200Hp Verado Super Charged

[Dirtball]

I am repowering my ship...

I reckon one of these beauties will do the job, anyone got any tales or fables on them?

Cheers

The Dirtball............

[wingtime]

I went out on a friends 31' boat that had twin 250 Verados.   Those things were super quiet, were a breeze to control due to the fly by wire controls and power steering.  I could drive that boat with one finger.  They pushed that big boat to over 50 mph without breaking a sweat.  There  was plenty of low end power...  The performance was as good as two strokes.  While fishing he left the motors running.  My buddy that was with us didn't even know until the end of the day the motors were running.  Yes they were THAT quiet at idle.  I was very impressed by them.  But boy are they expensive and HUGE!  I'm not sure what they weigh but I would look into that.

[saltfly]

Are you looking at the 4 cylinder or the 6? They build both in the verado. I can’t remember if the 4 cylinder is super charged or not. But that’s the motor I was looking at for a while because of its lighter weight.

[MarshMarlowe196]

The 225 and on are 6 cylinders, so this one is a 4 cylinder


Father-in-law-to-be has one on one of his Boston Whalers, and I have to agree with Wingtime, that motor was impressive.  It felt like drive by wire, never skipped a beat, very quiet, had plenty of power throughout the RPM range.  Great fuel consumption too.

But boy are they expensive and HUGE!  I'm not sure what they weigh but I would look into that.

510lbs .  That's a big boy

[GoneFission]

The 200 Verado, like most Verados, is supercharged.  Supercharging gives good low and mid-range torque, but requires an intercooler and boost control to work well.  That add more complexity to the engine (and more chances for problems).  But Verados seem to have developed a good reputation and feedback has been positive.  JD Power rated outboards in 2006 and 2009 with the following results that look like Mercury is slipping:  
2006 - http://businesscenter.jdpower.com/news/ ... ID=2006025
2009 - http://businesscenter.jdpower.com/news/ ... ID=2009023

2006 Results:  With impressive improvements in both product satisfaction and quality, Mercury Marine ranks highest in two of four engine segments. Mercury ranks highest in the direct-injected (DI) two-stroke outboard segment, and Mercury MerCruiser ranks highest in the EFI sterndrive segment.  

Honda ranks highest in the electronic fuel-injected (EFI) four-stroke outboard segment for a second consecutive year, while Pleasurecraft Engine Group (PCM) ranks highest in the EFI inboard engine segment.  

“Mercury has worked hard to focus on improving its product quality and customer service, and it shows,” said Eric Sorensen, director of the marine practice at J.D. Power and Associates.  “Mercury's success this year in these two engine segments shows that positive change happens when companies are serious about both listening and decisively responding to their customers.”

Overall customer satisfaction with marine engines is determined based on performance in six factors: starting ease, quietness at cruise, reliability, fuel economy, shifting smoothness and lack of engine fumes.

2009 Results:

Outboard DI Two-Stroke Segment
Demonstrating considerable improvement in both satisfaction and quality in 2009, Evinrude ranks highest in the two-stroke DI outboard segment and performs particularly well in shifting smoothness, fuel economy and reliability.

Within the segment, notable gains have occurred for both reliability and starting ease since 2008. However, challenges still exist for outboard DI two-stroke manufacturers.

“While issues with the engine transmission sound and feel when shifting are the most frequently reported problems for DI engines, engine hesitation during acceleration and the engine running roughly have the most significant negative impacts on customers’ satisfaction with their engines,” said Todd Markusic, senior director of the powersports practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “Engine owners who experience these problems tend to rate their engine satisfaction much lower than those who have not.”

Outboard EFI Four-Stroke Segment
Honda ranks highest among outboard EFI four-stroke engine manufacturers, performing particularly well in starting ease, shifting smoothness and reliability. Yamaha follows Honda in the rankings, while Suzuki ranks third in the segment.

Among the four engine types included in the study, outboard EFI four-stroke engines have particularly high quality, with just 51 PP100. Transmission problems is the most frequently reported issue among owners of this marine engine type.

[seabob4]

Merc used to offer the I6 in 200HP form, not any more.  I have the weight of the big boys engrained in my head, 662 lbs. dry, no fluids.  When the 4s ("Baby" Vrods) came out, we did a lot of them in twin configurations, they are just as good as their big brothers, but being a 4 cyl, they don't have the punch that the 6s do...

Could go this route...




     

[MarshMarlowe196]

Outboard EFI Four-Stroke Segment
Honda ranks highest among outboard EFI four-stroke engine manufacturers, performing particularly well in starting ease, shifting smoothness and reliability. Yamaha follows Honda in the rankings, while Suzuki ranks third in the segment.

Among the four engine types included in the study, outboard EFI four-stroke engines have particularly high quality, with just 51 PP100. Transmission problems is the most frequently reported issue among owners of this marine engine type.

In my opinion, I think the JD Power findings should be more of a guide than an official report.  You have to remember, this information is gathered by conducting polls and compiling reports based on statistics.  Honda has been selling 4stroke outboards the longest, Yamaha sells the most 4stroke outboards, Suzuki sells the least, but this is not a reliable indicator of the actual quality of these engines, more of an indicator of marketing or tenure.

For comparison, there are 3 power companies that supply electricity and gas in my area, for now we'll call them x, y, and z company.  X company supplies more customers than y and z combined.  Now, when I go home and flip the switch and the lights come on, I'm not on the phone telling the power company how great of a job they're doing.  If the lights don't come on, I'm complaining about it.  If I was being supplied by Power Company X and the lights didn't come on on my street, because they serve more customers, it would still appear that Power company X was a more reliable supplier... y and z might be just as good or better, but with a smaller customer base... you get the idea.  So when the customers get polled about Power Company X, they generate more positive experiences which would translate to better overall customer satisfaction.

[GoneFission]

Merc used to offer the I6 in 200HP form, not any more.  I have the weight of the big boys engrained in my head, 662 lbs. dry, no fluids.  When the 4s ("Baby" Vrods) came out, we did a lot of them in twin configurations, they are just as good as their big brothers, but being a 4 cyl, they don't have the punch that the 6s do...

Could go this route...




     

Not nearly enough there - you need something like this for power:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylFbY3se ... re=related

[saltfly]

I have the 2011 Merc. Brochure. And 200 is still offered in both 4 and 6 cylinder. So I guess I’m confused . there is a lot of difference in weight. 4 cylinder 200 510 lbs. 6 cylinder 200 635 lbs. I personally was looking at the 4 cylinder because of the weight.

I try not to go buy reports  like JD powers. I ask the guys at the marinas around me. a lot of these motors are used the way I use them. So comparing each brand. Is like comparing apples to apples. You see if some thing is used the same way and on similar boats. Just how they hold up. You also see for your self. How the owner treats his motor. When a guy doesn’t maintain his motor and complains about how much trouble he has. You just write him off. I know the Honda is a good motor because a number of people have them and I hear and see how their used and taken carry off. This impressed me. A guy has twin 75 Hondas on a 19 sea cat. His hour meters are reading 5300 hours. And these motors are still running fine. The boat stays in the water all summer and doesn’t even get flushed. That as I said impressed me.

But when puch come to shove. and I need a new motor. I guess I'll go to Merc. I just have a hard time buying soming that doesn't say made in the USA. I have a yamaha on my boat now and bought it new. Only because at that time money was short and I needed a motor. I won't do that again. I like the motor, but Its a pain in the arse to work on. None of the motor books have really good info in them. And don't even try Yamaha manuel.

[Capt Matt]

I have a buddy that has ran a 4 cyl 200 vrod for the last year with no problems and loves it. He did say it burns a more fuel than his opti did though.
They are super quiet and the supercharger sounds cool, almost like a low whistle.
Does the 4cyl verado have the built in hyd steering like the big ones do?
Capt Matt

[seabob4]

I have a buddy that has ran a 4 cyl 200 vrod for the last year with no problems and loves it. He did say it burns a more fuel than his opti did though.
They are super quiet and the supercharger sounds cool, almost like a low whistle.
Does the 4cyl verado have the built in hyd steering like the big ones do?
Capt Matt

No.  The cylinders Merc parts will try to sell you are UFlex cylinders, excellent product, but Seastar will work fine.  The Baby Vrods are set up just like any other OB out there...except for the I6 Vrods...

[saltfly]

that’s interesting. The Opti does better then the verado on gas. The 135 opti was what I was conceding for my 19-6. I may be able to get one used for a good price. I know the guy that has it and how it is being maintained. It has only 105 hours on it.

[seabob4]

that’s interesting. The Opti does better then the verado on gas. The 135 opti was what I was conceding for my 19-6. I may be able to get one used for a good price. I know the guy that has it and how it is being maintained. It has only 105 hours on it.

Go with the "slightly" used Opti.  My buddy, one of the best guides out there, runs a 225 everyday of the year, loves it...

[Capt Matt]

I would go with the opti, I owned 2 different 135's and they where great motors. Save the  weight and the fuel.  
Capt Matt