"LOWER UNIT NOT STRONG ENOUGH"

[ARCWINSTON]

Hello,<br />I don't have many details so please bare with me:<br />My buddy is about to fit a mid 80's 150 V6 Mariner to a mid 80's (I think) Mark Twain 17 foot bow rider. The guy who sold him the motor,(a dealer) since finding out what he is putting it on, has told him that the lower unit is not stong enough for that boat and the gears will fail. I don't know why this wasn't discussed before the deal was done but my question is :<br />Why would a 150hp motor not have a lower unit capable of pushing a boat that is only 17 feet long? I don't know how much the boat weighs but the previous motor was a Suzuki 140hp that had powered the boat quite happily for the last 15 years at a top speed of approx. 40mph at wot. <br />Any enlightening comments would be most welcome. Thanks...W

 

[JB]

Re: "LOWER UNIT NOT STRONG ENOUGH"

Sounds like smoke to me.<br /><br />I would never deal with that guy again.

 

[KYHunter]

Re: "LOWER UNIT NOT STRONG ENOUGH"

What a bunch of hooey! People put small outboards on large boats for trolling, all the time. We used a 10hp merc, on a 20ft. plus cruiser on lake michigan for trolling.<br /> I'd be surprised if the motor will, "push" anything. Probably has a bad lower unit, maybe just hasn't completely , destructed yet.<br /> I hope I'm wrong, and the seller is just lost in outerspace. Surely, your buddy asked about the lower unit , as well as doing a comp. check , check lower unit oil etc. And heard it run.<br /> If he didn't , HE SURE SHOULD HAVE! Otherwise ,its like buying a car without ever running it. No one , would do that .<br /><br /> I hope it turns out ok , for your friend.<br /> KYHunter

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: "LOWER UNIT NOT STRONG ENOUGH"

I would agree with KYHunter. I f none of the checks were done I would definately do it before installing it on the boat.

 

[roscoe]

Re: "LOWER UNIT NOT STRONG ENOUGH"

Sounds like the dealer is trying to lay the groundwork for excuses, when the already faulty lower unit disintegrates.<br /><br />If the motor is sound, it will be fine on that boat.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: "LOWER UNIT NOT STRONG ENOUGH"

Tell your buddy -- Run, don't walk, from that dealer. Either he knows the lower has existing problems or he doesnt have a clue about outboards.<br /><br />If anything he should have said "Hummmm....a 150 on a 17' boat? Cool. Just be careful."<br /><br />I'd almost bet he knows the unit was just rebuilt with those overseas gears that were floating around for a while. In that case he's right -- it won't last long. On any boat.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: "LOWER UNIT NOT STRONG ENOUGH"

Let's apply a little "garage logic" to this scenario. It is incomprehensible that any motor would self destruct depending on the size of the boat it was attached to. A 50 HP motor will deliver 50 HP and it doesn't matter if its attached to a barge or a canoe. With that thought, lets take the 150 and mount in on the end of a dock. Open it up and if it destructs there was a pre-existing problem. It simply doesn't matter what size boat that engine is attached to. In this case 150 HP on a 17 footer is akin to 50HP a go-kart. The stories people tell when selling things is unbelievable -- and to have people believe them is equally unbelievable.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: "LOWER UNIT NOT STRONG ENOUGH"

Does it come with a 30 day money back guarantee? He should ask for his money back! The dealer told him it wasn't strong enough, then ok take it back.

 

[ARCWINSTON]

Re: "LOWER UNIT NOT STRONG ENOUGH"

Thanks guys.<br />Against my concerns and against my advice to wait until I had some feedback from the iboat community he went ahead and bought the motor and it is now fitted to the boat. i don't think he will just ask for his money back, just as he wouldn't heed my concerns or wait for your opinions. He is pretty desparate to be back on the water and I think that has prevented him from using his better judgement.<br />The seller gave him a 90 warranty so I guess his only logical next step would be to run it as hard as possible within that time to expose any problems Thanks again...W

 

[DJ]

Re: "LOWER UNIT NOT STRONG ENOUGH"

The L/U should be fine. Just make sure it is propped correctly, or you'll have other problems.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: "LOWER UNIT NOT STRONG ENOUGH"

Am familiar with the 17' Mark Twain and a 150 should make that baby fly. A 150 on it's big brother, the 19' would be a good setup also. Like DJ said, prop it correctly as you could easily overrev that setup.<br /><br />Mark