Mariner/Mercury bigfoot/midrange ????

[martyscher]

It's like shopping for electric drills at home depot! There's only 25 models to choose from!<br /><br />I have read the specs for the 50HP 4-strokes, and most Mariner/Mercury specs are very similar but not exact. Is there any advantage to buying the Mercury over the Mariner?<br /><br />Also what are the functional differences (if any) between the Bigfoot and the mid-range lines?<br /><br />Any input is appreciated?<br /><br />

 

[SeaDawg]

Re: Mariner/Mercury bigfoot/midrange ????

I have a 1996 Mariner 50 HP 4-stroke.<br /><br />My understanding is the Mariner is more geared to to be used in saltwater than the Mercury. <br /><br />The bigfoot series is for when you want a lot of torque (like on a heavy boat), but not much speed.

 

[Clay]

Re: Mariner/Mercury bigfoot/midrange ????

Keep in mind that Mercury black shows dirt and water spots more than mariner gray. Thats why a lot of fisherman prefer mariner.

 

[tema]

Re: Mariner/Mercury bigfoot/midrange ????

Here's what I found on Marinepower's site regarding differences between Merc and Mariner (Marinepower is representing Merc/Mariner in Europe, but this is NOT an official statement from them):<br /><br />"Today the only difference is the Color and decals of the cowling. Since 1993 all Mariner and Mercury models are the same and build on the same assembly line. Earlier some smaller sized ( 4 - 55 HP )Mariners where rebranded Yamahas, but this where back in the 80's and early 90's. Mariner has allways been a product of Mercury Marine (Brunswick Coorporation )"

 

[Newhook]

Re: Mariner/Mercury bigfoot/midrange ????

I was told by a dealer (and take this with a grain of salt as it is the purest heresay), that some years ago small HP motors made by Mercury were suffering a bad reputation particularly amongst salt water users. They were said to be made of "alka-seltzer" i.e. they hit the water and dissolved (their bad reputation in the 70's here was awfull). In order to save their reputaion they began the Mariner line and teamed with Yamaha to build a better motor that did not suffer the reputation Mercury had built. Once things improved due to the superior construction of the Mariner motor and the effect that it had on the reputaion of Mariner, Mercury began producing their own motors again and now the two lines are one in the same.<br /><br />A great story. Is it true? <br /><br />I Don't know.

 

[Newhook]

Re: Mariner/Mercury bigfoot/midrange ????

I forgot to note that Merc has a series of tests on their web page where different boats are tested useing different motors. While I agree that the Big-Foot design is for heavier applications, the testing seems to indicate that the big-foot 4-stroke, the regular 4-stroke and the 2-stroke all perform similarly on the same boat at least from the point of view of top speed at WOT. This is depite the fact that the foot is geared at 2.4:1 on the big foot 15hp and 2:1 on the reg. 4-stroke 15hp.<br /><br />Klamath 15' - 25hp bigfoot 30.4mph<br />Klamath 16' - 25hp bigfoot 28.9mph<br />American Skiff 15' - 25 hp bigfoot 25.8mph<br /><br />The 25hp 4-stroke is only offered in a big foot and the ratio is 2.4:1 on it and 2.25:1 on the 2-stroke. Not a big difference. With a different prop, the motors seem to get the same top speed on the same boat. Check it out.<br /><br />Whaddya think Seadawg?

 

[trevorcday]

Re: Mariner/Mercury bigfoot/midrange ????

Today Mercury and Mariner motors are identical except for the paint job.<br /><br />The big foot motors are intended to give increased thrust at low speeds. Also the larger gearcase provides a bigger anti-ventilation plate which really helps prevent prop ventilation (cavitation) when cornering with pontoon boats. The main disadvantage of the big-foot motors, aside from costing more $, is that they must push a bigger bullet through the water. So for smaller planing hulls they really aren't ideal. The 25 4-stroke is called a big foot because they use the 30/40/50/60 HP gearcase as opposed to the 20/25 HP 2-strokes that have their own smaller gearcase (between the 6-15 HP and the 30-60 HP). The big foot motors work really well on pontoon boats. Particularly when performing slow speed manouvers like docking. Also the regular gearcase motors tend to ventilate the prop on pontoon boats where the big foots do not. I suppose there are other applications for the big foot motor like big displacement hulls or sailboats but I have no first hand experience with them. For planing hulls the regular gearcase motor would be preferred due to the reduced resistance at speed.