Re: service manual
I agree that the Mercury OEM manual is the best of the available manuals.
However, I also have the Clymer and Seloc manuals. While this may seem like overkill, I often found that one manual may have better pictures/drawings of a task while another may have clearer or more detailed descriptions of the same task. As a novice to outboard motor maintenance and repair, I found that having all three manuals available when approaching a task for the first time gave me a better understanding with more confidence that I understood the task and would do it right. Also, the Clymer and Seloc manuals contain a lot more general advice and tips on outboard motor maintenance which I think is very helpful to a novice.The extra cost for the two extra manuals seemed minor and well worth it to me, compared to the cost of maintaining my motor myself vs. having everything done by a shop.
I am glad that a friend of mine had given me the advice to buy all three manuals when I first got my boat and just wanted to pass on the advice. Of course, one manual is more than sufficent for someone that is more experienced with outboards. If you get only one manual, the Merc OEM manual is the one to get for sure.
