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The fall of Mercury Racing, is it true?

Outdrive1

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Good read. [emoji106]
 

LargeOrangeFont

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Sounds like they are just following the money to me... Bigger engines they make more money on for bigger, more expensive boats.
 

mbrown2

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Totally agree....thought the demise the Merc's OB Racing was the cancellation of the 2.5 program....mostly everything went to the 3.0 or 3.2 liter and the 4 stroke Verado's were tanks..

I personally love little boats like Skater 21's that are at home on small river's like Parker but can take Havasu chop like a much bigger boat....but they are more fun with a small light engine that revs and makes good HP...

Like most boating manufactures it seems bigger boats and bigger motors is the norm....I like to see boats like Tuff that are focused on making a good 21 and 24 that capitalize on smaller lighter power.

Someone needs to figure out how to get a 400lb 4 stroke to make 250HP with different shaft lengths..

The Mercury magazine of old was so cool....today it is really not about racing and more about big bloated production outboards...
 

Stainless

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Totally agree....thought the demise the Merc's OB Racing was the cancellation of the 2.5 program....mostly everything went to the 3.0 or 3.2 liter and the 4 stroke Verado's were tanks..

I personally love little boats like Skater 21's that are at home on small river's like Parker but can take Havasu chop like a much bigger boat....but they are more fun with a small light engine that revs and makes good HP...

Like most boating manufactures it seems bigger boats and bigger motors is the norm....I like to see boats like Tuff that are focused on making a good 21 and 24 that capitalize on smaller lighter power.

Someone needs to figure out how to get a 400lb 4 stroke to make 250HP with different shaft lengths..

The Mercury magazine of old was so cool....today it is really not about racing and more about big bloated production outboards...

Agree, the 2.5(260, 280 and 300 Drag) was the pinnacle of high performance outboards. [emoji469]
 

Outdrive1

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Lets see. Build little hot rods. And sell one here and there to a select market. Or build monsters that high rollers put 3/4/5 per center console. 15k versus 90/150k. I think DCB figured this out too.
 

Cray Paper

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Follow the money. It's that simple. When the high end market gets saturated and the middle to lower end becomes more proffitable and sustainable the focus will shift.
 

WavetoWave

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Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think Mercury is working on something based on their four-stroke 150 HP 3.0L engine. Could be interesting, I am going to try and find out more.
 

shueman

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Best part of the article

RE: 400R Verado -
"These are for guys that drive their boat a few times a year, wear loafers and slurp vodka sodas at parties while bragging about how many times they've been married."

LMAO !
 

Flying_Lavey

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I like the article. It is ski annoying how there are no weight appropriate 200+ hp options out there. As much as I love my 2 strokes, if there was a legit 4 stroke alternative that didn't add 200+ lbs along with it, I'd be interested in them.
 

footer

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Yup, follow the boomers money. 25 years ago on the lakes and rivers where I boat it was possible to see a few "hot boats" almost every time we went out. Now I see one or two truly fast boats in the 18 to 22 foot range a summer. Most frequent boaters today either cruise around in a pontoon, fish, or wakeboard/surf.
 

rivermobster

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Thank the EPA for killing the 2.5s
Here is the real truth...

Everything has to be CARB legal now. This is the reason for the direction.

Same as with cars.

Anyone want a hybrid boat?
 

Hava-Schiada

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My 225 Pro Max needs a rebuild. I am going to re power instead with a new 2017 300xs. This will add 150 lbs to the transom. Concerned the weight will cause handling issues with the 20' Schiada.. I know this has been done before with the same motor, just not sure how much changed with handling. :grumble: Wish there was a lighter brand new offering with a warranty!
 

Outdrive1

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My 225 Pro Max needs a rebuild. I am going to re power instead with a new 2017 300xs. This will add 150 lbs to the transom. Concerned the weight will cause handling issues with the 20' Schiada.. I know this has been done before with the same motor, just not sure how much changed with handling. :grumble: Wish there was a lighter brand new offering with a warranty!

Thats an issue for sure. Do you have 3/8 plate for kickers inside or 1/4?

I could sell my 280ros for enough to put a 300xs on mine tomorrow. I don?t think it would be any faster and I think it would screw up the cg. My boat works really really well. It?s so well balanced. It?s going to suck when I need to repower.
 

Outdrive1

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You can do the 200XS ROS. That?s a pretty decent option.
 

ONE-A-DAY

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You can do the 200XS ROS. That?s a pretty decent option.

Can you even get a 200 ROS these days? I thought you had to have some connections to get one during the limited production run they make of them each year.

$20,000 and no warranty would be troubling.
 

Hava-Schiada

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Thats an issue for sure. Do you have 3/8 plate for kickers inside or 1/4?

I could sell my 280ros for enough to put a 300xs on mine tomorrow. I don?t think it would be any faster and I think it would screw up the cg. My boat works really really well. It?s so well balanced. It?s going to suck when I need to repower.

1/4. The 200xs ROS is not warrantied. Fallon rigged an older 20 that is in Parker. Fast as hell, but they have to drive through the chine walk.
 

ONE-A-DAY

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I love my boat but I?m getting tired or running 25-30 year old motors, so many little stupid things fail, not so much the big ticket items but simple failures that take a lot of time to repair. Mid section bolts snapped after 25 years, powerhead has to come off, major pain in the ass for a $1 bolt.
 

Hava-Schiada

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I love my boat but I?m getting tired or running 25-30 year old motors, so many little stupid things fail, not so much the big ticket items but simple failures that take a lot of time to repair. Mid section bolts snapped after 25 years, powerhead has to come off, major pain in the ass for a $1 bolt.

Right? That's why I really don't want to hassle with rebuild. The Pro Max served us well!
 

Outdrive1

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1/4. The 200xs ROS is not warrantied. Fallon rigged an older 20 that is in Parker. Fast as hell, but they have to drive through the chine walk.

Stan told me you need the 3/8 plate with the bigger motors. So you might have to do some transom work. I was told mine had a 300 on it at one time and ripped the transom out of it. It?s got 3/8 plate now and a new transom.


As for the 200. Yes it?s still available and I bet Lee could get you one. If not you can find them used. I had drew at boatmasters looking for one for me. Pretty sure he could get one too.

Second. Lee did a 20 with a 175xs. I was told you can buy the 175 and put the 200 computer on it. I?d talk to Joe at DBR about that and you?d probably be right there with a 175 and DBR upgrade.

I honestly don?t think a 3 liter is going to work but what do I know. I?ve been in a bunch of 20?s and all I can say is mine flies flat all the time. I wouldn?t trade the ride for an XS. I don?t care if I gotta run a/v gas, and red oil at 32/1.
 

Stainless

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The deadline for ordering a 200XS ROS is Oct 31 according to a tweet I saw from Mercury Racing a few weeks back. And as someone mentioned it is supposed to be used for racing as is the 15? 400 ROS.
 

Outdrive1

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The deadline for ordering a 200XS ROS is Oct 31 according to a tweet I saw from Mercury Racing a few weeks back. And as someone mentioned it is supposed to be used for racing as is the 15? 400 ROS.

As was the 280. But you can get them. Hell if it?s a 20 it could easily be a ski race boat. [emoji6]
 

RiverDave

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Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think Mercury is working on something based on their four-stroke 150 HP 3.0L engine. Could be interesting, I am going to try and find out more.

The word on the street is virtually everything except the 350/400R's is being retooled.. And by retooled I mean all new engine blocks, ground up retooled.. Coming out with a whole new line up both above and below the 400HP mark.

I can ask my buddy more about that tomorrow.

RD
 

Outdrive1

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The word on the street is virtually everything except the 400R's is being retooled.. And by retooled I mean all new engine blocks, ground up retooled.. Coming out with a whole new line up both above and below the 400HP mark.

I can ask my buddy more about that tomorrow.

RD

I think there?s a quite a few that would like to see some bigger hp offerings on the 2.5 platform for weight. A 3 liter is literally 150 lbs heavier. Which a 225xs and up is the a 3 liter. Ask him that maybe Dave. I would have to go to a 175xs or 200ros to stay close to the same weight as my 280. [emoji1418]
 

Headless hula

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The article is worth a few minutes of your time.
 

Stainless

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As was the 280. But you can get them. Hell if it?s a 20 it could easily be a ski race boat. [emoji6]

I picked up the phone a few times and nearly dialed you guys about that pair of 280?s a couple years back. Did you split them up and take one for yourself?
I got caught needing to re-power in ?05 at the discontinuation and bought a pair of 250XS but always wish I could have found a pair of 15 inch 280s.
 

RiverDave

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So don't quote me on all this because he was in a bar and it was loud as hell so I was having a hard time hearing him.. But basically Suzuki came out with a dual prop deal that is the shit for the big Center Consoles. More efficient, etc.. (Note Mercury made a dual prop Outboard at one time, and he said as well a dual prop # 6? I have never seen one? I do remember the blackhawks though)

http://www.suzukimarine.com/Product Lines/Outboard Motors/Products/DF350A/2012/DF350A.aspx

Yamaha announced they are coming out with a 475HP outboard, and they are also aggressively going after the bass boat market. Which means they will be light (aluminum blocks etc..)


So what he told me is Merc just bought some die cast machine, but it isn't big enough to do the big 1350's and big blocks.. So the word on the street is this is for the new line up of outboards coming out, and they will be retooling everything except the 350 / 400 Platform, and will be releasing light weight outboards both below and above the 400 Mark. So it sounds like your guy's wishes just might come true.

Granted most of that is hearsay, but it's put together by a bunch of big names in the industry.

He's gonna call me tomorrow when he's in a more quiet environment, and will probably tell me how I screwed this post all up.. LOL But that's near as I could tell from what I could hear him say.

RD
 

Wicky

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Here is the real truth...

Everything has to be CARB legal now. This is the reason for the direction.

Same as with cars.

Anyone want a hybrid boat?

Same with my new Husky chain saws that I keep taking back that don't run worth a shit.
 

WavetoWave

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I think there?s a quite a few that would like to see some bigger hp offerings on the 2.5 platform for weight. A 3 liter is literally 150 lbs heavier. Which a 225xs and up is the a 3 liter. Ask him that maybe Dave. I would have to go to a 175xs or 200ros to stay close to the same weight as my 280. [emoji1418]

The 3.0 Fourstroke used for the 150 is only 15Lbs. heavier than the 2.5 200 XS. My sense is they are going to use that block to go up, 175, possibly 200 but probably more in the ProXS category. Which is pretty good.
 

Wicky

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Not anymore, it's discontinued. It was extremely limited production, non-consumer engine.
The 200XS has not been discontinued. It is a limited production, non warranted motor, built for the Dubois boat class. The key to this is, Merc has to build at least 30 of theae to run the line. If the guy overseas who puts on that class of racing doesn't order, they probably wont produce next March unless someone else orders enough. As far as the 175 that is 15lbs heavier....Merc says there is no such thing. My boat is unsafe with anything bigger than a 2.5. I have done my research.
 
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