Re: what is it
It's called a Classic Fifty, but it's 45Hp. It has a two part answer. It's based on the old 50Hp four cylinder motor. That's why the name "Classic Fifty". Also, around the mid 1980s they started rating horsepower at the prop, before that they rated horsepower at the crankshaft. The gearcase robs a few horsepower, so it doesn't produce 50Hp with the new rating method.<br /><br />Not the first time Mercury has confounded us with their nomenclature. In the 60s and 70s, a 650 was 65Hp, an 850 was 85Hp, an 1150 was 115Hp, etc. But a 110 was 9.8Hp. Go figure!
<br /><br />The 110 was rated at 9.8hp to slide under a lot of legal 10hp limits. The name gave away that it would really make 11hp.<br /><br />
