Question about Mercury Racing motors?

**Tishimself** · 02-16-2014, 01:02 AM

Originally Posted by gn7

OMG that is some fuuuunnnny shit right there. That could be my sigline quote.
Damn I am glad I wasn't drinking anything. My monitor would be a mess.

BLING SELLS!

Exactly. I don't much care about the outside of a motor, it's what's inside that counts. THAT's what wins races.

**gn7** · 02-16-2014, 01:19 AM

Originally Posted by Tishimself

Exactly. I don't much care about the outside of a motor, it's what's inside that counts. THAT's what wins races.

Its not just what wins races, its what gets you thru a weekend, time after time. And Merc does do an admiral job of that, AT A PRICE!
I am not just interested in the power it makes, but what is it exactly I am buying. Power can be made cheap, but it won't last. You can make 500 HP last, and you can do it without it costing your first born.
Merc managed to convince a huge boating public that you do need to fork over your kids college fund + your retirement + your kids inheritance for the same power a Corvette made in 1969, and somehow made them willing to do it. Its far more marketing genius than it is engineering genius.
Merc is like the drug dealer of marine horsepower. A little pretty bow and some bling just to make it all seem more pleasing as you are getting the shafting. You know how it is. Some candy and flowers can lead to a good fucking.

**HB Vic** · 02-16-2014, 02:21 AM

I guess if GN7 didn't build it or doesn't approve of it, it isn't worth a nickel. I can tell you this GN7, there are thousands of Merc motors out there that run flawless and are making their owners happy campers. That's what it all about isn't it? What they paid for it is their business right? Just a little food for thought sir. There are other schools of thought out there.

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**gn7** · 02-16-2014, 02:52 AM

Originally Posted by Hotboat

I guess if GN7 didn't build it or doesn't approve of it, it isn't worth a nickel. I can tell you this GN7, there are thousands of Merc motors out there that run flawless and are making their owners happy campers. That's what it all about isn't it? What they paid for it is their business right? Just a little food for thought sir. There are other schools of thought out there.

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I never said any thing like that. They can assemble an engine as good as the next guy. That's not their real talent. Marketing is.
Consider that this engine has not one single part other than the oil pan and valve covers and water pump that has not been used in a Merc Racing engine. Only 3 parts.
Then consider the cost difference to buy exhaust and some other parts.
When was the last time you heard GM couldn't assemble an engine? Least we forget that 99.9% of all the engines Merc sells are based on an engine GM designed from the the ground up. I think they have a pretty good handle on how to build one. Merc didn't design anything any more than I did. They are just buying parts and putting them together.

I think it would have been more accurate to say, If Merc didn't build it, the blind, deaf and dumb think its a POS.

For less than the DIFFERENCE between a 502 Mercruiser, and a 520 Merc Racing. That's some EXPENSIVE ASSEMBLING!!
620 HP pump gas. Its biggest failure is, its not BLUE!

**FormulaZR** · 02-16-2014, 07:46 AM

Originally Posted by Hotboat

I guess if GN7 didn't build it or doesn't approve of it, it isn't worth a nickel. I can tell you this GN7, there are thousands of Merc motors out there that run flawless and are making their owners happy campers. That's what it all about isn't it? What they paid for it is their business right? Just a little food for thought sir. There are other schools of thought out there.

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They should run flawlessly. A 523 CID engine making 520-540 horsepower really isn't working very hard.

**Tishimself** · 02-16-2014, 08:36 AM

People who buy mercs do it because they don't know better. The are the bandwagon people of the boating industry. Merc makes a nice pretty blingy motor, to be sure. But I wonder, all things being equal, how much more did you pay for that blue motor with a million sensors in it vs. a shop built equivalent?

**Sharp shooter** · 02-16-2014, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by GRADS

I have no clue what parts are in my motor nor do I really give a shit. What I care about is how fast my boat goes and how long the motor lasts. I'm the average buyer and that is why Mercury can charge what they do. That is why I'm looking for a Daytona with Mercury, Ilmor or Teague power.

Your last boat topped out at 68 mph and took a day and a half to get there... When you had the Jessie James boat did it ever actually run?

HAHAHA!!!!

**Sharp shooter** · 02-16-2014, 09:07 AM

Originally Posted by Tishimself

People who buy mercs do it because they don't know better. The are the bandwagon people of the boating industry. Merc makes a nice pretty blingy motor, to be sure. But I wonder, all things being equal, how much more did you pay for that blue motor with a million sensors in it vs. a shop built equivalent?

Bam!

"A fool and his money are soon parted"- Thomas Tusser

**gn7** · 02-16-2014, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by FormulaZR

They should run flawlessly. A 523 CID engine making 520-540 horsepower really isn't working very hard.

Yeah think?
Nor are they spinning very fast, which explains the low HP per cubic inch. My shop van spins as many RPM as a Merc. I understand why. They pretty much all do regardless who the builder is.
I don't really have a bitch with Merc. I don't own anything they make and not sure I ever will. I understand pretty much having to use their drive, they have the market cornered there. Kudos to them, and they did infact engineer it and make it work. Again, for a price.
They didn't however design a single component, nor manufacture virtually anything inside the engines.

What I find interesting is, you can go on Teague's site, and see almost every part he uses to build an engine, who makes it and see the price he sells the parts for. I can tell you, the prices he sells engine parts for is as good as most speed shops. and better one a lot of stuff. So you can sit down with a calculator and see just how much he is charging to assemble those parts into a running engine. You can make an educated decision if you think its worth the price he is asking. And I can tell you, the stuff he is using is some of the best parts out there. Some is the same stuff Merc uses, others are BETTER! MUCH BETTER.
Yet people will GLADLY pay almost twice for something less because it's a Merc. I have a hard time wrapping my head around that. I'm not that easily swayed.

People lay out huge cash for something, and have no idea whats in it, or who made it.
I have no doubt Grads thinks Merc makes it all and he is not alone. I use to be stunned by the number of people that have Mercs and believe that they designed and build the entire engine like GM and Ford do. I stopped being amazed by huge population of boat owners decades ago.