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How to Choose the Right Mercury Outboard for Your Boat

FourStroke, Pro XS, Verado, SeaPro or Avator? Which one is right for you?

 

At Mercury, we don’t engineer outboards with a one-size-fits-all approach. By offering a variety of outboard brands – FourStroke, Pro XS®, Verado®, SeaPro™ and Avator™ – in the industry’s broadest horsepower range and with a wide selection of supporting technology, controls and accessories, Mercury gives boaters the opportunity to have a complete propulsion system that’s perfect for their needs.

Whether you’re shopping for a new boat-and-engine combo or looking to repower your current boat, your first step in selecting the right outboard is to understand the basic differences in each of the Mercury outboard brands. From there, a Mercury Authorized Dealer is your best source for answering questions and helping you get your boat rigged up the right way for you.

FourStroke: A versatile choice for many boat types

For pontoons, cruisers, fishing boats, jon boats and just about any recreational vessel on the water, the Mercury FourStroke outboard delivers reliable performance and low cost of ownership. It’s the most versatile platform in the lineup, with the widest range of horsepower ratings and configurations. FourStroke outboards range from a 2.5hp tiller-steered portable engine up to a V8 300hp outboard compatible with nearly all the latest Mercury technology.

Some FourStroke engines are also available with specialty features such as a jet drive for shallow-water boating, a lengthened Sail Power gearcase for sailboats or the heavy-duty Command Thrust gearcase, which features a bigger torpedo for turning a larger prop and handling heavy loads.

“You can do a lot of things with it,” said Jeff Becker, Mercury senior outboard category manager, of the FourStroke brand. “It’s durable, reliable; you have a lot of options. It’s the brand for every application that provides low cost of ownership and maintenance with a lower price than the others, but still provides great performance and an overall great experience.”

Pro XS: A high-performance machine for those who crave speed

With its sharp red-on-black graphics package and reputation for speed and acceleration, the Pro XS outboard is the engine for boaters who want to tap into every ounce of performance available to them. Ranging from 115 to 300hp, Pro XS outboards are for performance enthusiasts who want equal parts exhilaration and reliability.

“We see most of our Pro XS engines going to competitive anglers – bass, walleye,” said Becker. “We also see a lot of them on pontoons, because boaters like the graphics package of the Pro XS on some of those sportier pontoon boats.”

The primary feature that sets Pro XS engines apart is performance tuning. They’re set up to run at a higher rpm, for greater top speed and faster hole shots.

There are also some mechanical differences throughout the lineup. The 200 and 225hp Pro XS engines are built on the V8 powerhead, giving them a boost in torque and top speed over the 200 and 225hp FourStroke engines, which are built on the V6 powerhead.

Similarly, all V8 and V6 Pro XS outboards – 175 to 300hp – are available with a standard gearcase, while the 150hp Pro XS features a TorqueMaster gearcase, designed for high-speed, semi-surface-piercing applications common to performance bass boats and other similar boat styles.

The last major distinguishing factor is that trademark sound. The exhaust on all V8 Pro XS engines has been tuned to start up with a throaty, sportscar-like growl. That rumble is a symbolic note signaling the start of a tournament takeoff or a great day of fishing.

Verado: A smooth, quiet and refined luxury high-horsepower outboard

Verado outboards are all about premium, luxury performance. These are high-horsepower, highly refined engines, capable of powering big offshore boats, luxury cruisers and pontoons, deep-V fishing boats and more.

“Everything that we can do to make the engine as quiet as possible, to make the engine as smooth as possible, to really refine the boating experience goes into the Verado engines,” Becker said. “Digital Throttle & Shift (DTS) is standard, so you get the best shifting experience and more refined control. And then every Verado engine has its own version of the Advanced MidSection (AMS). It’s a unique midsection and mounting configuration where the engine mounts are situated around the perimeter, surrounding the powerhead, which really absorbs any sort of vibration that the engine puts off and prevents it from going into the boat.”

Boats with multiple Verado outboards can be paired with Joystick Piloting for Outboards, and soon, Mercury Joystick Steering for Single-Engine Vessels will be available for boaters who want one-handed shifting and steering control when operating at low speeds.

Overall, the high-horsepower Verado lineup includes our most powerful outboard offerings.

SeaPro: A hard-working outboard for boaters who make their living on the water

If being on the water means being on the job, a Mercury SeaPro engine might be the choice for you. SeaPro outboards were engineered for high-hour commercial applications ranging from ecotourism and fishing to shipping and construction.

“These engines have a different calibration, a different rpm range, really engineered to extend the life of the engine while still providing the torque and performance commercial boaters are looking for,” said Becker. “We know SeaPro customers are all about durability and reliability. They want an engine to last for years and still provide good performance. We validate all of our SeaPro engines to three times the life of our recreational engines.”

SeaPro outboards range from 15 to 500hp, powering everything from tender boats to large vessels capable of moving heavy loads. While many of the same heavy-duty components and features that enhance durability and corrosion resistance in SeaPro outboards are also incorporated into other Mercury outboard families, Mercury does optimize overall “toughness” with SeaPro outboards beyond engine tuning. For instance, all SeaPro engines use the largest gearcase available for their respective horsepower nodes and powerheads.

Maintenance is also a consideration. SeaPro engines include features such as a gearcase oil drain, simplifying maintenance for commercial applications where boaters don’t have easy access to trailers or marinas. It allows the gear lube to be drained while the engine is tilted, without needing to remove the prop. It’s a small change that makes a big difference for boaters who put hundreds of hours annually on their engines.

The specialty player: the Mercury ProKicker delivers precision trolling control

For serious anglers, the ProKicker™ outboard is a hard-working “support player” in the Mercury lineup. It’s a must-have for trolling, drifting or mooching for species ranging from walleyes and muskies to salmon and rockfish.

ProKicker engines are purpose built for low-speed boat handling, with components, controls, props and tuning designed specifically for dialing in precise speeds and long hours of low-rpm operation. Available with tiller or remote steering in 9.9, 15 and 25hp, ProKicker engines can be mounted on either side of the transom – next to the main engine. This lets anglers set up their boats for the most comfortable driving experience and optimal control.

Avator: Quiet, sustainable, all-electric propulsion

The Avator electric outboard family includes five low-voltage, low-horsepower models designed to power a range of small boats, from inflatables and jon boats to small pontoons and even some small fiberglass runabouts. Ideal for use on bodies of water where internal combustion engines are restricted or prohibited, they’re also popular for powering tender boats, as secondary power on sailboats, or for anyone who just wants to get out on the water.

Each Avator outboard is designed in tandem with controls, prop, batteries, display and a mobile app as part of a complete electric propulsion system. This includes portable battery packs and modular systems for certain models to let boaters choose how much power to bring along. Because of their high torque, Avator outboards tend to out-accelerate internal combustion engines with a similar horsepower rating. For instance, the 7.5e model accelerates similar to a 3.5hp four-stroke engine, the 20e is similar to that of a 5hp four-stroke engine, and the 35e is similar to that of a 9.9hp four-stroke.

While runtimes can vary widely based on conditions, the number of batteries (amount of fuel) and how the outboard is operated, all Avator outboards are designed to provide approximately one hour of runtime at full throttle. By adding batteries or operating at a lower throttle position, you can extend range and runtime.

Choose, customize and enjoy

Mercury provides the options to customize your engine to your needs. From there, the adventures are up to you.

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