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Hi all, i would like to re power my 1980 Montauk 17. Right now it has 2005 Mercury 50 hp( 250 lbs) with FI (driving slow) .I m thinking to get the 2018 Mercury Sea pro 90 Hp ( 363 lbs dry weight) or 115 Hp (363 lbs), any suggestion? i m living in south cal ( Pomona, CA) any good installer around? Thanks for all the helps , suggestions i can get .

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The evinrude 90 Etec is a great match for that boat and it is lighter. Have you looked at Yamaha 90 also. Not trying to steer you from Mercury but Evinrude and Yamaha are good options.
Archie

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Since this question is about a Mercury engine, and not an Evinrude or Yamaha, I would say the Mercury 90 4-stroke, with it's largest displacement of all 90's, would be an excellent choice. This new engine is highly regarded, and is the engine Whaler installs on new Montauks at the factory, with a 115HP version optional. I'm wondering why you would consider the commercial workhorse version (SeaPro) rather than the conventional recreational version?

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I like the Mercury because of their large displacement. Good performing and reliable engines. Actually, all the engine (Mercury, Yamaha, Suzuki, Tohatsu, or others) will give you good performance and should last a long time if you service them properly. I recently repowered with a Suzuki, and have been very pleased with the performance.
I spent almost a year researching engines and found a lot of opinions, both positive and negative. Oddly, the opinions mostly weren't about the engines. It was almost always comments about dealers and service departments. Also, many of the manufacturers offer rebates and some have really long warranty periods. That's always a plus.
Transom weight is always a factor. Less is better. Especially on an older Montauk. I came close to going with the Yamaha F70 because it is +/-90 pounds lighter than the Suzuki 90.
Whatever engine you go with, I hope it brings you years of enjoyment and worry free operation!

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I just went through this decision process. I narrowed my options to the Mercury and E-tec H.O. I opted for the E-tec in large part due to the 10 year warranty. It is not mounted yet but I cannot wait.

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I re-powered with a 90 ETEC late 2015. Obviously I can't speak for the Mercury or others. The ETEC has been flawless for me and the maintenance schedule is tough to beat.

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Hi all, thanks for all your suggestion and recommended, here are my find: I ll stick with 90 hp due to the max HP (100 HP) for 17 ft Montauk, no Mercury Seapro because of the short warranty. The 2018 Etec 90 HP weight 320 lbs with 1.3 L , Mercury Four Stroke 90 HP weight 363 lbs ( CT) with 2.1 L, Yamaha F 90 weight 353 lbs with 1.8 L, Honda bf 90 weight 359 lbs with 1.5 L …... with this boat after re powering can it carries 4 guys( 700 lbs) fishing gears (200 lbs) live bait tanks (300 lbs) cruising at 20- 25 MPH, plane the boat easy? Which outboard should I get. Thanks

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I think the merc is a good choice. I was on the fence between it and the etec HO. The etec HO is 390 lbs but it was the 10 year warranty that sold me.

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With the loading you plan to carry, the large displacement and torque of the Merc 90 is your best choice. But I would not get the large V-6/V-8/Verado (Command Thrust) gearcase. All you need for a classic Montauk is the regular 4-1/4" gearcase. And for load carrying, DEFINITELY get a Mercury "Spitfire" 4 blade aluminum prop, or even better the "Spitfire X7" 4 blade SS prop. Supposedly, it is now Mercury's fastest mid size gearcase prop, faster than a Laser II or Trophy Plus.

The engine weighs 359# which is not bad considering the big block. Getting 90 HP out of this block is nothing, as it is also the block for the 115 ProXS, a 125HP engine.

Since the Evinrude 10 year warranty keeps on being mentioned, I've got to say I wonder why they do that while the other big four brands only offer 5 or 6 years. Maybe it's because they are the only manufacturer left of 2-stroke outboards? Except for the limited HP range Tohatsu TLDI's (40-115), nobody else makes them anymore. With second generation 4-strokes, the G-2 E-tecs have lost much of their weight advantages also, to say nothing of the way they look.

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Whatever outboard you choose to install on your 1980 Boston Whaler Montauk 17, make sure the installer does it correctly. Otherwise, with the added weight (360 lbs), your boat will not perform well and experience problems, like porpoising.

The installer needs to know what mounting position to use and you need to choose a propeller that matches your performance (speed vs. torque) needs.

We have many WC members that have had to go back to their dealer-installer to re-do the installation because it was not done correctly (too low on the transom; wrong/unsafe bolting pattern, poor rigging of control cables, wrong propeller selection, etc.)

Further, rely upon the advice of person(s) that actually have installed such a motor on the exact same model boat, so, their opinion is based upon first-hand experience.

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Thanks all for the valuable suggestions, I think I ll go with 4 stroke Mercury with 90 HP ( weight :370 lbs) because all my set up right now is for Mercury Outboard( saving few bucks).

To Weatherly: Hi, should I get the hydraulic jack ( a lot of people recommended it? Do you know the mounting hole for 2019 Mercury 4 Stroke 90 HP? Thanks .

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dl2002dd,

Because you have a 1981 Montauk, you would need to drill 2 new lower holes according to this article.
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=82

Drill the Green or possible the Yellow holes.
Measure twice and confirm before drilling on both the inside and outside of the transom.
Most people use the Green lower holes.

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Hi Joe.
Thanks for your information. Does 1980 is the same as 1981 Montauk( hole pattern?)?