Mercury Verado, are they reliable?

SMELIKFIS

Cadet
Joined
Sep 17, 2007
Messages
6
I am looking at buying a used CC in the 32-34' range.
2004 or newer.
My current boat is a 2003 Grady with twin Yamaha F-225 four strokes.
These Yamaha's have been so good to me that in looking for a new to me boat, I have only been looking at boats with four stroke Yamaha's.
I have found many boats out there with Verdao's and now need an education on them.

What are common problems?
Are there better years to consider/stay away from?
How consistent are they?
Any help ?
Thanks, Randy
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Re: Mercury Verado, are they reliable?

Heavy, heavy, heavy! Did I mention they are heavy?? Your engines weigh about 583 each. Total = 1166#. A 225 Verado weighs about 660#. Two of them = 1320#. That's like carrying one extra person around -- all the time. Since you are very happy with the Yammys why wouldn't you stick with them. Certainly no harm in investigating options but on a boat, extra weight is not a selling feature.
 

jhebert

Ensign
Joined
Jul 24, 2005
Messages
902
Re: Mercury Verado, are they reliable?

"Are there better years to consider/stay away from?"

Mercury motors no longer have model years, so you can't really discover a particular model by its model year. A Mercury VERADO motor is just a VERADO motor as far as Mercury is concerned, and they don't have model years. Mercury says that elimination of model years is a "consumer benefit." They explain how the benefit is provided in a special website:

http://mercurymarine.com/serviceandwarranty/outboardfaqs/mye.php

Notwithstanding the premise that there are no model years, Mercury has made significant changes to the VERADO motor during its production. While their literature about the motor does not mention this, the designation "Gen II" (as in second generation) is in common use among consumers to help differentiate between the two models. The only way to recognize the Gen II motors is by a difference in the decorations used on the cowling. The designator "Gen II" does not appear, but the cowling decorations changed to a have more chrome or silver-metallic appearance.

There are substantial mechanical differences between the original VERADO and the VERADO that everyone (except Mercury) calls the "Gen II." You cannot update the older motors to have the new features because they involve changes in the engine block.

In an interview with BoatTest.com published in July of 2007, Mark D. Schwabero, then the president of Mercury outboards, said that the improvements included:

--Precision Machined Oil Dams in the Crankcase. By greatly reducing the clearance between the crankshaft and the ?oil scrapers?, the amount of oil mass that the crankshaft had to push through and swirl around was also reduced, thus releasing more usable horsepower.

--Eccentric Grooved Crankshaft Main Bearings. This slight change, too, reduced the amount of oil ?sloshing? around in the crankcase--and thus robbing power....

Cf.: http://www.boattest.com/resources/view_news.aspx?NewsID=286

There is also a video in which a similar presentation is made by Steve Miller, Verado Platform Manager of Mercury Marine. Mr. Miller explains that the fundamental basis for the improved performance of the Verado was the simple reduction of friction in the engine itself. The power saved from those losses goes right to the propeller shaft output.

Cf.: http://www.boattest.com/flash_video_player.aspx?vol=50&video=mercury/ verado_walkaround )

The net effect of these changes was to make the so-called Gen II motor have better fuel efficiency.

"What are common problems?"

A common problem with the Mercury VERADO is a failure of the fuel vapor separator due to low tolerance to gasoline diluted with ethanol. During development of the VERADO most of the testing was probably done with pure gasoline. Now that everyone in North America is using ethanol-gasoline fuels, there have been many reports of failure of the fuel vapor separator, presumably caused by the ethanol, and Mercury has a designed a replacement part that is able to tolerate gasoline-ethanol blends better than the original. Replacement of the fuel vapor separator, or Fuel Supply Module (FSM), has been provided by Mercury in some cases as a warranty repair, and I don't think the owner has had to pay for it. I would certainly look into the condition of the FSM on any VERADO, particularly since it is almost impossible to avoid gasoline-ethanol fuels these days.

I notice that you're located in SE Michigan, as am I. The list of Mercury dealers in SE Michigan who are certified to install the VERADO is extremely short. I think there is only one dealer in our area who can actually sell and install a VERADO. There are more dealers selling new boats that have been rigged at the factory with a VERADO.

To work on a VERADO the dealer must invest in special diagnostic tools and send his staff for training on the motor. While there are many Mercury dealers, the percentage of them which have become qualified to provide VERADO service is still relatively small. I recommend you investigate the qualification of your local Mercury dealer to make sure their service department is trained and certified on the VERADO and can provide service.
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Re: Mercury Verado, are they reliable?

The only entities that benefit from a no model year program are the manufacturers and dealers. Once again the customer gets the short end of the stick. This program allows an engine that was built 12 - 18 months (and perhaps even earlier) than the current date, to be sold as current production. This also allows the dealers to price those engines the same as engines being built on the current date. Now granted, "technically" the older engines and the new (current build) should be "nearly" identical so there for all practical purposes they are identical -- except the prior production is one or even two years older. No buyer I know would "knowingly" CHOOSE an engine he/she knew was built one or two years prior to current production -- at least at the same price as current production. Now then, one buys one of these engines and a couple years down the road he decide to sell it. What was now bought, perhaps as a package, turns out to have an engine that is one or two years older than the boat. A savy buyer will have done his/her due diligence and will use that to advantage in the bargaining process. For all the new buyer knows, that engine has two more years of use than the seller is admitting to. This becomes an even bigger issue if it is just the engine a buyer is bargaining on. This entire scam is to give the dealers a way to rid themselves of what was called "non-current" inventory. This is just one more issue the manufacturers have thrust on an unsuspecting public and just one more thing that needs to be investigated when buying a boat, and even more important when buying just an engine. The excuse about making technical changes is a joke. Running changes do not have to be made at the end of a model year. They can be made any time and tracked by serial/model number.
 

sschefer

Rear Admiral
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Messages
4,530
Re: Mercury Verado, are they reliable?

jhebert - Perfect post, one of the best I've ever seen. Right on the money and obviously from the inside track. I've heard a rumor that I can't verify but it would make sense that Yamaha might be looking at releasing a super charged line in the near future. If there's any truth to the rumour (heavily stressing truth), hopefully it will be a bottom up lesson's learned build and not a conversion. I just bought a F-150 rather than another Merc because the research said it was the best choice for my application.

From what I understand the Verado is Merc's offshore engine which in my book should spell reliability.
 
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