The problems are not due to any dealer maintenance performed, so there's no reason to disclose my sources. I'm not posting on here to hurt anyone, rather the opposite. I think guys should know the truth about what is going on in the industry. Everybody loves to sugar-coat their experience with Mercury Racing, as they're the only game in town, and most are trying to not make waves with Mercury so they will continue covering their claims under warranty. I'm also not saying Mercury doesn't build a great product, as they absolutely do! But there seems to me to be a big misconception that these new 450Rs are a turn-key, ultra-reliable package.

I was having computer issues at startup with my 400Rs for the first season I ran it. I was told by one of my Merc Tech friends to replace the power and ground cables to the motor with larger, 1/0 AWG cables and it solved my problems. Not saying this is the case with your setup, but it was what was causing my 400R issues.

Just another example of 450R issues, I spoke to my tow guy this morning to schedule bringing my 36 back out, and he told me they just had to cancel a tow for a customer of theirs because the boat scheduled for the tow wasn't ready for pickup. It's got low hour 450Rs on it and it's stuck at a shop back east with motor mount issues and either low water or fuel pressure issues. The boat can't leave as scheduled to head out to it's new owner in my home town until it is fixed.

those comments reflect exactly my thoughts... I can't seem to buy the saying
''outboards are more reliable''

They are engines just like the inboards. I don't see why they would be bullet proof.
I always ran my inboards in fresh water and I never, ever, had any engine trouble. beside getting weeds stuck in
the water intake... wich can happen on an outboard too!

of course i get the easier to work on outboard out of the water, but i also like or prefer working on an inboard when in problem in the water!

I run a third battery in my 28 Skater for the stereo so that the voltage drop does not affect the engine batteries. I keep it charged via a 3 bank charger at the dock. If we wear down the battery and lose tunes, it is time to put it back on the lift anyway! The additional weight sucks, but I am not one to attempt to wring every last mph out of it.

I never said it’s a maintenance issue. More of an inexperienced dealer/tech issue and a complete failure to be proactive. We see it with our local dealers often. These products are only as good as the servicing dealer. If they can’t recognize common issues and they fail to provide some preventive measures, they’re either uneducated or lazy. Either way, I’d steer clear of a dealer like that. I’ve been handling Verados since their release in 2004. There are many dealers across the country who didn’t have a single bit of experience with Verados and DTS until the production 350s and 400s were released in 2015.

I just run one. Hours be damned.

We are also talking about the top powered factory race OB there is.

Mount on some 350's or 400's and it really is more reliable low head ache boating. Also a lot of OB boats are used in salt, not fresh only like you are boating in.

One of the reasons I think a 300R powered CAT would be a nice package.
The same can be said of lower power closed cooled I/O's. The things run forever and salt water doesn't matter.

The biggest thing I see beside of course the added room is Mercury and others are shifting all the new engineering to outboards. That means improved designs period.

I mean think about it, I grew up around carbed muscle cars, look what years of engineering has given us now. Who would have thought that in cold snowy weather you could start your current high powered muscle car from the warmth of your house. Hell we were lucky if they would START in the cold.

Rode on 3 of our friends boats multiple times he has had issues with both 400s And 450s, power steering, propshaft, and some others. His close friends have also had multiple issues, neither are on this site. Worst part is waiting on Mercury for warranty and parts. Overall he's happy with them both and they all seem a little more reliable than inboard.