Thoughts on mercruiser 4.5

[andrewterri]

My wife and I are thinking about getting a boat with the new Mercury 4.5 liter and I am looking for any input you guys might have. We are upgrading from the 3.0 and want a 20+ foot boat. there will be 2 adults and 4 kids on board. All we do is wakeboard and the kids tube. Max boat size would probably be 22' because of towing limitations, I have a 2015 f150 with the 2.7. I was told if you get over that 22' size the weight really starts climbing. Cant find much online so any thoughts would really help.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the new merc 4.5 does what the prior 5.0 did. Although the prior 5.0 and 5.7 engine designs have been around for 60 years, Merc's new motors are relatively new. I personally am a power junkie, so not sure it would have enough for me in a 20+ foot boat.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Id be willing to bet a 5.7 carbed would cost less and provide more of a boating experience. All that counts on the water is reliability and brute power.

 

[Bondo]

Id be willing to bet a 5.7 carbed would cost less and provide more of a boating experience. All that counts on the water is reliability and brute power.

Ayuh,... Ditto,.... I know nothin' 'bout the new Merc motors,....

But, I do know you can get parts for a SBC in 'bout every corner store,....

I'm guessin' parts for the new Merc motors are gonna be Merc Only replacements for a few years to come,....

 

[muc]

The new MerCruiser motors seem to be holding up good.
But ------ if your into wake sports, you should demo a boat with the Volvo forward drive (the props are in front of the drive rather than behind it) the performance is as good or better than a straight inboard wake boat during wake sports and runs up like a I/O (better top speed, fuel economy and handling) the rest of the time.

After more than 30 years in the boat business I think this is just as big a "game changer" as the duo-prop when it first came out. I'm pretty sure MerCruiser will come out with their version as soon as the patent's drop off just like they did with the Bravo drives (counter rotating props and cone clutch shifting)

 

[andrewterri]

Thank you guys for the good advice. We are going to look at some chaparrals tomorrow at the dealership while seeing if they have the parts i need for our current boat. muc, I will check into that it sounds interesting.

 

[JustJason]

The new MerCruiser motors seem to be holding up good.

It's safe to say that with any brand problems tend to take a few years to show up. 3.7's didn't start eating camshaft seals until they had some years on them. Yamahas didn't have exhaust rot until you put 4 or 5 years on them and they went out of warranty. Honda's 4 cylinders outboards also tended to crack right about the time the warranty was up as well. With any new technology what you have to ask yourself is if you want to be the guinea pig or not.

FWIW OP if you want to have some weight in the boat, + have the power for water sports. What you need is displacement. Displacement is what gets you torque. A 5.0 in a 22 ft boat all loaded up would be a bit of a dog, I can't imagine a 4.5 being any better, if anything it is going to be worse. Whichever boat you get, in that size, you would want a 5.7 or larger engine.

 

[andrewterri]

We are wanting to get through the season then order a boat. Dealer is willing to order in September and still give us boat show deals. After looking we want a chaparral H2O 21. There is no 5.0 option in this boat, only a 4.5 250hp engine. dealer said GM is stopping production of 5.0 and this is why mercruiser designed this engine. 250 seems kind of light on hp for a 21 footer. Dealer also said when the 5.0 was offered it only came with 260 hp. What do you guys think, 250 enough power?

 

[bruceb58]

I wouldn't buy that engine until it has been out 3, 4 years or more. Personally, I would buy a used boat with a 5.7 instead.

 

[andrewterri]

they never put that engine in that boat. I will have to research and find a 21' with that size. Do you know of any off the top of your head?

 

[Maclin]

Bayliner, Glastron, Chapparral all have them listed as options on 18 foot and larger boats. Gotta believe they are installed and ready for demo/purchase industry-wide now.

 

[lg260ss]

There is a lot of reluctance to new marine engine tech on this forum. I love the new technologies both Volvo and merc are implementing. The 5.0 and 5.7 are both no longer being offered in new boats. I prefer the new Volvo engines because they are still GM engines, Gen V all aluminum 4.3, 5.3 and soon 6.2 engines with direct fuel injection and variable valve timing. I have the 2013 vp 380 which is the GM gen IV 6.0 with VVT and it pushes my 8000 lb plus cruiser to 50 mph and planes faster than any boat I have owned. These new engines out perform the old ones period. If Volvo is available at your chaparral dealer, I would strongly recommend them. If not, take the boat for a ride a judge the merc yourself. You need to drive a boat with one of these new engines to become a believer. The new Volvo engines will throw you back into your seat like nothing you have ever felt on a boat before.

There is a replacement for displacement and it's called technology. ( I'm sure that won't be a popular statement around here, but oh well)