Mercury has always been an innovative and competitive company, so it should be no surprise that they have totally rethought their line of 75hp, 90hp, and 115hp Outboards. Mercury designed these new outboards so that a lighter, more compact motor can be hung on your transom while still offering better performance, hole shot, and towsport capability than the earlier models. Some other great features that were added into the design of these new outboards include higher fuel savings, hassle free maintenance, and a rugged construction.
The new Mercury Four Stroke outboards feature a 2.1-liter, four-cylinder, eight-valve, single-overhead-cam design which provides more horsepower and torque as well as offers greater hole shot, acceleration, and top speed. At the 115hp rating, only the 2.4-liter Honda BF115 offers more cubic inches, but the Honda is also 120 pounds heavier than the new Mercury. The new Mercury 115hp weighs in at 359 pounds, which is the lightest model in its horsepower rating. It is an amazing 40 pounds lighter than the 1.7-liter model it replaces and 20 pounds lighter than the new Yamaha F115.
Not only are these four strokes lighter, they are also noticeably quieter in comparison to the 2014 Yamaha F115B due to Mercury’s sound suppression system which incorporates an advanced cowling design and an idle relief muffler system. This sound-suppression system makes the new 115hp Mercury 25% quieter at idle, 15% quieter at cruising speeds, and 50% quieter at wide open throttle.
These motors were also design so that they can be easily maintained throughout the season. Take replacing the fuel filter for example. No tools are needed and it can be accomplished in less than a minute. Also, with Mercury’s Maintenance-Free Valve Train, a costly valve-lash adjustment will never be needed on these motors.
Another plus to these motors would definitely have to be their fuel efficiency. With the combination of less weight and a high displacement, these outboards provide a maximum fuel efficiency, especially at cruising speeds. There are also specialized oil scrappers and bearings which minimize the friction in the crankcase, resulting in a lower fuel comsumption as well.
To add, they also have an anti-corrosion protection due to their high-tech MercFusion paint system. The MercFusion paint system features a custom-designed layering of low-copper aluminum-silicon alloys, iridite metal prep and sealing, Electro-Deposition Paint (EDP) priming, and Mercury’s powder paint top coat, sealing them from any possible corrosion.
Repowering your boat with a new Mercury Four Stroke can spark new life into your boat by means of greater acceleration, performance, and maneuverability. They are also a great fit for all types of boats, even those that may not have been able to hold the weight of the old, heavier models. On top of that, their slick, low profiles not only give them a sharp, stylish look, but it makes them quite easier to fish around on bass boats, which is a huge application for them. If you're in the market for a new outboard, give these new Mercury Four Stroke 75hp, 90hp, and 115hp outboards a look, you won't be disappointed.
It's only the beginning of summer and the service department here at Van's Sport Center is already full of boats and motors needing repairs; all fingers are pointed at ethanol. It's pretty clear that ethanol is the boating industry's kryptonite, with it's ability to cause costly damages to a boat engine and steer people away from boating. With some fuels even having a 15% ethanol blend, the risk of using ethanol fuel grows. However, it doesn't mean its time to throw in the towel. Ethanol may be here to stay, but there are still ways to avoid it's negative effects and protect your motor. Here are a couple things that will help you stay on the water and out of the shop:
Recreational fuel is your friend
Most of the time fuel offered at a gas station is ethanol based fuel with at least 10% ethanol blend, which can be harmful. Some places may even be using 15% blend. Ethanol is alcohol and it pulls moisture from the air, which means ethanol-based fuel can cause a variety of damages. For example, ethanol can cause your fuel line hose to fall apart and almost become mushy, causing your fuel line to plug. This is just one area of your motor that ethanol can damage. The breakdown of parts such as the fuel hose, creates residue which can cause goop or build up in other parts of the engine, leading to other problems. One way to prevent these damages and avoid needing repairs--use recreational, non-ethanol fuel. Many places offer a non-ethanol fuel, which can cost a little more but because it is better for an engine it could save you from an expensive trip to the shop in the future.
The left side shows a fuel line hose with no ethanol damage, while the right side shows a hose that is almost clogged from ethanol breaking it apart.
Treatments: additives and stabilizers
Although non ethanol fuel is ideal, there are treatments that can make using ethanol fuel not as risky. There are a wide variety of treatments you can use to prevent ethanol damage to your motor and they all help maintain a healthy engine. Ethanol can damage your motor when it separates from fuel because of the water that it absorbs, but these treatments help stabilize your fuel to help prevent damage. They are meant to provide protection during off-season storage but also during operational use; periods of storage often require a higher concentration of the treatment.
BRP has a treatment called 2+4 which is proven to be very effective and recommended to be used at every fill up for maximum year-round protection. Mercury has a 3 step treatment which includes their Quickare, Quickleen, and Quickstor. While Quickare and Quickleen are used to protect during the season, Quickstor is made to be used before storage and provide protection throughout the off-season. Amongst these, there are many other treatments available: such as, Seafoam engine treatment, Yamalube, Starbright fuel additive, and Sta-Bil fuel treatment and stabilizer.
There are a lot of different treatments and they're all aimed to protect your engine.
Fuel tank levels matter
Whether or not a full fuel tank is more vulnerable or safe is a question that is still in debate. While some say that a full tank allows less room for moisture to collect, others say that a full tank has more ethanol which will pull in more moisture than an empty tank with small amounts of ethanol. 
Because it is hard to determine which one is better, a good solution is to determine a safe level for your fuel tank depending on the amount of expected future use. If you have a boat that is used often, maintaining a full tank would be advantageous. Cars are not at as big of a risk for ethanol damage because of their frequent use, so when a boat is used frequently a full tank does not increase the risk of damage. However, when you have a boat that is not used quite as frequently or being stored, running through the fuel completely will help eliminate risk of damage.
While ethanol certainly poses a threat to outboards, there are things to do to that can help you avoid this or lower the intensity of the damages. Using the right fuel, treating your fuel and paying attention to the level of your gas tank are small tasks that can offer a big pay off. Don't hesitate to contact Van's Sports Center with any questions or boating needs!
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In an ideal world, finding your needed outboard part online would be as easy as learning your facebook friends' political views. Unfortunately, it doesn't always pan out that way.There are a lot of different motor manufacturers which all lead to different makes and years, different models with different horse power levels, and different outboard part breakdowns to look through. Our outboard parts page has a lot of information, but we try not to make it a lot of work. Gathering some information beforehand can make the process a lot quicker. Here are a few things to know when searching for a part on our outboard parts pages:
Tagged UnderTa-Who? Half the time this is the typical response I seem to get when I mention the Tohatsu line of motors to a customer looking to repower. Just because you may not have heard of them before or seen an advertisement for them on your Saturday morning fishing programs doesn't mean that they aren't one of the big dogs in the outboard game. In fact they are one of the larger manufacturers and make quite a few motors for some of the other outboard manufacturers in the industry. With all of the Tohatsu outboards that we sell, and we sell a lot of them, the MFS40AETL and the MFS50AETL would have to be the most popular models. Heres why.
With Michigan almost completely surrounded by water its no secret that we have some great fishing oppertunities to be had. Aside from our larger bodies of water such as the Great Lakes or our many inland lakes, Michigan also has multiple river systems that hold a number of different species of fish. These rivers are popular for their Steelhead, Salmon, Trout, Small Mouth Bass, Walleye, and many others. To effectively target these fish you need to be equipt with the right gear such as a flat bottom boat, a jet drive outboard, and a solid anchor winch system. That being said there are many options you can go with in terms of boats and motors, but there is really only one winch system that I would recommend you go with and that's a River Larry.
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If you chase steelhead or salmon in any one of our river systems, chances are your sled has an outboard jet drive motor on it or you wish it did. Jet drive outboards are the motor of choice for almost every river fisherman for the simple fact that they allow anglers to motor through skinny water that is too shallow for a propped outboard. They also eliminate the chance of damaging a prop and lower unit on unseen hazards such as logs or unexposed rocks. With jet drives becoming more common on rigs in the Midwest, there are a few important factors that should be taken into consideration to achive top performance.
One of the first thngs to think about has to be with the width of the boat. Jets tend to run better on boats with a width of 48” or more. This is because the wider the boat is at the bottom, the higher the hull sits in the water and creates less drag. The second would have to be the weight to power ratio which will determine getting the boat onto plane. Jets are unlike a propped outboard in terms of power because once an outboard is jetted out, it loses 30% of that powerheads original horsepower. There is also no way to play with the RPM’s due to the boat having a heavier payload. When the payload is too heavy on a propped motor, you can simply change to a lower pitched prop so that you can get to the recommended RPM’s for that motor. There is no wiggle room with this on a jet. That's why taking your regular payload into consideration will determine the amount of horsepower needed to power your boat and get it on plane.
Almost every jet drive pump on the water today, no matter what brand motor, is made by a single company: Outboard Jets out of San Leandro, California. The company was started in 1960 by Dick Stallman, who worked closely with the Wooldridge family to form the product that you know today as the jet drive. Today, Outboard Jets build over 80 different models to fit 6 of the top name outboard manufacturers in the marine industry. One of the things Outboard Jets recommend is that a jet drive motor should be rigged on a boat that has a slight deadrise of 6 - 10 degrees for the best overall performance. This is important because this slight dead rise, or “V”, makes for a smooth ride and splits air filled water before it reaches the jet intake and causes cavitation.
Cavitation can be common occurence in rough waters or harsh conditions as well as those who run a flat bottom sled with no dead rise. With that being said, there are a few solutions to help prevent cavitation from happening. One solution is to install jet intake fins that can be bought as an after market accessory. These fins are not only easy to install, but they can be an economical and simple solution for directing a larger volume of water and reducing the amount of air getting to the intake. They also provide a little more grip in tight turns or rough waters.
Another easy to install solution to cavitation is a transom jack. Transom jacks come in both manual or hydraulic styles and many different sizes. Transom jacks allow you to adjust the height of the motor so that if there is a bit of chop, you can lower it into the water more to get a better intake or water. They also allow you to adjust the intake foot several inches back from the transom for better water flow and efficiency. Some downfalls to transom jacks are that they will add more torque to the transom as well as shift the weight more towards the transom. Because of this weight shift, you may need to adjust your boats load to evenly disperse the weight again.
Outboard jets rely on a constant flow of water that is free of air pockets for them to run efficiently. Boats with keels will carry pockets of air all the way back to the intake causing the jet to run inefficiently. One way around this is to remove a section of the center keel about two feet or so from the stern of the boat. This should create a nice flow of water that is wider than the jet intake.
Another common problem with outboard jets is back spray. This happens when water sprays off of the transom and the foot, which may cause for a wet ride or produce cavitation. This can be fixed by welding an aluminum plate that is just a few inches wider that the intake foot to the transom of the boat where the jet sits. Some of the boat builders acctually fabricate these plates into their original designs.
The use of outboard jets is definitely on the rise in the Midwest and we will be seeing a lot more of them on the rivers in the years to come. If you are an angler that is thinking about purchasing an outboard jet, these are some great things to keep in mind when looking. Van’s Sport Center sells quite a few new and used jets thoughout the year and our salesman here has quite the experience with them being a river angler himself. Based on your boat and the payload you plan to run, Van’s can get you set up with exactly the right amount of power for the right price so you can get out there and chase some of the greatest trophy fish Michigan has to offer.
Yamaha Outboards have done it once again by engineering another game changing motor for the boating industry. Yamaha will be introducing four new SHO four-stroke models for the 2015 season from the range of 115 to 250hp engines. The new SHO line of motors are designed to meet the needs of all freshwater applications, such as mid-sized boats, pontoon boats, and offshore boats.
“What made us strong in salt water is feature-rich product,” said Yamaha Marine Group president Ben Speciale. “So we see that trend moving into fresh water at a more rapid pace. We are focusing more on providing that feature-rich product to that freshwater segment. We’re going after that freshwater market in a strong way.” The Mid-west has even been described as a priority for sales and service, Speciale mentioned.
The new additions to the Super High Output line will be the V MAX SHO 115hp and the V MAX SHO 175hp outboards. There will also be two extra long, 25” shaft versions of the current 150 and 250 V MAX SHO engines. The V MAX SHO motors come equipped with a 4.2L big-bore design that sends it out of the hole up to 13% faster than its two stroke competitors. These motors also have a redesigned cowling, engine bracket and lower engine pan, that got every ounce of weight shaved off that they could, without compromising the durability of the motor itself. In the end, the V MAX SHO weighs in at 505 pounds, a whopping 34 pounds lighter than the previous two stroke V MAX motor designs.
Along with the new SHO models being offered in April, Yamaha will also bring back two improved models, one being their most popular seller, the F150 and the other being the F8. Some of the changes to the F150 are improvements to the clutch, which will provide for smoother shifting and the other change is a new trolling feature. The trolling feature will let the operator increase revolutions per minute in 500 rpm increments.
These new models will become available for purchase in April of 2015 from any proud Yamaha outboard dealer in your area. If you are interested in any of the new Yamaha V MAX SHO lineup, stop into Van’s Sport Center and talk to our salesman Tom about re-powering your boat with new technology that is geared towards freshwater applications.
If you own a jet sled or fish for steelhead and salmon in any of Michigans major river ways you understand the importance and need for a solid anchor winch. There are a number of different brands on the market you can choose from all varring in price and quality, but not every system out there is going to fit your needs. Yeah, you could go with an ATV winch or maybe a Windless or some other brand name you find at your local marina, but honestly those wont cut it. You are going to need something that is heavy duty, fast, and powerful enough to pull up some weight. With that being said there is only one brand that comes to mind.
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