Mercury 4 Stroke Opinions

[BassDude]

Does anyone in the forum own a 150HP Merc Fourstroke or Verado?

Thoughts on which one you would purchase? The verado is about a $2500 premium....

[EZM]

I had to choose between the two mercs you mention or a Honda 150 last year. I went with the Honda, but it was a personal choice for me and a long story ..... but did lots of research on the Mercs.

I'd definitely lean toward the 4 stroke - The Verado is heavier than the 4 stroke 150 and for my new Lund, and most fishing boats that's a big consideration. There is very little difference in fuel consumption and a little mid range power advantage with the supercharged verado but the weight to hp ratio, with the 4 stoke, would make it a wash. simply no point on a boat that weighs less than 3000lbs - do the math yourself.

The 4 stoke is also the easiest 150 out there to service and you can do it yourself - even if your not joe mechanic. This is real nice down the road when/if something happens and you are in the middle of nowhere - any mechanic can help you. This is definitely not the case with the Verado - that thing is like the space shuttle.

IMO there is no compelling reason to pay $2500 for the motor, unless you need smartcraft, which is another $2000 ........... not for me anyways.

If you are running 150 twins ( 2 150's on the back of a big boat) then the Verado becomes very attractive. For fishing boats - not so much.

[BassDude]

Thank you EZM - I was reading some of your older posts as we'll on this subject. A friend of mine in nw Ontario has the 150 4 stroke and loves it....I had noticed the weight difference and this boat will fish 98% of the time....appreciate your response.

I'm thinking the Verado is a bit of a hot rod option - without a lot of reward at the end of the day.

Do you troll your big engine much? I will be power trolling on the big engine at times, just wondering your experience. Thanks again

[EZM]

Thank you EZM - I was reading some of your older posts as we'll on this subject. A friend of mine in nw Ontario has the 150 4 stroke and loves it....I had noticed the weight difference and this boat will fish 98% of the time....appreciate your response.

I'm thinking the Verado is a bit of a hot rod option - without a lot of reward at the end of the day.

Do you troll your big engine much? I will be power trolling on the big engine at times, just wondering your experience. Thanks again

I troll quite a bit .... lakers, rainbows, salmon on big water quite often. I also do troll for pike in the summer running the big motor occasionally.

The trick for me, to keep the speed down, was to pitch my prop down as low as I could (within the manufacturers range) which is a 17 pitch (if I recall correctly).

It will trudge along, in gear, at 2.4 to 2.8 mph no problem. This also gives me explosive hole shot and is excellent for water sports.

The trade off, of course, is top end speed, but this is not a big deal as the boat still does 40 mph ( over 65 km/hr ) no problem at 80-90% throttle.

The OEM prop, originally on my boat, was a 25 pitch and it would do 55 mph - or 90 km/hr which is simply not required .... albeit, pretty fun on a calm lake.

For a fishing boat, you want reliability, quiet idle, low trolling speed and low weight IMO. Although the Verado can give you most of what you need, it's not worth the extra 150 lbs or the $2500 to $4000 in extra cost.

You are getting very little advantage with the Verado - and, you have to think about repair and maintenance - that 4 stoke Merc, like the Honda, are pretty simple, proven technology most mechanics in any small town can service.

The Verado is going to be expensive to fix and exclusive to special mechanics often not available when you are out of the city.

At the end of the day, The Mercury 4 stroke was a close second in my personal choice of engines. There was very little difference to me except the dealer ...... both the Honda and Merc 4 strokes are outstanding choices.

It trolls nice and slow, is super quiet and clean, and sips gas.

[cube]

Does anyone in the forum own a 150HP Merc Fourstroke or Verado?

Thoughts on which one you would purchase? The verado is about a $2500 premium....

First let me start by saying I have the Verado and love it. It is incredibly responsive and starts like a dream. I took it out late Oct and Nov this year and while all other boats had a difficult time starting the Verado started instantly and just purred away. Of course I did not have a new 150 there beside me to compare it too. Personally I don't think, unless your pulling skiers, that it is worth the extra money though. Even when pulling skiers depending on what boat you have you may not need the supercharger on the Verado. Not sure where EZM got the 150 pound difference in weight, all I could find was a 55 pound difference. The one thing that would worry me about the 150 4 stroke is that it is a fairly new engine and has not been time tested yet.

Good luck with whatever one you go with.

[BassDude]

Thanks for posting. I went with the 4 stroke and will spend some of the savings on upgrading the electronics.

Thinking about the iPilot link system....but have to investigate further.

[Artistic Taxidermy]

I went with the four stroke 150 merc on my new 1775 pro v will see if was the right decision!

[wellpastcold]

I went with the four stroke 150 merc on my new 1775 pro v will see if was the right decision!

Congratulations on the new boat, Brian. Look forward to seeing you on the water at the tournaments.

[Who Da Fisherman]

Have the 150 on my 1750 Tyee with a 19P Lazer, hole shot is awesome. Average 48mph loaded with a bro or 2 in it, best has been 52. Had it out in a cold Oct morning and she did the mer-per real nice. Could have went with the Verado but way too much computer stuff that worried me for after warranty repair costs. With the savings, added on toys like the smart gauges so you can troll that baby right down and save battery on the I-pilot. My choice hands down.
WDF

[Artistic Taxidermy]

I but a 9.9 kicker on mine how slow can you troll with your 150

[Who Da Fisherman]

I but a 9.9 kicker on mine how slow can you troll with your 150

On a windy day it was just under 2, haven't tried it with the bag out to see how much slower she would go. Need to get some of those wave whackers and see what she will do in reverse.

[MercMike]

I have a 2013 1875 Lund pro-v with a 200 verado and I love it the push button start , the smart gauge and the torque and throttle response it provides out of the hole plus the mid range punch is what I wanted and I love it but each to their own do your research and get what YOU want and need ! Cheers , Tight lines guys !