Thousands of boats to re-power..

[2fast4mom]

...And everywhere I hear this lame, dead rap about how high-performance, lightweight outboards are "such a small segment of the market" that no manufacturer is driven to fill the need, meet the challenge of a low-emission muscle monster.

Mercury dropping the 200XS was pretty much the throwing-in-the-towel for this market for them, or at least it seems this way at the moment to me. Maybe they've got things in the works, but if all they can do is build super-heavy 3 liters and racing Verados, they're pretty much leaving a gaping hole in the market for re-powering lightweight and fast 20-foot and under hulls.

How many such hulls are in the country right now? Allison, Bullet, HydroStream, STV, the list goes on...count 'em and put a stick pin in the map of the USA and you won't be able to see the map for the pins.

E-Tec is more than halfway there with an injection system rumored to work fine up to 10K rpm. Operative word, "rumored". Why doesn't BRP come out with an under-400lb motor with a new high-aspect-ratio lower unit w/low water pickups and put the rest of the world on notice?

THOUSANDS of boaters out there with perfectly good hulls whose owners love them, and NOBODY is going to make motors for them?

Sounds to me like an opportunity in work clothes for a forward-thinking company.

[beer30]

The smaller hulls can work well with the 3.0. Here's one for you. Chuck

[jphii]

And another:

[beer30]

The people who purchased the 2.5 and it's derivatives, are far and few between when you look at the BIG picture. This website has 26,500 members, how many have a 2.5?? And when I talk 2.5, I mean the 280 or 260, and even throw in the 225 Pro Max or the X. Around here people have more Yami's, Honda or 'Rudes, Merc is barely in the mix. Also alot of the performance boat have I/O's also. Chuck

[mercpunk]

it is not just that though ... how many people buy new or have the money to buy new ??????? I would say somewhere around 1/8 of the people on this site . why buy new when you can pick a good 260 for less than $4000 any day of the week. It is all about the money and the drive or willingness to spend it on mercury's part

[B1750]

Unfortunately i have to agree with 2fast4mom here

Over here in Australia we do a fair bit of circuit racing and the smaller hulls are finding it harder to turn with the bigger motors

I would love to see Merc produce a current model 225 Pro Max utilising the 2.5 block with all latest technology
Personally i would be 1st person on bandwagon down at dealership buying new motor

[beer30]

Unfortunately i have to agree with 2fast4mom here

Over here in Australia we do a fair bit of circuit racing and the smaller hulls are finding it harder to turn with the bigger motors

I would love to see Merc produce a current model 225 Pro Max utilising the 2.5 block with all latest technology
Personally i would be 1st person on bandwagon down at dealership buying new motor

You misunderstood my post. I LOVE the Merc 2.5 series ( 280, older 260 and the 300 Drag). But as John Tiger once said " Times are a Changing". It's up to us to overcome or adapt. Chuck

[gfinch]

Emissions are driving the engine market. I think we can thank the Greenie's for the demise of the smaller/lighter/HP engines, at this point. You and I live in the state that mandates Green and the rest of the states follow.
Technology has/will produce more power but emission/silencing devices keep adding weight and cost.

[stevek]

I have considered options for repowering my YT. When I emailed Jaco asking about the new Merc HP consumer OB I was told they all weighted (505lbs) to much for my boat. I don’t know the weight of a 2.5 HP motor, but I have to believe it is nowhere near 505 lbs.

[beer30]

I have considered options for repowering my YT. When I emailed Jaco asking about the new Merc HP consumer OB I was told they all weighted (505lbs) to much for my boat. I don’t know the weight of a 2.5 HP motor, but I have to believe it is nowhere near 505 lbs.

About 350 to 400 lbs. for the 2.5 series. Chuck

[stevek]

About 350 to 400 lbs. for the 2.5 series. Chuck

Thanks Chuck. I have a 2.5 HP os carb motor on my boat now.

[Stinky]

...
THOUSANDS of boaters out there with perfectly good hulls whose owners love them, and NOBODY is going to make motors for them?

Sounds to me like an opportunity in work clothes for a forward-thinking company.

Merc had the 200XS, and the 2.5XS and NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY bought them.

Seems like the other part of your post (small segment) was right.

Why build something that nobody buys. Hard to get that one past a forward-thinking company.

[stevek]

Merc had the 200XS, and the 2.5XS and NOBODY, and I mean NOBODY bought them.

Seems like the other part of your post (small segment) was right.

Why build something that nobody buys. Hard to get that one past a forward-thinking company.

Just a guess. But at the time they were introduced good used 2.5 225's, 245's, 260's and 280's were still available that outperformed them.

[2fast4mom]

The 2.5XS was a dog, having the 3 liter gearcase/mid (heavier) and not available in a 15" configuration, which many folks prefer. A few of my friends have the 200XS and like them, but the following is probably true:

at the time they were introduced good used 2.5 225's, 245's, 260's and 280's were still available that outperformed them.

Not to mention that until last year, new 280's and 2.5 drag motors were still available as well..

At every boat show, I keep waiting to see something with the following capabilities exhibited. If they made it, I'd buy it. I own quite a few outboards, powerheads, and gearcases, and if they made something with engineering callout parameters like this, I'd sign on:

-gross weight not to exceed 400 lbs.
-2 stroke, electronic fuel management (envisage what modern electronics are capable of!)
-250 to 300 propshaft hp. Maybe keep it right under 250 to satisfy the BASS guys and extend market reach.
-9,000 rpm capability with a manufacturer's recommended top rpm of 8400 or thereabouts, with peak power at around 8,000. None of this "be happy with 5,000 rpm and 500 lbs" stuff.
-a lower unit that closely resembles one of the "modified" cases of the day from the bassboat/sportboat world, such as a Bob's or Titus, JC's or Robbie from Sanderson's.
-available in a 15" driveshaft configuration.
-Emission standards that satisfy the EPA and CARB.

I've been fortunate enough to be around lots of fast boats and great people. There are thousands of 20 foot and under hulls out there with service lives well into the foreseeable future, and yes, you can hang 500 lb motors on SOME of them, but still it's not optimal and a compromise. It puts the performance of the hulls as they were designed well under their limits.

All this shrugging and "adapt to the times" stuff to me is just a cop-out. Some bean-counters in the ivory corporate towers decided that R&D was better spent in easier technologies that ultimately produce platforms with higher base weights. What do they want us to do, shred our lightweight hulls or make wading pools and flowerbeds out of them?

This reminds me of the 1970's in the automotive world, when the EPA killed the muscle-cars. At the time, the mantra was, "it couldn't be done". 30 years later, we have cars that outperform the cars of that time, albeit with lots of technology and much higher prices, but the engines meet the stringent requirements. I suppose the difference here is that the market, relatively speaking, IS much smaller than that of the muscle-car, but I for one am totally convinced that there are enough customers out there to justify an investment in the above parameters.

Lou

[gfinch]

How long ago was it LEGAL to buy a carbureted 2 stroke outboard in California. How long ago was it LEGAL to buy and then bring a 280 into Calif.
CARB was trying to mandate catalytic converters on all inboard boats a while back. They got their way and got rid of all carbureted engines in cars in 1990 and carbed outboards in I think 1995 or so.

California Air Resources Board (CARB) is governed by no one and answers to no one. They know whats best for you, just ask them.