A fellow cruiser just dumped his almost new (30 hours) Mercury 4 hp, 4
stroke ob in in the ocean while running. Merc dealer says is a zero.
$1100 in parts and labor because the piston, crank, rod all fractured
and Merc doesn't sell a replacement powerhead for this - it's made by
Tohatsu for them. New unit is $1150. So I asked the Svce Mgr - what
happened - I've dumped my Suzuki 4 hp and Evinrude 15 hp (both 2
stroke) in the ocean, rinsed them out, started them and still use
them. Answer - the 4 stroke ob's have valves and higher compression
and lighter (thinner) parts to save weight - so a hydraulic lock in
them fractures them unlike the 2 strokes.



On Thu, 6 Nov 2003 19:01:03 -0500, "DaveH"
wrote:

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the 4-strokes, but I don't have
one myself. You may get more feedback at www.thehulltruth.com. (no
affiliation, just something to try)

"Den73740" wrote in message
...
There's a wealth of boating experience in this group and I'd like to tap
into
it to keep from making a costly mistake.

I'm getting ready to purchase an outboard in the 50-70 hp range. I want
to get
a four stroke. It will be run in salt water. I'd like to get opinions and
experiences from anyone with OBs in this range.

Thanks for your help

Dennis