Thread subject: Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos :: Mercury introduces brand new lightweight 4-strokes

Posted by paddlepicker on 07/19/14 - 8:11 PM
#20

Since my last post, I've taken my Dauntless 160 out on Mobile Bay, Weeks Bay, Magnolia River and Fish River numerous time. The new Mercury 115 4-stroke continues to impress. With practice, I've found it easy to find the optimum trim position under a wide range of conditions. Acceleration out of the hole and at various speeds has been terrific. The trophy plus four blade stainless prop is performing very well. The boat seems to like to cruise along crisply at about 4,500 rpm but flat out flies at 5,500 rpm, moving as fast as I care to go in a small boat. I still haven't pushed it to run at full speed, in part because I'm breaking the engine in and in part because I'm a prudent boater. I've pulled numerous sturdy teenagers on a large tube with no problems (solo or a pair). The boat simply jumps out of the hole with no apparent effort, perhaps due to the larger displacement and lighter weight in the new model. I know many boaters, including some of my friends, remain fans of two strokes, but this 115 is a vast improvement over my old Mercury 90 two stroke in every aspect of performance. At this point, I would not hesitate to recommend this motor to anyone looking to re-power with a 115. I'll continue to provide updates if I have any other useful observations.