General motor buying questions

[Locke N Load]

Hey all. As the restoration of my Seafari 20 continues I am always thinking a couple steps ahead to be ready when needed. Now I am thinking about 20 steps ahead regarding a motor.

The motor I am planning on going with is a Mercury 150 XL 4 stroke. I like the balance of power, weight, simplicity and cost it offers. Internet sleuthing shows offered prices from $11.3k to $14k with most in the $12.2-12.7 range. My plan is to call all the local Massachusetts dealers for quotes in hopes of finding something reasonable. I want to be able to compare apples to apples though.

Will dealers sell just a motor and let me pick it up? Since I am doing such a complete rebuild I would love to be able to mount and rig the motor as well, but am not sure if that is ever allowed. I think some places/manufacturers will and then you bring the boat back to the dealer for them to inspect and sign off for warranty issues.

If buying and picking up is not an option what is the process then and what is included? I am thinking fuel line, steering, controls, battery cables, electronics cables, gauges, prop, etc. What can I provide or do myself and what should I expect the dealer to want or need to do?

Obviously, this is my first time purchasing a motor so I do not know what to expect. I know when it comes to cars mechanics are not typically fond of the customer buying the part and bringing it to them for install so I want to avoid rookie mistakes like that before I start calling around.

Any input, suggestions, recommendations, warnings, etc. will be much appreciated. Thanks.

[DonV]

Have you looked at BPS, big Mercury dealer. However like most things in BPS it's max retail price plus their rigging cost was "to be determined". I looked at getting a 250 2S from them and install myself using my old Mercury rigging, however they said there would be NO warranty if I started it without them going through an initial inspection and they do the start up/break in!! Forgot the cost for that "service", but it was high and I thought that was crazy talk!!! I mean what's the deal? You put double oil and gas in it and fire that mother up. Good luck, that 150 seems like a perfect choice!

[dirtwheelsfl]

If a dealer wont let u take it and rig yourself, find a different dealer! No way in hell im letting anyone touch anything other than initial start up for warranty. <which should be all they need to do for it, you can do the rest...

Maybe let them hang it, but watchout for bubba tightening the mounting bolts with his impact wrench to 200ft lbs...

[Locke N Load]

Originally Posted by dirtwheelsfl

If a dealer wont let u take it and rig yourself, find a different dealer! No way in hell im letting anyone touch anything other than initial start up for warranty. <which should be all they need to do for it, you can do the rest...

Maybe let them hang it, but watchout for bubba tightening the mounting bolts with his impact wrench to 200ft lbs...

Awesome! Good to know I am not thinking it is unreasonable to want to do it myself. A. It is cheaper. B. I get to know how it works and goes together. C. I know it is done right and if not done right I know who to blame. Haha

[Locke N Load]

I made a few calls. First place never answered their phone. It was 2:00 on a Friday. Next place said they do not sell Mercurys. Next place said they cannot sell individual motors. Last place laughed at me and said good luck finding one. Not the best start, but I am not discouraged.

[pelican]

Get yourself a Suzuki and be done with it

Right now, motors are in short supply, due to this whole “flu thing” some dealers indeed
Do have a limited supply.
Sounds like you have your mind made up, as far as a Merc is concerned, but I can tell you this ; take a good look at the Suzuki - it’s not the same motor as 5yrs ago !
I’ve seen very and I mean very few problems with the new Suzuki’s !
The older ones were a huge problem - harness problems, corrosion , parts availability , etc
All that has changed and changed dramatically !
The warranty is tough to beat ! The reliability and dependability is off the chart !!!

I do not, endorse products - I’ve a whole host of experience in the marine repair field - I do believe the new Suzuki motors are as close to bullet proof as you can get .

[strick]

I recently purchased a new 150 MERC for my egret 189. The dealer gave me the option of hanging it myself. Or having them do it. I decided to have them do it after I took off the old motor that was already on the boat. Very easy to work with and nothing but satisfaction with this dealer. Find a reputable high end dealer and you should be ok. I don’t know about supply right now...but last year around this time it took about 10 days to get. Your gonna love the MERC 150.

Strick

[bmajvi]

I bought a "Certified Pre-Owned" Merc 150 from a dealer in Florida that came with a one year factory warranty. I shipped it down and did the install and rigging myself, but a Merc certified tech signed off on the install. It's not hard, but takes some time. On The Hull Truth forum there's a Merc dealer, David Wade, who's pretty good about sharing Merc info.

[uncleboo]

Bought my DF140 from a boatbuilder who also sold and installed motors for the public. 2019 DF140 in white for $9600.00 out the door, installed myself, my guy signed off on the warranty without ever seeing it.

[Locke N Load]

Thanks for all the stories and suggestions. I have plenty of time (I think) since I am not expecting to have her water-ready until the summer. I just wanted to start early assuming it will be a process. I will be making more calls this week.

As to the Merc-Zuke debate, these are the two options I entertained. What I like about the DF140 is its light weight, price and reputation. What I like about the 150 4S is the same, but with what I expect would be added performance. From what I can tell the Merc is really a 160 hp motor and Zuke is 130. That's a pretty big spread. Last thing I want is to do all this work and hang a new motor that does not give me the performance I am looking for.

I know it has been beat to death so I did not ask again previously, but my assumption is the Merc will allow me to push my Seafari at a 30mph cruise very efficiently even if relatively heavy. I envision having 4-6 people typically onboard for exploration trips around Boston Harbor, Cape Cod, Buzzards Bay, Block Island, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket with the cuddy area loaded up with all the stuff the girls will want to bring. The other half of the time will be me and a couple of other guys fishing with a standalone livewell, coolers full of beer and ice and plenty of tackle. I don't want to have to push 5k RPM to get to 25 mph.

My final assumption is the torque from the 3.0 liter Merc will give me the performance the 2.0 liter Zuke cannot. I am all ears if any of the Zuke owners can show me I am wrong. I would have no problem hanging the Zuke.