Speedracer29

I think they’ll be great for multi engine fish boats and the trend toward SOB bowriders. I could see myself with one of these on a Crownline E23XS someday, but today is not that day. And I’d still need a Talon/Liberator/P22/SB21 with a 300XS for “me time”.

I don’t think they’re the “hot ticket” on anything in the performance realm, but I think they’ll sell well, especially to the family-boat companies like Sea Ray and Crownline. Easier maintenance than an I/O, no worries about ripped bellows, easier shallow water operation and no cracked blocks from improper winterization. Why did the car motor last so long in the family-boat segment again, anyway?

dsmawd350

Cost effective way to own a new outboard cat that doesn't need to run 120

Speedracer29

Did they release pricing and I missed it? I’ll be really surprised if they’re less than a 250XS. What is the advantage to this new 3.4 four stroke over the 250XS in the small outboard cat market?

mjw930

There is no advantage, these aren’t high performance motors. If / when they release these in 250hp and 300hp versions with sporty lowers them you can start doing comparisons.

Then again I wasn’t aware the 250XS was all that popular in the small cat market. The 300XS is the motor of choice for small Cats, not the 250XS. Can you even get the 250 with a sporty lower, doesn’t appear to be the case according to the Mercury website.

Since the 250 and 300 weigh the same and the 300 comes with a surfacing lower why would someone even consider a 250?

Speedracer29

You can get the 250XS with a Sportmaster, $16.4k for 1.62 or 1.75 on the Jaco’s website.
http://www.mercuryracing.com/outboar...-250-sport-xs/

I was using the 250XS for more of an apples to apples comparison with this new motor, less discrepancy in HP than comparing this new 4 stroke to the 300XS.... Although I guess if we were considering displacement instead of HP, the 3.2L 300XS would be the closer comparison, anyway.

In either case, the thought that this new 225hp motor is going to be sought after for the small (affordable) cat market is what had me thrown for a loop. Now a few years down the road with a different gear case and a turbo, that I would totally understand.

The fact that it can be run cable or DTS, traditional, hydraulic or electro-hydraulic (Verado) steering leaves a ton of possibilities, but I agree the HP will have to go up to for it to be a contender across markets (fish boats, family trucksters, and high performance).

As to why somebody considers a 250; one word- warrranty. I have a v-hull, not a cat, but I repowered I went with a production 250 (standard gearcase) because I could get 8 year non-declining warranty versus the 5 years on a 300XS (Bonus points on a 250 owner not worrying about premium fuel on the water). Considered a 400R for all of thirty seconds until I realized the added weight, shorter warranty, and huge cost for additional rigging (DTS, Verado steering) weren’t worth it for my application. You can almost buy 2 300XS motors for the price of one 400R and required accessories!

mjw930

I thought the 250XS came with a sporty lower but couldn’t find it in a quick search, my bad.

For small cat owners, which I am one, you really don’t have a choice to go the standard lower route so you are stuck with the Merc Racing options and 5 years if you purchase the extended warranty.

I’m glad to see your additional comments because within the small boat community I’m hearing pretty much nothing but whining about anything that isn’t 2 stroke. I agree completely with your assessment, the new technology and the options you can configure with the new platform make this very appealing to me. A 250 or 300 Merc Racing 3.4L NA motor with the DTS option, modern engine controls (meaning it won’t grenade itself if I’m forced to run 89 octane or inadvertently over trim and lose water pressure) and the option to chose the type of steering in a single motor application (Verado power steering simply isn’t the optimal solution as it isn’t robust enough to handle the torque when you are surfacing the prop at 100 mph) would make it really appealing.

For a new boat build it’s a no brainer and would even have me considering a re-power, especially since there are a lot of people that will go into withdrawal when they stop making the Opti’s so the value of my low hour 300XS will go up.

lake p.a.l.

F14 has a badass 28' Skater with twin 250XS and 5 years of warranty that runs 107mph alone or 103mph with 3 people. It's a VERY impressive machine.