Thread subject: Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos :: New 2018 Mercury 4-Strokes: 175-250 HP ??

Posted by JRP on 02/16/18 - 10:08 AM
#13

Weatherly wrote:
Will the motors have auto-trim? What about digital shifting? And integrated power steering? Will the loud shift noise go away? Does it self-winterize in less than two minutes?


It's easy to pile on features with no consideration to weight. Fortunately for those of us with classic Whalers, Mercs Fourstroke series from 115-225 have been engineered to be weight conscious (unlike the bloated G2 ETECs.)

Winterize? Aside from tilting them vertical to allow all the cooling water to drain out, modern outboards don't require winterization. As long as the water they operate in remains liquid, they can be used all winter long with no ill effects.

Most outboards have a procedure for mothballing during extended periods of non-use (usually 90 days or longer) regardless of season. That's a consideraton for some owners who can't use their boats regularly.


These new 3.4L V6 Fourstrokes will be showing up on many new Whalers, and because of their weight might be good candidates for re-powering classic Whalers. The purpose of this thread was just to make Whaler owners aware of the new option (When the Merc 2.1L 115 HP Fourstroke was introduced, it was some time before many owners realized they now had a lighter weight option than the ETEC 115 2-stroke.)