Re: Mercury offshore meaning?
Paint.
It's the same gimmick as with otehr "salt water series." All outboards are salt water motors and it seems to me if they do anything to make them "better" for salt they are admitting to sub-standard quality in the base models (except the few salt-specific items like annodes). So when you find the differences they may be minor, or "why don't they make them all that way?"
As for size, it's likely the "offshore" doesn't come in all sizes, but I can't see how that makes it "offshore" in the true sense of the word.
