So far this year Mercury Marine has introduced some pretty cool features and upgrades, but the introduction of their completely new line-up of four stroke outboard motors has to be the coolest. These engines were designed from the skeg up to not only be a powerful machine, but a lightweight, compact, fuel efficient work of art. “These outboards set a new benchmark in the marine industry,” said Mercury Marine president, John Pfeifer. “They are the quietest, lightest, smoothest, quickest and most fuel-efficient engines we have produced in this range.” In my opinion, they don't look half that bad either.

Its spring time here in Michigan and boaters are starting to get the itch to bring their boats out of storage. This is also the typical time of year that most boaters take advantage of so that they can prep, clean, and check their boat for any possible problems that may surface once summer is in full throttle. If your not one of these boaters, maybe you should give this this check list a look. I mean, it is only going to benefit you in the long run.

Determining the right propeller for your boat is obviously not the only thing you can do to reach optimal performance, but it is one of the easiest. When selecting the right propeller for your rig, you can look at a number of different things such as going up in pitch, down in pitch, run an aluminum, switch to a stainless, or even go to a four blade. Before you can do any of that though, you have to think about how you use your boat and what your looking to change about your current performance. From there you can begin your selection.

One of the bigger concerns boat owners have when repowering their rig with a specific brand motor is whether or not there is a certified service center in their location. This is actually a good concern to have when you think about the possibility of any warranty or major service work needing to be done. I have even seen boaters sway to a particular brand based on what their local marina is certified to work on. That kind of limits your options at times but at least someone in your area can work on it. No matter where you are, there is a place in Grand Rapids that is certified to work on your motor no matter what brand you have.

One of the bigger features Mercury developed for the 2018 boating season is actually designed specifically for a few of their smaller outboards. The new 15hp and 20hp EFI Four Strokes to be exact. These outboards have not only been upgraded to an Electronic Fuel Injection system, but they are also getting a fresh new look with some pretty cool features. If you haven't seen these in person, you should probably check them out. Especially if you are considering a new 15 or 20hp outboard this season and I will tell you why.

Along with their recent brand update late last year, Tohatsu decided to expand their Electronic Fuel Injection four stroke lineup. Before now, there was only one of the major outboard manufacturers making an EFI motor as low as a 9.9hp. Now that Tohatsu are manufacturing EFI 9.9's, they are definately going to be a game changer in the smaller horsepower class. Their newest members to join the EFI family this year are the 20hp, 15hp, and 9.9hp four stroke portable outboards. Im sure the other brands wont be too far behind in the EFI game, but for now its pretty cool to see another option on the market.

Your at your local outboard dealer shopping for a new motor and the salesman hits you with the question, "short or long shaft?". For most boaters this is a no brainer, but for the novice or inexperienced boater it may be a tougher question. As a dealer I run into this situation from time to time, which is fine but getting the right length outboard for your boat is crucial. I mean, who wants to purchase something as expensive as an outboard to only realize you bought the wrong one. So in hopes that this will help out some new boaters this spring, here's a little rundown on outboard shaft sizes and how to figure out which one you actually need.

When your on the hunt for a new outboard this spring, I would suggest giving Vans Sport Center a look. We have a large inventory of new outboard motors from all of the top brand names in the outboard industry. Having such a large inventory allows us to stock our showroom with a diverse variety of motors for our customers to have side-by-side comparions of the different brands and models offered. We find this benefitial for the customers who may not know exactly which motor they are looking to purchase. What really sets us part from other dealers would have to be the fact that we have an impressive used outboard motor inventroy as well. So whether your looking to start fresh or just upgrade to something a little newer, Vans Sport Center has the motor for you.