Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

[Boomyal]

Now that I am a lucky owner of a nice old boat with a merc outdrive I have been been scanning my new ebay aquired merc manuals. In addition to that I have had a little hands on experience with various merc components as I helped my friend with the near twin of my new Beachcraft.

The result of my musing is that it is a shame that OMC did not address some of it's deficiencies before they drove them out of business. IMHO, conceptually, the OMC Stringer blows the Merc out of the water. It is so much simpler and less complex than the merc package from intermediate out thru the outdrive.

 

[Don S]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

My Gawd Boomer, snap out of it.............. I know this will be hard for you to admit to everyone, and it is a necessary first step back, but what drug have you been abusing that has caused this total flight from reality.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

From complexity comes functionality.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

Volvo..............8)

 

[Bondo]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

Wow,......... Have I just entered the Twight Zone,............

IF the Stringer Drive is such a Great Idea,...........

I'd think that Somebody would have picked up the Idea,+ Ran with it.........

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

OMC! OMC! OMC! :}

A few things that may help your situation:

...apparently you can have your OMC tatoos removed with laser these days. A next step is to have a "Merc" replacement tatoo. This may run you into some money, but it will help with the feelings of withdrawal.

Also, think positive thoughts. Keep telling yourself the Brunswick Corporation is your friend and just want the best for you.

If all fails, buy a VOLVO!8)

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

Never convince me otherwize. Merc has more pipes, tubes, pumps, levers, wires, whistles, switches, bellows, gimbals, bearings , joints, seals, shafts, hoses, flappers, alignment issues, adnauseum that would do Rube Goldberg proud. In the end you get a drive that will not turn as sharp, will not lift as high and as fast and flops around when you are going down the highway.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

Boomyal
Your not alone. If OMC was still making the Stringer I also would still buy the Stringer.

90 degree turning means I can idle up to the dock when the wind is strong or a strong cross current. Merc or Cobra have to come in much faster with only 60 degree turning.

Also turning between docks will almost turn in it own length. Mine need about 3 more feet. I gain some stern way with the motor away from the dock. Then useing prop torque and the 90 degree steering give it a short pulse in foward and the boat will spin in with allmost its own length. I done it with friends mercs and it hardly turns. It takes 3 or 4 direction changes and a lot of skill to stay off the docks and complete the trun.

Anchor line or kelp wrapped wrapped around the prop, I can just lift the outdrive 90 degrees and with the prop out of the water unwrapp it. Merc guy I help who had run over his own Anchor line would never have made it on his own. He and his wife were trying to anchor in a big group of boats in a strong current. He realized he did not go far enough forward before dropping his anchor so he put in in foward and tried to pull in the anchor but instead the anchor line wrapped around his prop. He started sounding the danger signal on his horn and we came to his aid. His anchor did grab but in the muddy water of Bay could not see the line at all. We extended a line to his bow and pull him foward so he could get grab his anchor line with the aid of our boat hook. He pull in his anchor and we towed him to some shallow water where he striped down and entered the water about 2.5 feet deep. AT that point he was able to feel the line and unwrap it. Had it been a stringer he could have cleared it with out getting wet as the outdrive will lift out of the water. I come very close to running over crab pot lines in the ocean when they were not marked very well. I have run over kelp but was able to clear by reverseing the engine, then shut down and and raised to double check.

OMC stringer must be a bad drive as in the 26 years I have had mine had one failure that stopped us in the water. The short water pump spline shaft striped out and we had to come in on the kicker.

Changed the water pump twice first time after about 10 years, but the old one and the new one looked the same. No wear you could see very soft a felexable. Only thing was the old one had a very small curve to the impellers. Second time change it when the water pump Spline shaft failed since in there just made since but this one if did not mark could not tell from the new one.

Also had a water leak in the tilt clutch pack but always worked. Cost about $7 for two seal and O Ring.

Out drive slow to lift and may stop after about 5 inches and that took about $0.20 worth of grease an 1 hour to fix.

Exhaust header failed after about 15 years of saltwater use. Been many years now but I think the manifold and riser was about $250. Of Course will be much more now.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

Boomyal
Your not alone. If OMC was still making the Stringer I also would still buy the Stringer.

atta boy Boatist. Good to see someone else with common sense and not blinded by the glint off the black anchors.

I still say there was nothing wrong with them that could not have been remedied. At one time OMC and Merc sales were about equal. Merc kept updating their basic design and OMC didn't. That's what killed them. If Merc could have done it, so could have OMC.

 

[DHPMARINE]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

Boomyal,if the stringer drive was so much better,it probably didn't need the constant upgrading Mercruiser had to do.

OMC came out with the Cobra,which I favored very much.Then shift cable/control/gear problems cost them much.

I also wonder if the Volvo merger was the final Salvo .....

Sorry for the last line,

DHP

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

Boomyal,if the stringer drive was so much better,it probably didn't need the constant upgrading Mercruiser had to do.

DH, you know OMC Stringer had some issues but conceptually it blew Mercs out of the water. It apparently was weak in saltwater, it had the tilt motor/mechanism weakness, the water pump shaft was prone to wearing but all of these things could have been fixed. They lacked a good power steering system but they were a heck of a lot simpler for boat manufacturers to install as well as being simpler (for the most part) for the consumer to deal with.

 

[NW Redneck]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

"Can I get a H@LL YEAH!"8)
You singin' my song Boomyall! Despite their known weaknesses, IMHO they are a much easier system to deal with.

After resurecting my '75 stringer, my father-in-law thinks I'm a boat wizard now and keeps asking me to help fix his. He's got a 250 Merc Alpha1 and I just look at it and feel like the person who disigned this must spend his spare time building better mouse traps. And they also had three hands and 12" long double jointed fingers. Rube would be proud. d

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

ALL sterndrives are an embarrassment to modern engineering as far as I'm concerned.
When someone blows a giant hole through the back of the hull of a brand new boat, they kinda lose me.

Hydrostatic drive with simply 3 hoses going up and over the transom would be so much better. I guess I'm spoiled working on $100K and up heavy equipment, but jeez.... some of these components are pretty affordable... especially for the under 300HP pleasure boat....if mass produced....

 

[lilmandavis]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

seems like i work on more mercs than anything. of course the thing that i see most is ................................................... owner negligence. but in a couple hours a omc is apart and back together. and mine hasnt failed yet even with my BIG BLOCK horsing it. im not an old guy either so i kinda rag it. but...... if it does blow. its going to be replaced with a volvo. but as for the mercs, they seem to like mechanics for some reason. i dont know maybe its just the handfull of us! but id go with omc over merc. parts are cheaper where i get them from.. laugh at me boys but i dont care!!! :devil:

 

[QC]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

OMC's design was better. Execution sucked! There is nothing better for shallow water and tight quarters.

With that said, I am with kjdkjd. What is the standard rule of thumb for efficiency loss with hydrostatic?

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

With that said, I am with kjdkjd. What is the standard rule of thumb for efficiency loss with hydrostatic?

Let's start an iboats poster's consortium and start making them. If you built a better outdrive, wouldn't they come?

We could call it IPC Sterndrives.8)

 

[QC]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

Introducing the new IPC Surfacing Drive System. It has variable propeller speed capability independent of engine speed. It is clutchlesss and full horspower is available at effectively any propeller speed. All trimming and steering functions achieved with no auxilliary hydraulic pumps required. All of this at 60% less weight than traditional sterndrives and 25% of the maintenance. Optional jack-plate features available. Twin drive output capability with single engine.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

Introducing the new IPC Surfacing Drive System. It has variable propeller speed capability independent of engine speed. It is clutchlesss and full horspower is available at effectively any propeller speed. All trimming and steering functions achieved with no auxilliary hydraulic pumps required. All of this at 60% less weight than traditional sterndrives and 25% of the maintenance. Optional jack-plate features available. Twin drive output capability with single engine.

"IPC Surfacing Drive System". I like the sound of that. I second the motion. All in favor say Aye!

...but don't forget backward compatability.

Let's get started!8)

 

[Bondo]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

I've got a Hull or 2 for the Prototype Testing...........d

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: Just musing. OMC Stringer vs Mercruiser

and of course, hull designers are now free to put the engine up front if they want the weight up there...
As a mobile hydraulics teacher, I have a shop full of various hydrostatic pumps and motors....good stuff, Rexroth, Sauer Danfoss.....manual control stuff, pilot systems, full electronic systems....and I have part of the summer off....and just learned that the school's marine and small engine program is moving into our building next month (Mercruiser is a partner even I believe...will learn more soon)..... give me a couple of years... I know the patent is already long gone.