Merc 115 4 stroke report....

[sosmerc]

Got a chance yesterday to water test a 2003 115 Merc 4 stroke on a 17ft. SeaRay. This engine replaced a 125 Merc 2 stroke that went tits up. The 125 spun a 21 pitch prop. I put a 17 pitch on the 4 stroke thinking that would give it adequate hole shot and still remain near its 6000 rpm redline.
Well, I think the owners are going to be disappointed. This thing sure doesn't have very much get up and go. Yea, it's very smooth and quiet at idle...they will love that compared to that funky 125's erratic nature, but will they be able to ski behind this thing? Now, more than ever, I'm thinking they should have gone for the Optimax 115....probably would have run circles around the 4 stroke. But they were afraid of it, being the first year of a brand new model....and I sure don't blame them on that thinking...this re-badged Yamaha does have a great reputation for reliability. Maybe after break-in it will respond a little better...I sure as heck hope so. (maybe 4 strokes should be limited to pontoon boats!!):D

[Capt.Insane-o]

They are a dog, and are best left to the pontoon crowd. To tell you the truth, other than the v-6s and the small two srokes, I believe there is some hanky panky going on, none of the midrange two strokes run worth a ****. They suck, running quality is terrible, I saw a new 90 at the boat ramp yesterday and it ran like ****. And it's not the first one.

[Markus]

Sosmerc,

The sad thing is that the problems with the early Optis and FICHTs may eventually turn out to be what killed the two-stroke outboard.

You are right that your customers cannot be blamed for putting a 115 Mercaha 4-stroke on the transom, but the sad truth is that a 115 or 130 hp 2-stroke Yamaha would have been just as reliable, stronger and cheaper.