and they are nice for certain. Even the 150 Verado tips the scales at about 530# if I can remember, so it is not suitable for a v-20, otherwise it would be at the top of my list.

The latest VERADOS are not that bad on fuel, the older models(i believe mid 06 and older) are not gentle on the prescious liquid gold. VERADO owners on several forums are trying to see if there older engines can be updated with the newer electronics because of the 20-30% economy increase of the newer engines.

[phester]

what about a 200 EFI Saltwater Series? A friend of mine has one [year 2000] on a 20' Robalo CC. Although the boat is seldom used I don't think there has been any problems. That motor seems to have a lot of power.