Time for a “Rude” Awakening!!

Mercury’s ‘Rude Awakening’ Brocheure

Interisting. Do they compare any other motors than the 225hp’s?

It’s like a Mercury love fest today.

My question is, why did they change to that ugly, minimalist styling? It looks oK with the ProXS model, but the regular Opti’s are just too plain.

I have no idea which motor is better, but the HO Rude’s with old glory on them are 100 times better looking.

i can see plenty of “holes” in the info given there. not to say it is untrue, but it looks like lots of things not defined if you ask me.

finding objective data from ANY source is impossible. even if they are truly unbias, circumstances and variables are many.

……and besides…….who wants a welfare motor anyway!!! …….. GO RUDE!

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It’s like a Mercury love fest today.

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It does appear to be a bit of a Mercury love fest in the outdoor gear forum today. LOL

It’s minus 2 degrees here in Sioux City today and since I can’t be on the water at least I can read about fishing here at IDA.

Anybody else have any news on new products for 2006? We’d be glad to hear about it.

Hey Jack,

The link didn’t work for me. I was going to say “didn’t work like my last Mercury” but I wouldn’t say that since it would be true, but not nice to say.

Intersting, now it’s Mercury’s turn to fire up it’s own propaganda machine. The results they show are very intersting and direct responses to Evinrude’s previouw claims.

I have one question on the ad though, why did they only compare 5 of the 10 catagories against YAMAHA instead of all ten??? This makes me wonder about Merc’s finish in the remaining 5 catagories…

I do give them credit for an excellent direct marketing campaign though, I enjoyed 1/2 of it.

I remember this test in B & W boats, and Yamaha won the other 5…

Ted, you know as well as I do that this is a direct response to all the BS Evinrude has been feeding the public with those informercials. a.k.a. “Rude” awakening!

Also, this year its Mercury’s turn to shine. Yamaha had their day a couple years ago with all your 4 stroke technology, last year everyone was buying into all the ETEC marketing, and this year, it’s Mercury’s turn.

The thing that sets Merc apart from Yamaha, and Evinrude is that we can and do compete in both the 2 stroke (Opti’s) and 4 stroke (Verado’s) market very well while Yamaha has pretty much established themselves primarily in the 4 stroke market, and Evinrude in the 2 stroke market.

The best of both worlds you might say!!

You forgot to mention the last place finish in the 4 stroke segment. 1- Honda, 2 – Yamaha, 3 – Suz, 4- Merc.
To be fair, the study was based on reports from May 04 to June 05. Could be that the Verado sample was too low to boost the Merc rating. It will be interesting to see next years report with a full slate of Verados included. Be nice to see the Japanese 4 strokes kicked to the curb in the ratings.

You’re right on that point. There were very few Verado’s out at the time the survey ended, and the full line had not been released either.

In addition to that, the 4 strokes that Merc did have on the market at the time (not Verados) were mostly the Yamaha/Merc built 4 stroke motors.

So…………
There were very few ETECs out at the time the survey ended, and the full line had not been released either.
In addition to that, the only ETECs that were available were the 50-60HP and the Big V-6s in limited quanities. The time frame covered;
1. Evinrude in transition to ETEC
2. Yamaha HPDIs 250/300s with well documented growing pains
3. No other large scale 2 stroke DFI players but Merc in the running.
I’m not saying that Merc won by default as I would be more than happy to hang an Opti on my boat. But………Please recall the marching bands and limit the chest pounding.
DB3

Just so we are clear here – I firmly believe Merc has every right to counter the Evinrude marketing bong that has been smoking for over a year…

But to reference the testing Bass and Walleye boats did 6 + months ago is already outdated. It was documented in that article that if YAMAHA had a rev limiter that was comparable to the Etec HO and the Opti XS (6K + max) then the outcome would be different. That was a well know fact among the bass community as it was a silent win for YAMAHA and more importantly a well documented loss for Evinrude! If it’s truly Merc’s agenda to show superiority to Evinrude then show themselves as second place (still ahead) in the other 5 categories. By not showing YAMAHA in those other 5 categories, in my opinion, it reduces the credibility of the whole ad campaign.

Times have changed, YAMAHA now has a 6K rev limiter for the VMAX HPDI’s (20″ shaft only) 2006 and beyond model years. These motors do not apply to the walleye market as the majority of today’s designs need the 25″ shafts to mate to the taller transom designs. YAMAHA owns the offshore market which is where the 4-stroke technology lives – we as walleye angles get to benefit from all the years of advances and changes they heave invested over there. As the next generations of four strokes evolve I believe there is a shrinking market segment for 2 stoke DFI’s when the challenge of weight to HP is brought more in-line and when performance all through the power band is comparable. Bottom line here is that as consumers, all of this competition drives innovation from each manufacturer and we win. The hope is that each new product/technology introduction that’s introduced will be ‘market ready’ and not a beta version for consumers to help work the bugs out of.

I don’t really buy into the fact that it’s company X’s turn for the award – it is an earned award that is given by your customers. I will state again that it’s your first year winning the award, several motor companies have won multiple times. Enjoy the award but keep in perspective that this technology is six years old and just now winning…

Clearly I am a supporter of YAMAHA but posting in an objective manner as I like to deal with facts.

ted

Hey, I’m not the person that made up the campaign, and I agree that it was designed with a certain slant, but thats unfortunately the way the industry runs nowadays. I’m not saying I agree with it either, but what am I or any of us able to do about it.

As for the BWB tests, Ted, yes you are right, there was a disclaimer clearly stated about the rev limiter, but YAMAHA officials were the people who decided which “factory stock” motor they wanted to supply for the shoot out, BWB ran the tests, and Merc is only running with the fodder that those tests provided them. I’m sure you understand how and why Mercury would use those.

As for who’s turn it is this year, thats strictly a metaphor.

Merc got their backsides handed to them in technology and marketing. It is obvious why they are going after Evinrude. One thing is for sure…Merc MUST have done some work to the Opti’s to achive their stated economy numbers. Jack, you can argue this all you want, but darn near everyone I know that either had or has run Opti’s knows that they have been historically the biggest gas pigs out there. I ran one in 2002, and the 175 Opti I ran went through more gas than my 225 Ficht.
Regardless of which motor company you like, I think they have all made HUGE strides in performance and reliability. Ted, I would very much agree with you in your comments about 4 stroke technology where Yamaha is concerned.
Let them fight it out! It should be fun to watch!
Tuck

I beg to differ……..Go read through the current threads on the Salt Water sites. http://www.thehulltruth.com is a good example. The Merc Opti/Verado,Yamaha HPDI/4S, ETEC, and Suzuki wars are on with all contenders having their champions. There is no indication that the 4 stroke will make the modern DI 2 strokes die out soon (or ever). The gold standard for 4 strokes in the high $$ saltwater market is the Verado with the Suzuki gaining ground on Yamaha every year. The 2 vs 4 stroke threads are quite entertaining with the ETEC/Opti/HPDI guys going head to head with all comers. As you said we all win as the outboard technology evolves and improves. The future of the outboard will be decided by EPA and CARB – an emission standard for CO would lead to more tech changes possibly including catalytic converters. It would be nice if auto engine tech had improved as much in the last 10 years as outboard tech has.

I haven’t been to that website so I can’t comment on your claims.

I highly doubt that the saltwater market is happy with the actual fuel usage of the Verados – that’s a market where your put on a significant amount of miles and with the limited range a Verdao has, I would find that hard to believe.

I was in Miami 3 weeks ago and walked throught 3 ocean side marinas and the vast majority of the enigines I saw hulls both in the water and up in dry-dock were YAMAHA’s – I know that’s only 3 marinas but interesting to note.

I can’t agree with you more on the auto engine technology. Why can’t the US market take lessons from the overseas market where they get more hp with smaller engines and diesels rule over there??? It would be nice to cut my tow vehicle engine in 1/2 and watch my mileage increasy by 30-50% without any other sacrifices!

ted

As for the 6K change to YAMAHA, it’s long overdue and was made for 2006 and going forward.

ted

Ted,
I was wondering when you walked through those marinas what was the second and third most motors that you saw. I knew Yamaha are big in saltwater but I thought that Honda was also a big saltwater motor.
Just curious as I really do not care who’s on top of the outboard leader board. After awhile it always turns into the “Ford, Chevy and Dodge” debate.
Ron

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Bottom line here is that as consumers, all of this competition drives innovation from each manufacturer and we win.

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Amen to that…

Good discussion guys. Thanks for keeping it on topic and without any of the personal attacks. Makes our job soooo much easier!

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I highly doubt that the saltwater market is happy with the actual fuel usage of the Verados – that’s a market where your put on a significant amount of miles and with the limited range a Verdao has, I would find that hard to believe.

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Limited range????

The milage on the Verado isn’t as bad as some people would like to lead the public think. It actually has about the same fuel consumption as the Opti until you get over 5000 RPMs. Above that it does drop off some though.

On the East and Gulf coasts, Honda is a minor player. The salt is dominated by Merc and Yamaha. If you want to see the land of the Verados check out the Miami Boat show pics. The boat manufacturers must have made a dent on the Merc Verado 275 supply! Lots of double and triple rig big Verados on display. The were far more Suzukis than ETEC or Honda pictured.

If you look WORLDWIDE I think Suzuki is the top selling motor brand.
To those of us that live in Minnesota the ONLY thing that should matter is the d_mn thing starts when we turn the key!

Merc, Rude, Yammie, Honda, Suzuki they are all the same to me. I just want the one that runs.

BTW, I have a Opti, that like the bunnie just keeps going, and going, and going………. LOL

Sliderfishn – Merc was number 2 and because of the dominance of YAMAHA and Merc I don’t recall if there was a trend for #3.

Jack – I can specifically comment on the fuel consumption of a 250 Verado vs. my 250 4-stroke las year at 3 tournaments where both engines were rigged on Ranger 621’s. The Verado used on average 10 gallons more of fuel each day when running 50 miles plus per tournament day. My range comment was specific to tournament guys who will run as fast as the condidtions dictate and last year on the PWT the weather was condusive to running (except Saginaw Bay) at each event.

Das Boot3 – If you are only referencing the Miami boat show I belive that to be a slated snapshot. Manufacturers pay for their floor space there. I was simply commenting on what engines I had seen on the back of customers boats – actual consusumers who spent their $$. I belive we are referencing apples and oranges.

Is spring here yet? I am patiently waiting for March 17 when my boat will be done so I can scrable to have it ready to leave for Detroit on march 29!

ted

What is your point???
I never said that Yamaha was under represented in the salt water market – I simply said that there is a ton of Verados in the boat show pics. There is no “apple and oranges” here.
Any reference to what is seen in a boat show or given marina is simply a snap shot of whats out there.

whatever…

a freind of mine lives in florda he says you see more mercs on the back of boats down there than yamie and rude combined