I’ve owned a 115 horsepower Mercury outboard motor for over 10 years now and haven’t had any major problem with it that I didn’t cause myself. Even so, I distinctly remember how nervous I was when I first bought my boat with a mercury outboard on it. After all, there is no shortage of horror stories out there on the internet about these motors. Many people suggested buying anything else, and this used to give me a little pit in my stomach.
The good news for you is that I never had any cause for concern. If you’re wondering if Mercury outboard motors are any good, the answer is emphatically, yes. Mercury is a trusted brand that partners with several major boat manufacturers such as Lund. For many boats, they are the only sort of motor you can get, and that’s a good thing. They are a high quality brand that features a solid warranty, range of products, and an extremely interesting proprietary vessel view system that helps you track your hours and engine health.
Why Do Mercury Motors Get a Bad Rep?
Despite the fact that it’s largely unwarranted, Mercury motors don’t have the best reputation online. I am a *huge* believer that the reason Mercury gets so much heat online has nothing to do with their quality, and everything to do with user error. Mercury motors are some of the most popular and best selling outboards in America. They are the brand that comes standard with many entry level boats, such as Nitro. When you combine the fact that there are a ton of these motors out there with the fact that many first time boat owners are buying (and maintaining) them, it can be a recipe for trouble.
Outboard motors need regular maintenance that not every new boat owner is going to sign up for, especially if they’re on the kind of budget that has them buying an entry level value boat brand. If you aren’t maintaining any motor, you’re going to have problems, so this could be a reason Mercury gets a bad reputation online. Also, one really needs to pay attention to the break in sequence of any new motor, and it’s also possible a new boat owner might not do that.
It’s also quite possible that much of the smack talk online is a “Ford vs. Chevy” thing, or just a case of loyal owners of one brand giving the other trouble. This probably accounts for much of it because if these motors were really as bad as some folks claim, you’d never find charter captains running them, yet they do.
Finally, there are just stupid little things first time boat owners are going to mess up because they don’t know any better. This was my case, as we’ll see below.
Problems I’ve Had with My Mercury Outboard Motor
The only problem I’ve ever had with my Merc was my own darned fault. At one point in the life of my mercury motor, it was having a heck of a time starting. It was really scary because I’d be in the middle of nowhere and couldn’t get it going, and this was when my son was little. What would I do if a storm was bearing down and I couldn’t escape with him? I took it to my dealer and they couldn’t find anything wrong with the motor aside from the spark plugs being a little dirty. Luckily, my friend is an electrician and he knew the culprit. It was simple, stupid, and embarrassing:
I wasn’t tightening the battery connections snug enough.
That was it. That was the cause of all my trouble, and the reason I had to waste all that money on dealer diagnostic fees that went no where. Just a stupid, innocent mistake that I never thought of as I was a first time boat owner. It makes you wonder how many “horror stories” about mercury outboards come down to similar user error.
Advantages of Buying a Mercury Outboard
There are some significant advantages to buying a Mercury outboard for your boat. Some of the more important include:
- Dealer Network. The main advantage Mercury outboard motors have over other brands, at least in the United States, is as enormous dealer network. While Yamaha has their fair share of dealers as well, you’re never going to be far away from a repair shop that can service your boat engine if you go with a mercury. This makes a mercury outboard motor a good choice for someone who travels around the country a lot to fish. You never know when something will go wrong, but you can be confident you can find someone nearby to help.
- Availability of Parts. Because there are so many Mercury outboard motors sold, that extensive dealer network is going to be able to find parts to fix your engine when there is a problem.
- VesselView. Mercury Motors have a proprietary VesselView system available that allows you to manage your outboard system better. This will help you get more out of your performance of your engine as you have access to boat and engine performance data. Vessel view displays RPM, speed, fuel flow, fuel efficiency, temperature, trim, and more. Check out all of its features here.
- Price. Mercury outboards tend to be less expensive than an equivalent motor of other brands, such as Honda.
- Forward Thinking. Mercury has really embraced technology. In addition to VesselView, they also have a Smart Tow system that keeps your boat at the absolutely best speed for towing kids on wakeboards. Additionally, the VesselView Link lets you easily integrate various other systems into one screen. If you’re one of those “gadget fishermen,” Mercury motors would be a good choice.
Has Mercury Made Any Recalls?
If you’re wondering if Mercury outboards are any good, you probably want to investigate the recalls they’ve had. Any boat or motor manufacturer of noteworthy size is going to have their share of recalls, and Mercury is no different. The U.S. Coast Guard keeps a database that you can access here to see what recalls have been made on your boat or motor of choice. As of writing, there were 64 recalls involving “Mercury” since 1970. Granted, this is significantly higher than the data available for other major outboard motor manufacturers.
| Boat Motor Manufacturer | Number of Recalls (per USCG) |
| Mercury | 64 |
| Yamaha | 47 |
| Evinrude | 15 |
| Honda | 13 |
| Suzuki | 8 |
Granted, Mercury and Yamaha likely simply offer more products than the other manufacturers, which means they’re going to have more recalls for their boat engines and motors. Still, it isn’t that surprising to see Mercury towards the top, and brands like Honda and Suzuki (which are considered bullet proof) at the bottom.
Major Mercury Verado Recalls
While Mercury has had a number of recalls since 1970, most of them were for little minor things. However, there are a few more major recalls you should be aware of especially if you’re buying a used Mercury outboard or a boat equipped with one. The Verado in particular has had its share of troubles:
- The Verado L4 and L6 motors had a flaw in the power steering fuse that affected 36,476 models from 2008 to 2020. You’ll want to ensure that this was taken care of by any prior owners. These are popular motors and one of the more likely you’ll encounter on a used boat, so be careful.
- In 2023, the Verado 250/300 had a steering recall for 1179 motors.
- Also in 2023, the Verado 200/300 had an “engine gasoline” recall for their 2017 model year affecting 504 motors.
With that said, a recall is an indication that a company is taking a problem seriously and doing something about it. While it stinks to see the Verado have these recalls at least they’ve been addressed. Just make sure if you’re buying a used motor that these issues have been corrected so you can buy with confidence.
Where are Mercury Outboard Engines Manufactured?
While Mercury’s world headquarters is in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, they have a worldwide presence with seven manufacturing centers in six different countires:
- Fond du Loc, Wisconsin, USA
- Juárez, Mexico
- Komagane, Japan (TMC joint venture)
- Petit-Rechain, Belgium
- St. Cloud, Florida, USA
- Suzhou, China
Different locations manufacture different motors for mercury. For example, Mercury’s popular 150 HP outboard motor is manufactured in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA, but many of their 90 HP motors are made in Suzhou, China.
What Is the Warranty on Mercury Outboards?
Mercury Motors offers different warranties depending on what sort of motor you’re choosing. Per their website, this is what Mercury is currently offering as warranties on their outboard motors:
| Mercury Outboards & Jets | Limited Warranty (Pleasure Use) | Corrosion Warranty (Pleasure Use) | Limited Warranty (Commercial Use) | Corrosion Warranty (Commercial Use) |
| 4-Stroke – FourStroke / Pro XS / Verado / Jet Outboard | 3 years | 3 years | 1 year | None |
| 2-Stroke DI – OptiMax / ProXS | 3 years | 3 years | 1 year | None |
| 2-Stroke DI – OptiMax / SportJet | 1 year | 3 years | 1 year | None |
| 4-Stroke – SeaPro | 2 years | 2 years | 2 years | 2 years |
Make sure you double check with your dealer just to make sure none of this changes.
What Are Mercury’s Major Competitors for Outboard Motors?
While I think Mercury makes very good outboards, there are other brands available if you’d prefer. Their most prevalent competitor is Yamaha. Both of these companies vie for market share, and they each have been quite successful at capturing it. Therefore, if you wanted an outboard motor and didn’t want a Mercury, Yamaha would likely be your next best option.
However, both Honda and Suzuki offer outstanding outboard motors that are often considered bulletproof. As testament to this, they have significantly fewer recalls historically than Mercury or Yamaha. The downside is that you might have a hard time finding a dealer.
Can You Put a Brand Besides Mercury or Honda on a Lund?
Mercury has somewhat exclusive partnerships with several brands. For example, Lund boats. For several years, Mercury was the only brand that Lund would put on their boats. Recently, they’ve also offered Honda as an option. However, you’re perfectly capable of putting a Yamaha, Evinrude, or Suzuki on your Lund–you just need to find a dealer who will do it. You have two options. Find a dealer who sells Lund boats as well as the engine you want, or order a boat from Lund without the motor and have it rigged at the dealer of your choice. Who knows? Putting that Yamaha or Suzuki on it might make all the difference in resale value to the right person.
Conclusions
Again, this is my personal opinion backed up by a decade of running one, but I think Mercury outboards are good motors. Yeah, they catch a lot of grief on the internet, but much of this can be explained by the usual Ford v. Chevy syndrome. Further, you have to remember that if you’re one of the top dogs in terms of market share, as Mercury Marine is, you’re going to be selling a lot of outboards to people just starting off. I know I made dumb mistakes when I was learning and I’m sure others have too. Errors in maintenance and break-in due to the novice nature of much of the clientele could easily explain some of the issues.
While I spent the first few years of owning my boat scared that I made the wrong choice by buying a Merc, time marched on and proved me wrong. My 115 HP 4-stroke Mercury motor has been a rock for me just as soon as I stopped being a numpty and started tightening its battery properly!
Thanks,
John Paxton
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