Mercury 520 / 540 / 565 opinions
 

I would like to hear some input from owners of boats with the new Merc 520s, 540s, and 565s. I think I've read about everything I could on the 565s, not much out there on the 520s and 540s. Considering repowering my 496HO powered 25 Outlaw. 2yr warranty on those motors is really enticing.

The Ilmor 570 has also come to mind but a new Merc would be easier to replace an existing Merc, and I've heard great things about the DTS, and the new smartcraft displays look really nice - motor info + chart plotter.

I'd love to hear pros and cons. Thanks guys.

I'd go with the 520 in a 25 Outlaw. I assume you have silent choice and everything will bolt right up exhaust-wise. Will also be the easiest on your existing drive.

Well my exhaust has already been modified, and the quick and quiet removed. I've added an imco extension box that moved the motor up 3" already. The price on the 520 is attractive but having to pay $6000 for some CMIs down the road is not. And with any of these motors, to be reliable I would have to upgrade the drive to at least a XR.

What is your end goal? Speed, cruiser, poker runs? What will your wallet allow, with upkeep and maint to keep it alive and running right. Are you planning on adding power later or just going to do a drop in motor and roll with it.

End goal would be a little bit of everything. The 25 outlaw is a very versatile boat. We're able to run in poker runs, get out on Lake Michigan, and still visit the smaller lakes for barge parties and tie ups. Heck, the boat will probably be used for tow sports at some point too. I've put a ton into setup - tabs, steering, re-rigging etc already, so now it's time for the fun part.

The maintenance part is one of the things I'd like to hear from somebody that has one or two of these motors. I do all my own maintenance so that doesn't scare. And from what I've read these motors are supposed to be about or even less maintenance intensive than the 525efi.

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That might be the nicest 25 Outlaw there is, great job on the rigging.

I'd only want to do it once...so that being said I would go with the 565 as it has the most power - If your drive is healthy I would think it'll last the same as your other power options.

Thanks mink, a lot of work has gone into it that's for sure. I decided that this boat does everything we like well and that I would make it better and resist the urge to just buy something bigger that would limit our usable lakes.

I like the 565 as well, of course there's the price. Pretty sure the bravo X I currently have wouldn't last too long behind that kind of torque, plus I would not want to baby the thing either. Much more fun to fly across the tops of the waves than ride down in them.

I believe the 600SCi is cheaper new than the 565. Boosted power in a boat is always nice and power upgrades from Whipple are fairly easy. I'm under the impression rebuild intervals are similar between the two engines.

I would be shocked if the 600sci is cheaper than a 565, doesn't sound like mother Mercury to me. A guy that goes by wildcard09 on this forum had a 525 in his 25 outlaw, then upgraded to a 600 and said his cruise mpg was half with the 600sci than what it was with the 525. That whine/whistle is a sweet sound but I don't want to be gas pump hopping.

What's the price difference between the engines?

Looks like about 7k from the 520 to 540, 3K from 540 to 565, then another 8k to the 600sci

I misread the pricing options on proboats.com. They have the 600SCi priced at $43,995 (engine only) and the 565 priced at $45,795 (w/ transom).

I'd sell the engine and drive and get an SCX and custom power. Or save em for when you sell the boat.

I agree the scx will be the best bet if you plan to run hard in rough water.

I wish I could jump to the scx right away, but that'll have to wait a season or two. Custom power would be great, I know I'd get more HP for my money, but at some point I would be tuning or screwing with the motor, whereas a Merc racing motor would be almost plug and play and worry free.

I'd love to know if Whipple has anything in the works for any of these motors as far as a supercharger kit like the 525 kit. Called them the other day but the guy I talked to didn't seem to know a thing about it.

U need to talk to dustin at whpple great guy hell he called us a yr later and asked how our whipple did on the wifes jet boat ....

Yea I've tried to PM him 3 times but his inbox is full. Don't know how else to get a hold of a guy.

Beautiful boat!

Don't spend a penny on a drive until you upgrade to the SCX upper and SCX lower, seriously. Just fix what you have because none of the "bravo" based versions or upgrades are worth the money.

You will not be happy when you upgrade to a sweet engine, in your badazz boat, only to have to freshen drives every winter, or worse break down during summer.

The Mercury 565 is nice, but its not going to be enough to satisfy, only enough to break drives. You have to look at how much actual speed you will gain for the money. The Mercury 600SCI is a great option though. And there't no way your fuel consuption will be noticeably different with any of these engines.

What about a turn key custom engine package instead of trying to spec your own custom build?

Teague 825EFI http://teaguecustommarine.com/em0011/tcm-825-efi.html

Sterling 750 http://sterlingperformance.org/engin...-boat-engines/

Phaff 825EFI http://www.pfaffengines.com/pfaff_en...INE-825HP.html

Etc.

The ONLY benefit to staying with Mercury power is RESALE, and im sorry but your better off keeping whatever engine you end up with for your next boat or sell it seperately. Thats why a Teague 825 or Mercury 600SCI would be nice, you could keep it and upgrade it later. There's room to grow, and they are worth putting money into once you own it.

Sweet project keep us updated!

Thanks for the compliments offshore! A reputable Bravo builder here on this forum tells me both a bravo X and XR can live with higher horsepower with good parts and sensible driving behind NA motors. Yea if I did go 700+hp I wouldn't trust a X or XR for and hr of running. It is my plan at some point to go with a SCX, worry free from what I hear. That's why I'd like to start with a NA motor and then add a blower down the road. Not that I'm expecting the same results, but wildcard achieved 81mph with his 25 OL with a 525 then only 4 more mph, to 85, with a 600sci, but twice the fuel consumption at cruise with the 600sci.

I haven't priced the teagues or any others but at those power levels I bet they're beyond my budget. And if I did decide to sell this boat at some point, I probably would pull whatever motor to go into my next one.

Keep the 496 to put back in in case you sell the boat. Get a custom engine and keep it as you move to a new boat someday. Chief or Teague 750ish..

Advantage of the mercurys
1. Smartcraft engine communication
2. Digital throttle and shift (DTS)
3. Two year warranty on the NA models

I'll be honest I don't know much about many custom builders. Do any of them offer two year warranties?

These are just old school big block chevy's. No rocket science here that merc knows which another builder with a good rep wouldn't know. What you're paying the merc premium for is that they do actual validation testing so they can warrant it with confidence.

Sounds like you've put some thought into this and have a great platform to run bigger power. I'd agree with your opinion that once a supercharger is added the Bravo style drive is out of it's comfort zone. If you're staying NA and under 600HP another option is to use as much as you can from your current engine and drive setup to save money. Instead of buying a complete drop in engine you can use the Merc accessories off of your 496MAG, sell your long block, and keep your drive as is. Engine builders like Eddie Young will tell you what you can and can't carry over to an upgraded power package and what the savings will net. Just another thought. Good luck with your upgrade, should be a ton of fun w/ more power.