I'm with you! I would take the sound of my old 260s' with offshore exhaust over a BBC any day and run circles around most with half the HP. I can run 95 all day any day with twin 225s modded. My friend with an AO with BBC with 700+ hp runs the same speed give or take a mph. I have no maintenance except changing the LU fluid every 7 hours or so. This year I didn't even change the plugs! Outboards is all I will EVER own as far as a performance boat(cat).

that poor old johnson! I still have a spare of one of these in the barn!

We got a decade of trouble free running with a Johnson 90hp on the back of a 16.5 bowrider. It would run 43 mph and was a blast to bomb around in. They are great motors from my experience.

O/B's Vs I/O's.........

I like them both and they both have their place. As to sound, I agree w/others and say to the I/O guys, you cannot judge until you hear them.
The 2.5 Mercs w/open exhaust at full song is something special. Think, pissed off bumble bee's.
Hot rod OMC's sound like a howl from satan. Even the Merc guys like it.

Buying them is the issue. Safest way is either new in the box although Merc doesn't build the race motors any more or disassembled in the box so their are no hidden surprises.

IMO, weight is a way bigger issue to the O/B's than I/O's. If sticking to twin's, again, IMO, about 30' is my limit. After that they just don't have the balls that a pair of 502's due to push the weight. Of course you can add more motors but I have enough gray hair from twins let alone triples!
A 30' Velocity, 33' Powerplay, or 33' Progression w/twin 300XS's would be killer! You pick up all the storage space where the I/O's would normally be, be lighter to run,tow etc.

If I could go write a check for what I wanted, thats what I would do.
You can get a 5 yr warranty on the 300-Tec's but I don't think you can w/the 300 Xs's. I believe the Xs's also require hi octane fuel where the E-Tec;s don't.

The new motors are mind boggling in capabilities and performance. I came within a nats eye lash of repowering my Sonic w/300 E-Tec's.
According to my math, if I had a $500. a month payment, I would have paid for it with the 3rd tank of gas I bought each month.

They've come a long ways.......


As to longevity, I see the old OMC V-6's, V-8's for sale down here that are 20+ yrs old and still going strong. Good gas/oil, a can or Ring Free/Sea Foam a couple times a season and you're done.

I second that one. Almost 10,000 RPM's sounds pretty darn awesome in almost any motor. And the speed in which those drag motors wind up is absolutely unbelievable.

For all you Merc guys.

Here's a little OMC for you ; )

Ray Leach in "Pro Drag" w/a Monty V-8. Unbeaten for 2 yrs straight, including any of the Mercs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaBbSKOfYQ8

Theres also Dave Bush who went unbeaten for 3 yrs in "Pro Gas" w/his own OMC V-6. He has a "push to pass" button on his dash worth 75 HP's and has never been needed.
Rumor has it he is preparing for an assault on the O/B drag world record of 7.51 @ 157.

Monty is also rumored to be breeding a monster to attack the O/B kilo (176) record (held by an OMC) and break 200 w/a single O/B.

Just have to do a bit more thinkin to make an OMC run.
Much easier to write a check.

Ill see that OMC and raise it some 2.5 OS on a 28 Skater we rigged :)
Hope all is well Gary, Merry Christmas!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35m6MiCE3q0

Very cool!

Now if it was a Vee bottom.....

Merry Christmas to you too my friend.

I got one of them Cigarette outboards LOL

He just went 130 and here's the video. Great one for anyone thinking about one of these lake racers for a toy at the cottage. Course it is a toy that will kill you in a blink of an eye.
How'd you like to be out in your twin turbo, I/O cat showing off to friends and have this loon pull up beside you??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIopaleSUCw

Had lunch w/Gordon the other day and got to drool on his latest project too.

A full Zoot V-8 for a customer going after the O/B drag record of 7.51 @ 157 MPH and then the O/B Kilo record of 176 MPH and finally the 200 MPH barrier.
Tons and tons of one off parts on this creation.
Not bad for a clip on.

Not a Merc but any of you Merc fans want a piece of it please step to the front ;)

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/l...pse777d1cc.jpg