Hey guys, I'm planning to purchase a 43' Bernico racing boat with Twin Mercury 1650hp QC4v engines with Mercury M6 Drives, for the Maldives. The location is a bit remote - the nearest Mercury Racing Dealer is in Dubai. Just wanted your learned opinions on the maintenance realities of these monster engines, because I do not want any downtime as far as possible. I've heard so far that the 1st 100 hrs are usually trouble-free, and then the problems stack up pretty quickly on the engines and drives. Any experience with these engines/drives? And especially given the remote location, is it a wise choice? Any feedback is welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Should have M8’s…. is 112 octane fuel readily available?….Darr?

Why would you want a race boat with race motors unless your going racing??

Sometimes introductions are appropriate.

Not Darr. IP address in Mumbai India. Based on his registered email, he is the real deal.

If you are wondering about the "Darr" thing, he was an internet troll who used to frequent OSO and create numerous screen names.

I'm a Moderator on the site, so I could see your IP & email address (with your name) and was just verifying you were the real deal.
If you want to introduce yourself, that is 100% up to you.

IMO, it is definitely NOT a wise choice without having a close relationship with a nearby Merc Racing certified tech.
The engines also need 112 Octane fuel---that is a US Octane rating, which is the same as 117-118 octane in Europe.

​​​​​​​What kind of offshore powerboating experience do you have??

Hey JaayTee,
Def not Darr, but thank you for your reply. A proper introduction would be better. I have been using a Bernico 43 (beautiful deep-V racing boats manufactured in Belgium), in the Maldives for two years now, equipped with 4 X 400R racing Outboards. Top speed 78 knots. No trouble whatsoever, and Nico Bertels, the boat manufacturer, is a friend. A colleague (with deepish pockets) suggested we graduate to an inboard version, the one mentioned in the post, with twin 1650s, capable of 130 knots. Nico is going to be around to help us along, train us in handling etc, so we are in safe hands (no, I nor my colleague, have the experience to drive these boats at that speed, so we're gonna take it slow).
Your feedback (along with Griff's) about the 112-octane was pertinent. We have already known this to be a stumbling block, and someone has suggested octane boosters. But will the best boosters take the available 98-Octane to 112? That's anybody's guess. And are boosters consistently reliable? I honestly don't know. My larger concern (if this octane-booster thing is taken care off), is the potential of serious downtime (up to 10 days, if parts and expertise has to be flown in from Dubai). As I mentioned, I've been told that the first 100 hours are generally trouble-free. We don't want to be mugs with deeper pockets than brains and land up with a racing lemon. Hope this helps. Thanks for your help and time so far.

Best regards,

Kersi

Thank you, Griff. A proper introduction would be better. Apologies.
I have been using a Bernico 43 (beautiful deep-V racing boats manufactured in Belgium), in the Maldives for two years now, equipped with 4 X 400R racing Outboards. Top speed 78 knots. No trouble whatsoever, and Nico Bertels, the boat manufacturer, is a friend. A colleague (with deepish pockets) suggested we graduate to an inboard version, the one mentioned in the post, with twin 1650s, capable of 130 knots. Nico is going to be around to help us along, train us in handling etc, so we are in safe hands (no, I nor my colleague, have the experience to drive these boats at that speed, so we're gonna take it slow).
Your feedback (along with Griff's) about the 112-octane was pertinent. We have already known this to be a stumbling block, and someone has suggested octane boosters. But will the best boosters take the available 98-Octane to 112? That's anybody's guess. And are boosters consistently reliable? I honestly don't know. My larger concern (if this octane-booster thing is taken care off), is the potential of serious downtime (up to 10 days, if parts and expertise has to be flown in from Dubai). As I mentioned, I've been told that the first 100 hours are generally trouble-free. We don't want to be mugs with deeper pockets than brains and land up with a racing lemon. Hope this helps. Thanks for your help and time so far.

Best regards,

Kersi

Apologies, Interceptor. Here's a proper introduction.
I have been using a Bernico 43 (beautiful deep-V racing boats manufactured in Belgium), in the Maldives for two years now, equipped with 4 X 400R racing Outboards. Top speed 78 knots. No trouble whatsoever, and Nico Bertels, the boat manufacturer, is a friend. A colleague (with deepish pockets) suggested we graduate to an inboard version, the one mentioned in the post, with twin 1650s, capable of 130 knots. Nico is going to be around to help us along, train us in handling etc, so we are in safe hands (no, I nor my colleague, have the experience to drive these boats at that speed, so we're gonna take it slow).
Your feedback (along with Griff's) about the 112-octane was pertinent. We have already known this to be a stumbling block, and someone has suggested octane boosters. But will the best boosters take the available 98-Octane to 112? That's anybody's guess. And are boosters consistently reliable? I honestly don't know. My larger concern (if this octane-booster thing is taken care off), is the potential of serious downtime (up to 10 days, if parts and expertise has to be flown in from Dubai). As I mentioned, I've been told that the first 100 hours are generally trouble-free. We don't want to be mugs with deeper pockets than brains and land up with a racing lemon. Hope this helps. Thanks for your help and time so far.

Best regards,

Kersi

Just throwing my $0.02 in .... Personally, I would buy the boat less the 1650's ( or prepare to sell them off) and rig the boat with dual calibration 1100/1350 engines - service costs, fuel consumption and reliability/less down time would be in your favor.... the 1650 is the big dog of the merc racing line up and it will not enjoy the same (hours) reliability as the smaller hp versions by a good margin and the added delay in parts delivery to your local has to be considered.

That said, the 1650's would definitely stroke attention when the hatches are open.