Re: 20 merc vs 25 merc
I called Mercury this am and spoke with a technical guy about this. I was especially concerned about any differences in cold weather starting since I hunt sea ducks in the winter here in New England and am not especially interested in getting stuck out in the middle of the bay some January with a cold front moving in and a motor that won't start. <br /><br />He told me the only internal differences between the two motors are in the carburation and the exhaust, which is tuned differently. Both power heads use Yamaha parts. Both use loop flow induction. He says both will start equally well in cold weather. Only difference seen by the user is 5hp. <br /><br />For really severe cold conditions Mercury sells a "cold weather" kit which preheats the fuel-air mix, which he says is only necessary in really cold climates, I assume Arctic.<br /><br />Surprisingly enough, this guy was also a duck hunter and had the same size boat as mine, 16'. He bought the 20hp for his, because it was cheaper, but now wishes he had spent the extra $$ on the 25, simply to have that extra 5hp when needed. He winter hunts in WI and says he never needed the cold climate kit.<br /><br />I was truly surprised and pleased to be put in contact with a knowledgable person when I called Mercury. Usually when you call a big company like this you get nowhere trying to get technical information. I'm an old Johnson addict but am now starting to get a warm and toasty feeling toward Mercury.
