"Greg" wrote in message
...
I believe 2 strokes are built for WOT or close to it but 4 strokes will
last a
lot longer if you keep them under 4000 RPM most of the time. It is simply
the
number of reciprocating parts. Most of my hours are put on under 3500 RPM
....
but I want it to last 2000 hours. So does Mercury, because it will be
under
warranty for about that long at my current usage.

I try to keep mine at 3800-4200 while cruising. I'm hoping the same thing,
that the slightly reduced rpm will yield better longevity.
It's also significantly better fuel economy then runnning at 4500-4800