Contender 27 Repower - Mercury 200 Vs Yamaha 150 Performance Comparison

New Motor Day! Tag along as I have new motors installed on my Contender 27. Key West Waterman Ep. 45
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[@mesabaabrasives690]

AWESOME VID!!! I am a numbers geek at heart. This was great. I run a 23’ pursuit with a 250 yammy in N Mn, and love seeing the real world performance stats from blue water boats..... Thanks for sharing.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Haha happy to hear it! Thanks for sharing! Testing some 3 blades to get her dialed in.

[@sammcvea1069]

Awesome job Aaron 👏, can't wait for our next dive adventure 😀. Sam said hello too.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Haha looking forward to it!!!

[@Southfloridabeekeeperdiaries57]

Congratulations on the upgrade!! They look and sound good. Amazing performance. Hopefully they raise a lot of fish too😉

[@KeyWestWaterman]

absolutely love them! thank you!!!

[@gorillahd9247]

That is a seriously significant performance improvement - both in MPH and MPG. Congrats on the new motors!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

very happy with it!

[@gorillahd9247]

@@KeyWestWaterman With current gas prices they will eventually pay for themselves. Lol

[@crisaocasa]

I can hardly imagine this joy! we have a mercury, 60hp two times in an inflatable, that already flies in the water, I imagine two monsters like that, new in your hull !!! sensational !!!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

haha thats awesome! very happy with the new mercs!

[@williamduarte1836]

awesome man! thank you for taking the time to share this info!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

of course! thanks for watching!

[@snakeeyes4424]

Great updates I noticed they are very quiet too. Your boat runs very smooth now congrats

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Insanely quiet! It feels like a whole different bot absolutely love it!

[@frankkarr8355]

Great video. Congratulations on the new motors!!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Thank you sir! Super stoked!

[@Ken-xm1rf]

Congrats on the new motors! They seem better in every way. I am running an old pair of Suzuki DF 140's and am considering the 150 Mercury 4 strokes when I repower. Great motors. I would be interested in a 3 blade test too.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Def gonna share the 3 blade results. My buddy runs the new 150 mercs on a 25 white water and he loves them. Incredible numbers as well!

[@silverstarflite135]

I just bought (and had installed) a 2023 Mercury 200 on my 23' Key West CC. Moved from a Honda 200. First, the weight difference is nuts. The merc is over 150 pounds lighter. Second, the Merc is much quieter. Great review and yes, Merc has done amazing things with this new engine.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

that's awesome! they've made a hell of an engine

[@ralphfreeman255]

Aaron, Great choice! Love the motors. You'll save a bunch in the long run. Getting your customers on the bite in a jiffy.. Now we'll hear Fish- $1,250, Food- $60, Tackle- $150, Spearshaft- $50, Fuel-$35. You'll spend more in food than gas! :-)

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Haha yessir that is my thought! Faster cruise means more time fishing and more money saved!

[@warrenedmunds6316]

Good for you impressed with the difference, I have always been a Yamaha guy will keep watching to see how the merc’s work out. Good luck!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Very very happy with them!

[@warrenedmunds6316]

I am glad that they are working out I am purchasing a new boat soon and they come equipped with Mercury engines worried about the water pumps on them

[@benjigans1419]

@@warrenedmunds6316 Merc water pumps are fine. I have Merc Verado 350s and as long as you change the WP every 100 hours, you'll be all good.

[@andrewn.5117]

@@warrenedmunds6316 dam I feel sorry for you

[@50shadesofblue24]

Wow man congrats on the new set!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

thank you! so stoked!!!

[@rob2laurie]

Fairly new to your channel and want to say great content and narration. I love it. I just repowered my 2003 22' Pro-Line with a 200 Suzuki (couldn't afford or wait for a 200 Merc). Still in the 10 hour break-in period. I live in St. Cloud, Florida so can't get out as much as you. Lol The gas mileage and quietness is insane compared to the old 2-stroke, I guess that goes without saying. Keep up the great work and maybe I'll book a charter with you in the future. Just getting into spearfishing and freediving.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

welcome to the channel and love to hear you enjoy it! wild wait for everything right not thats for sure.

[@jackieeastom8758]

Congratulations on the upgrade!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

thank you!

[@raeraehxd5915]

Congratulations on your new motors

[@KeyWestWaterman]

thank you!

[@jarodwaldman3303]

Awesome as usual. Definitely want to see the three blade comparison.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

You got it!

[@borikennautical6649]

Yeaaaa! That is awesome capitan!!!!!! They looks hot and performance better. Also notice less engine noise. Enjoying them capitan and keep up the good work😊😊😊🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈🦈

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Haha much less noise! Very happy with the numbers. Still getting it dialed in trying some 3 blades!

[@dominickgiovannone5311]

This youtube machine must be workin for ya. Congrats that’s awesome man.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

It’s slowly getting there! Really appreciate it!

[@BroadBillHunter]

duuude so sick.. these are my dream motors for my 24 regulator. but for now my ole yamaha 150s are going to have to keep chuggin!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

So happy to finally get them! My yams lasted a while but happy to finally upgrade!

[@genemartin6962]

Repowered my boat with a Merc 150 several in 2016. Biggest difference on mine was also time to plane. The thing just levitates. I LOVE my Merc. Like the man says: "ONCE YOU GO BLACK, YOU WILL NEVER GO BACK"!!!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

haha amen! have owned several Mercurys and been happy with them all! very happy to be back to be back in black!

[@doublerainbow]

That's gotta feel good. Would love to hear the history of the Contender and how that came about. I'm suffering from a really bad case of boat fever at the moment lol. Great vids and keep 'em coming

[@KeyWestWaterman]

haha it sure is! absolutely love this thing its like a whole new boat!

[@matthewconrad164]

@@KeyWestWaterman You didn't answer his question. He asked for the history of the Contender. Thx.

[@SF-rl7hl]

Matthew your an asshole go away. Disrespect.

[@walterbenson5275]

You’re a good friend to share this information !!!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

glad you enjoyed it!

[@walterbenson5275]

YOU ARE SO MUCH HELP, I CAN’T BELIEVE IT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU 🙏 !!!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

thanks for watching!

[@Respecet1981]

The reasons that made me bay two new Mercury 225 6 cylinders outboards are light weight and maintenance every 100 hours and they are fast Thanks for this video

[@KeyWestWaterman]

They sure are! Absolutely love them! Absolutely thanks for watching!

[@Respecet1981]

@@KeyWestWaterman welcome brother 😃 im happy for you

[@doug2202]

Love the sound of those Mercs

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Me too!

[@metinakpinar9724]

Went to the Sydney boat show and 90% of the outboard motors were all Mercs. The new Mercs will blow your mind which will put a smile on your face :) I can see they are the market leader on the majority of boat manufactures now.

[@ronaldhealy4466]

I’m a bit late to the party… :) I run a 27 foot aluminum Kingfisher with twin Yamaha 150’s. I’m completely happy with them because they’ve given me what I value most - utter reliability. However, I really enjoyed the comparison with the Merc’s. Also watched your prop swap video. I don’t know anything about props, except I’ve been told 4-blades are better for the hole shot, and three blades are better for cruise. Your numbers seem to confirm that. I run my boat with stainless 3-blades. Love ‘em. :)

[@KeyWestWaterman]

indeed it did! thanks for watching and taking the time to share I really do appreciate it!

[@darwonboyful]

Fantastic video. I love the mercury 200hp as it's unique as a v6 with its displacement. In the Yamaha's defence I think you should have made more of a point of the fact you were comparing two Yamaha 150s that had obviously done quite a lot of work to two brand new mercury 200s. All up though a great vid and thanks for posting it up for us to watch

[@KeyWestWaterman]

I make it clear what I was comparing, it's in the title lol. thanks for watching! 🙏

[@darwonboyful]

@Key West Waterman meow? That's a shit comment mate. I was being very positive about your video and you give me back that? Lol Yeh you might have made it clear that you were comparing the 150 yamaha to the 200 merc but did you give any attention to the amount of work the Yamaha motors had done?.

[@LCBBuilders]

Im a Yamaha guy....always have been. But ya gotta admit the new generation Mercs just look fucking brilliant. They seem to probably be at the pinnical of 4 stroke engine development. You could hear the Mercs were quieter by some margin. The performance was a no- brainer. 6 cylinder 200hp is always gonna piss all over an old gen 150. Great video. Thankyou for posting. Cheers from NZ.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

I agree! thanks for watching!

[@dwcheshire]

Happy for you!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

thank you sir!

[@kyledurjan5322]

Awesome video and great info too!!!!! Let’s see what the numbers are with the 3 blade!!!???

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Lots of people asked about it def gonna do it!

[@crayspearfishingadventure]

Been waiting on this from today

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Haha happy to hear it!

[@igobygio]

Man....2 gph @ 4000rpm?......have to love that and especially running a charter! No sense in running 50 unless you are fishing a tourney and having to run out. Saw the notification yesterday and thought...uh oh! Well worth the wait

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Yea i am extremely happy with them. Still getting the props completely dialed in. Seeing better numbers with the 3 blades to be honest!

[@igobygio]

@@KeyWestWaterman Kinda surprised to be honest. Figured like you said in the vid you would see more top end and mid.....learn something new every day.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Still getting it dialed in but with the 3 blades I’ve seen Over 50 mph WOT and cruising 39 around 4500 getting 1.9 2.0

[@playa6398]

Congrats, only way to go is Mercury!!! I’m waiting on my 450’s to get in !!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

thank you! so stoked!

[@GHEENOEMAN]

Sweet! Those numbers are great. I have a good in at prop tech so let me know when ya need a new one. Keep up the great work!! Much love!!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Still getting it dialed in not sure what size I’m gonna need yet but thank you!!! Love you Sam!!

[@GenesisHealthy]

Yes, just the quieter cruise is a key selling point...

[@KeyWestWaterman]

right?! its insane!

[@frankwyndham6026]

The mercs are a lot quieter too. Congrats on the upgrade

[@KeyWestWaterman]

extremely quiet! half the time can even tell they are on!

[@MBSprinter]

Love those Mercs!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

me too!

[@alexsuraj7436]

Nice man congrats was waiting to see when you was gonna upgrade make sure too trim them properly you might get more mph out of them

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Yea i had them trimmed out as high as they could go. Another thing i love about the mercs is they can an intake on the very bottom of the Lower unit. Got it to over 50 mph with the 3 blades i tried last

[@alexsuraj7436]

@@KeyWestWaterman that's good well a 100hp made a nice difference don't pass the dive spots lol congrats again man keep progressing more of a Yamaha person but those mercs look great 👍

[@The.Norwegian]

Oof, check the exhaust manifolds for leaks around the coupling at the bottom. Mercury didn't remove the casting marks around where the coupling sits, which will cause hot salt water to leak or spray out. They later fixed this, but for these early engines this is a ticking time bomb. Also, the paint on your lower/mid unit is extremely likely to peel off, and you should check for pitting around the topmost crankshaft seal. The crankshaft will rust and ruin the seal, spraying oil everywhere.

[@mercman2.5]

Great looks and quiet performance, Mercs are the BEST

[@KeyWestWaterman]

I love them!

[@pwea1anda2]

Nice bun Bro !

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Thanks man

[@WesLovelace]

Unless my hearing is bad there is notably less motor noise at top end!!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

You can barely hear them! I can have a casual conversation at 4500 without raising my voice!

[@bedbathandyourmom6565]

Yeah those yamahas sounded 😷 sick

[@sand_shifter]

So quite ....

[@manuelbover4816]

not a fair comparison the Yamaha have a hundred horsepower less then the Mercury's It would have been a fair comparison if it would have been 200 versus 200 horsepower still nice Motors enjoy😊

[@KeyWestWaterman]

yes I am very aware. I made it very clear what I was comparing. says it in the title. I was not trying to fool anyone! thanks for watching!

[@jayderwin1]

Mercury is a better engine

[@joshtavenner3073]

Why is it not fair? Don’t think it’s intended to say which is “better” obviously performance will greatly increase. He’s clearly just documenting what gain in performance from the upgrade

[@mikejenkins4598]

All my commercial fishing friends in the Keys have all gone over to Suzuki !

[@KeyWestWaterman]

To each their own! All my charter fishing buddies have switched to mercury lol.

[@matthewconrad164]

@@KeyWestWaterman Interesting. All of my close personal friends have moved over to Tohatsus....

[@ciroperrone5947]

Just FYI don't know if it will matter or not but we had a 23T at the sheriff's office and we had twin 200 Yamaha hpdi's and we switched to twin 200 verados. We lost a little on the top end but what really changed was how the boat road. It porpoised so bad we had to get custom trim tabs made to keep the nose down. Hopefully you don't have the same problem. Tight lines

[@KeyWestWaterman]

not sure what they weight different was but sounds like it was the issue. don't have any problems with these new mercs, they are actually lighter than my Yamaha 150's

[@jiggingjerks]

@@KeyWestWaterman yes, big weight difference between 4 stroke, supercharged Verados and 2 Stroke HPDIs. Would definitely change riding characteristics of the boat. Congrats on the new Mercs. New subscriber here - well done video!

[@samweller3685]

Good choice on Mercs, I’ve heard a lot of sketchy stuff with Suzuki’s warranty’s..

[@KeyWestWaterman]

very happy with my choice! did lots of research.

[@spinfish1434]

I have a 6 part Repower Series with the New Mercury 200’s on my channel (Contender 23T/25T).. Mine came with 5 year warranty..You’re going to love the Mercury’s..

[@KeyWestWaterman]

That’s awesome I’m gonna check it out! Absolutely love them so far!

[@pokry5]

Can't afford the new motors but the Snickers and beer is sounding decent 👌

[@KeyWestWaterman]

haha right!

[@nyrmg]

Awesome video man. I have a 27' CC as well, I currently have mercury 150 four strokes. Planning on going to the merc 200s, was hoping to gain some more power without giving up much mpg. I'm glad to see you got more than the 150 yamahas, that's insane. You think the results would be similar from the merc 150s to the 200s? Great video man

[@KeyWestWaterman]

very happy with them! and I think so, gets the boat up out of the water a little more, worst case you'll gain speed with same mpg

[@tat2foru2]

Nice congrats..

[@KeyWestWaterman]

thank you!

[@eddiejarmakowicz7166]

Found you channel because of this video

[@KeyWestWaterman]

welcome! hope you like the vids!

[@connorbaird699]

Boats Lookin good.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Looking much better!

[@shonbrown5401]

Well congratulations on that they also seem a little bit quieter than Yamaha What the year model on mercury versus Yamaha was different awesome still it looks like it ran great

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Very happy with how it turned out!!

[@paulcoombe98]

Congratulations on the new motors Great video looking forward to see how they preform how many hours did you have on Yamaha and what year were they

[@KeyWestWaterman]

thank you! I had 3800 and they were 2015

[@brianlowe753]

Just found your channel and am enjoying the spearfishing. I sold my 2008 Contender 25 S true 28’ with single 350 V 8 Yamaha some years ago. Have you ever seen it ? I believe owner was a fireman.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

maybe! idk I see alot of boats go by! glad you enjoy the channel!

[@chubbrock659]

I have a Mercury 150 on my pontoon and it’s smooth as butter, wish I had gone with the 200 but it was $$

[@KeyWestWaterman]

they are lovely motors!

[@xBeN152x]

You can hear that exhaust blown through your midsection on the yammys!

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Haha yea there was a small hole that rusted through!

[@johntsairis7011]

Congrats Aaron. Don’t listen to the second guessers. I’m sure you did your research snd Mercury offered you a deal you could not refuse. Enjoy. They sound much quieter as well. Don’t get me wrong Yamahas are awesome but yours were beat down and old after so many years. .

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Haha thank you! Everyone has an opinion but at the end of the day i gotta go with what’s best for me! They aren’t the one paying the bill and running the boat! Thanks for the love appreciate it!

[@williamparrish8767]

Wow! congrats on the up grade. It seems the Mercs are running quieter also. Can you confirm?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Much quieter. You almost can’t even tell they are there 😂

[@misrainmikegarciarosariojr7914]

Yes! Heard the same thing. Mercury are a lot quieter.

[@Shhnee]

@@misrainmikegarciarosariojr7914 we have a 225 on ours and I always turn it off on accident when I start leaving the dock haha

[@alquinn3562]

I have a 4 stroke on my freshwater pontoon boat. At idle I can’t even hear it running. I need to go check to see if it’s passing water to confirm it is running. Very quiet I have always run Mercury. The 4 stroke is good. Never heard a bad thing about the v6. Good choice

[@Evan721sxm]

Always hated mercs but those are good #s. Did you get anything better than 2mpg when you went 25 mph?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

I’ve been messing with some 3 blades and honestly getting better numbers than these. And yea was getting around 2.2 2.3 around those lower speeds if i remember correctly.

[@TheRalph00031]

awesome...wonder how the 225s would of perfomed...i have a 28s and looking into these

[@KeyWestWaterman]

I've seen alot of the 27's with 225's they run really well! but im very happy with these!

[@ehickey73]

Now let’s see some fish 🤙🏼

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Haha just waiting for the wind to calm down!

[@MrX-rf4ul]

Nice video

[@KeyWestWaterman]

thank you!

[@anthonyalexandrou5055]

Did they re-power and re-rig that boat in a day for you? Good stuff.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

no it took two days! we had some bad weather that broke up the install!

[@cbrookb]

Thanks for the video. I noticed the noise level on the Mercury's seemed substantially quieter. Am I correct?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Much quieter!

[@robertlowery9860]

the numbers are better but it would be interesting to see new twin yamaha 200s on the back for comparison of the numbers ,amazing how technology keeps getting better,one day they will run in water on water,hydrogen or ele. is the future to come just look at all the car companies ev moves

[@KeyWestWaterman]

The 200 yams are essentially the same motor as the 150. You don’t gain much. I was talked out of them by several people who personally ran 200 yamahas on similar boats.

[@robertlowery9860]

@@KeyWestWaterman now that is good info to know

[@jmac0643]

Want to see the numbers on the new motors under fishing load, if you get the chance.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Absolutely can do that!

[@CaptainSloose]

27 with twin 150s seems like the boat was way underpowered before. Those mercs are pretty nice. I don’t usually like mercs but i will keep my options more open.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

It was. It came that way when i bought it. Very happy with the mercs so far!

[@CaptainSloose]

@@KeyWestWaterman yessir those mercs are shiny! And boy that boat moves now!

[@kadenengle9385]

Those sound a whole lot better than the Yamahas. Much more quiet. I’ve got a Merc 150 on my Tritoon with 600hrs on it. I’m not saying Yamaha doesn’t make good motors but I think Mercury is the ultimate on the water.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

very happy with them so far!

[@jimalden7130]

Sweet love my Mercus

[@KeyWestWaterman]

love them!

[@asuurb]

Hey great video! Im looking at buying a 27 ... Was woundering any reason you didnt go with 225s other than cost? Thanks

[@KeyWestWaterman]

nope, just cost. I have 225's on order now actually.

[@rolson6775]

To be fair, a pair of brand new Yamahas would have made a noticeable difference as well yes ? Not really apples to apples comparing old motors to new no matter what the brands, especially when you add another 100hp.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

lol I very clearly stated what I was comparing, never said it was apple to apples. says it in the title.

[@brayloncohen9455]

InstaBlaster.

[@Lucas-LeFever]

What made you go with the 200's over the 225s? I'm looking to run a 27 Open with Twin Mercury 225's (given it's the best replacement for 200 HDPI's which typically is what i'm finding) - Weight to weight they're the closest.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

if im being honest, price. this next round I will be going 225

[@Lucas-LeFever]

@@KeyWestWaterman Do you think with 225s you'd be able to run 40mph at 2MPG? I'm assuming you have a 27 Open? I'm trying to get the same rig. I wish they made a 250hp version with the same weight!

[@sunshine4530]

Just wondering what kind of break in period you did to them, or were they tested fresh out of the box ?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

its been so long I honestly can't remember but they were completely broke in by Mercurys recommendations.

[@Grottolova]

I repowered my Pursuit C340 from Yami 350's to Suzuki 350's. Gained 20%+ in fuel and quicker to plane. Same top end (50mph) The $20k I saved from not going with Yamaha or Mercs was easy on the wallet too. Any of those 3 will be fairly even overall. The Suzuki's have a trade-in allowance that is pretty incredible. Within 24-months and less than 1,000 hours the trade allowance would be 70% of the original purchase price

[@KeyWestWaterman]

That’s pretty sweet! I did plenty of research trust me. Mercury was my best option. I plan on repowering every year from now on. And The Mercury’s sell like hott cakes down here. Lightly used with plenty of warranty left they sell fast.

[@gamewatcher1717]

@@KeyWestWaterman What is quite interesting in our market (South Africa) Is that Yamaha seem to be much easier to sell on the secondhand market than Mercury. This I believe stems from the legendary reliability of the old 2 stroke Yamaha engines, especially the 85HP models. Our deep sea fishing boats in general are much smaller than what you guys use being anywhere from 14ft to 21ft with bigger boats in the 28ft to 32ft range far less prevalent. I have a buddy in Mozambique who runs a 30ft hull with 2 x 150HP Four Stroke Yamaha motors as a charter. His motors have 7000 hours on them without any major work needing to be done apart from one lower unit he destroyed against a rock. He had another boat with two 140HP Suzuki motors that gave him endless problems after 1000 hours. I suppose it happens to every brand.

[@LuisMolina-tj3lh]

Hydraulic Jack Plates would be great and 23 or 25 pitch props. That’s what you need on there

[@KeyWestWaterman]

23 pitch is far to big, I ended up with 17 mirages.

[@OffRoadBoys125]

We just got a 2008 27t with twin Yamaha 300s 2020 motors it tops at about 60 with 4 blade props and is even faster with 3 blade props and it’s cruises at 45

[@TheGoofballdev]

i'm just guessing here, but based on contenders and you saying a 27, is this the old 27 open which is 30 foot LOA? that would seem more appropriate for the speeds you are seeing

[@KeyWestWaterman]

yea it is 04' 27 29' 8" overall I think

[@badognobisc]

Agreed. Engine break in ?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Yea i broke them in before hand. Was 10 hours if i remember correctly.

[@kayemtee5312]

First video of your’s I’ve watched, so forgive me if you’ve provided this information elsewhere. How many hours on the Yamahas? Are they identical to the current model Yamaha 150? Shouldn’t you be breaking in the new Mercs before fully opening the throttle, or do the newest motors require no break-in? You are increasing the HP by 33% on the same boat, so why wouldn’t you expect much better performance? Is it unreasonable to ask what the total cost of the repower was to a regular customer walking in off the street including motors, gauges, fittings, and labor? I have 600 hours on a single 2019 Yamaha 150 on a boat with a maximum rating of 200 HP so this new Mercury is of substantial interest to me, although I have greatly appreciated the 100% zero issues reliability of the Yamaha.

[@victormontalbano4993]

From 150s too 200s. Prop size / years of Technology diff And now you hoping you get the years of reliability in a new engine. That will be the next video I hope you share ,

[@KeyWestWaterman]

for sure!

[@aidanhayes7722]

Have you had any problem with being in high idle it bogging on you ?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

not at all

[@markallison8530]

I’m wondering how these Mercury 3.4ltr four strokes compare performance wise to the old Mercury 2.5ltr two strokes??

[@KeyWestWaterman]

I wish I knew!

[@markallison8530]

I have a 175 Pro Xs on order down here in Australia been a six month wait so far.

[@fingerslinguine]

whats the difference between 3 and 4 blade props?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

there are pro's and cons to both, and it varies by engine and boat. im no expert but with my set up the 3 blades im testing are faster and get a little better economy

[@scottalvarez8870]

Very curious about reliability considering you are going to put a lot hours on them. Question: how many hours on your yammies?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

I put 3800 on the yams. Most of my fellow charter captain friends have switched to these Mercury’s for a reason. They continue to run and perform amazingly! I wouldn’t have switched if they didn’t.

[@scottalvarez8870]

I repowered with 300 Zuks two years ago and love them. Fished a lot of Tournaments out of Murrays when I ran Etecs. Lots of memories there. Jose kept his boat on the rack right there. Cudos to Merc for making these engines reliable and still being so fast.

[@randyjacobs6670]

Nice

[@KeyWestWaterman]

sure is!

[@dsante56]

Congrats!! She is looking sexy. Re-power seems to be the way to go. with boat prices now a days, are astronomical!! It’s like having a new boat Enjoy I hope they make you a lot $$ 💯🤙🏻👊🏻

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Haha right?! Very happy with the repower she’s found new life!

[@MrCaptainDietrich]

what year model yamaha 150 was that

[@KeyWestWaterman]

2015 !

[@bengen7806]

How many hours do you usually run your motors to before getting new ones? Great video. Thanks

[@KeyWestWaterman]

ive only owned this boat since 2016, I ran the original new motors for 4 years and sold them. from now on I will be repowering every year and selling min, lightly used to keep them fresh. will be around 1000 hours a year.

[@bengen7806]

I like it. Thanks

[@aimpointzoom9533]

@@KeyWestWaterman I am not sure I understand this response. You ran 2 Yammy 150,s for 4 yrs Or approx 4000 hrs. Now you are buying 2 Merc 200's and plan to sell every yr after approx 1000 hrs. Will you explain why you want to do that?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

@@aimpointzoom9533 correct. after a year the motors still have plenty of warranty and are still in great condition which means a good resale price. So i come out of pocket just a little each year and always have new motors

[@aimpointzoom9533]

@@KeyWestWaterman Thanks for the clarification. If you are writing off the costs of repowering yearly due to chartering, etc, it makes good sense. Not so much for a sportsman who can't write it off!

[@henrylockwood7230]

Good info Aaron. No breakin on Mercs???

[@KeyWestWaterman]

I did! just didn't show it!

[@NTCOX]

I was in Hawaii when I first learned about auto pilot the capt scared the shit outta me

[@KeyWestWaterman]

hahaha!

[@justreelinandpeoplin.645]

do you flush out your motors with fresh water every use?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Not if I’m running daily no

[@fendert1384]

Does Mercury no longer require a break in period?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

they do, just didn't show it

[@philip956]

Yanky cap in the background 👍👍

[@KeyWestWaterman]

haha yup! Gregs a good friend of mine!

[@kiug1208]

How are you liking these motors so far ? Debating a 200hp Mercury vs 200 Yamaha SHO

[@KeyWestWaterman]

still love them! almost 800 hours running strong!

[@metinakpinar9724]

Go 200 Pro XS V6 and lighter than Yamaha. Yamaha only make inline 4 for 200hp. You got to go 225hp in yamaha to get V6. What a dissapointment.

[@jakemaher6076]

How long was the install, you made it look like it was the same day.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Total work it took about 2 days. There was some time in between working as we had some terrible weather roll through 40 knot winds and rain. But all together about 2 days.

[@jakemaher6076]

@@KeyWestWaterman we are going to upgrade next year, thought about some e techs but I've heard evinrude has stopped make engines. Any info of your experience with the mercs will be greatly appreciated.

[@KeyWestWaterman]

Extremely happy with what I’ve seen so far! Will keep ya posted!

[@philip956]

Original fuel tank in her ? Any issues yet?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

yea still original, no issues yet!

[@jthunderx]

Break in?

[@KeyWestWaterman]

I believe it was 10 hours if i remember correctly.