traded a merc for an e-rude

[BaDucK]

after figuring out i needed a bigger motor to get the full enjoyment out of my boating experience i put my '74 50hp e-rude up on craigslist for 500 bucks. the day before someone near to me put up an '81 85hp mercury 850 for 800 bucks.....

to make a long story short, i wanted more hp he was looking for less, he called me, we talked, we swapped even for the motors and controls.

just wondering how much of a difference i can expect with the new motor, im still prety new to small outboard powered boats so im not sure what to expect, just dont want to get my hopes up too high if its just going to be a marginal increase.....

the boat is a 16' starcraft ss in the middle of a semi restoration and to be honest, with me and a buddy onboard that 50hp evinrude was a bit sluggish getting up on plane the few times i had her out before it got to cold....

what are any quirks i can look forward to with the mercury? are they decent on gas? are they screaming banshees like i keep hearing everyone say around here.......im not looking to break any speed records, just hoping for alot more low end punch to get up and running.....

anyone here have a similar setup what kind of performance numbers might be within reason with this new motor?


thanks, hope i havent asked the same question for the 100th time as before, i searched a bit but really didnt find anything relavent


Bruce

 

[CharlieB]

Re: traded a merc for an e-rude

Any 'New to you' motor should have a little preventative maintenance done, such as carb cleaning, link and synch, fresh water pump kit, lube, fresh fuel and quality TCW-3 outboard oil.

Initially mount the motor with the prop shaft centerline approx even with a straight line drawn back of the bottom of the hull. Depending on your hull design you may later adjust motor height up an inch to improve WOT speed.

Once on the water test WOT RPM to select a prop pitched to run at or near the top of the rpm range for your motor.

Enjoy your new found HP, with a little more than half again more power than your old motor I'm sure you will be smiling.

Just be sure that the hull is rated for this HP, many states have passed laws to prevent over powered hull failure related accidents and drownings.