Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by Eric Schreiber on 06/20/10 - 11:59 AM

Hi Guys,

I am new to Whaler Central and I had one quick question that I needed help with. I have a 1976 Boston Whaler 13Ft Sport with a 1978 Mercury 402 40Hp. The 1978 Mercury 402 40Hp dosen't work anymore. So, I bought a 2003 Mercury 40Hp 2-Stroke Oil Injected Motor. I went to my local Boston Whaler Dealer and they said this motor weighs too much for the boat since it has the old cable/pulley steering system. Could I use the 2003 Mercury 40Hp 2-Stroke Oil Injected with the cable/pulley system? If I can great! If I can't how much can the boat hold (engine weight wise)? Thank you very much and please help me!!!

Thanks,
Eric S

Posted by Patrick199 on 06/20/10 - 12:21 PM

The first thing I would do is figure out how much each engine weighs. If the new engine is much heavier than the old engine, be careful.
I think my Honda 40 weighs about 230-240 pounds. I would not want to go any heavier.
I am not familiar with the steering system so no help there. sorry.

Edited by Patrick199 on 06/20/10 - 12:23 PM

Posted by heydad on 06/20/10 - 1:32 PM

I don't see how the cable & pulley system has anything to do with the weight of the motor.I would just try and do a weight comparison between the old motor and the new one.If you took all the parts of the cable system and all the parts of new type steering system and weighed then the difference in weight is miniscule.

Posted by LabCab on 06/20/10 - 4:38 PM

NADAguide.com says a 2003 40 hp 2 stroke Mercury weighs 204 lbs. It's probably fine for your boat. I've read somewhere on this site that Boston Whaler says the motor should not weigh more than 200lbs. I'm sure someone will chime in about how much motor the cable steering can handle. I know in the personal page section you will observe many boats with 40 hp and cable steering. It sounds like the Whaler dealership was not interested in helping you because there is nothing they can sell you. At this time of year they are probably very busy rigging motors that they sold. Where I live there are many independent shops that would do the work. With an older boat I doubt I would ever darken the door of the dealership unless I needed parts. Their focus is to rig the new boats they sell and service the boats under warranty.