Mercury 60 vs. Johnson 60 vs. Evinrude 70

[thill]

I'm restoring a 17' Spectrum, and it's getting time to decide which engine to put on it. The boat is rated up to 70 HP, but it's already rigged for MERCURY. This boat will be for resale.

I have three engines I am considering. Here are the motors, issues, and what I've got into them, so far:

• A 1991 Mercury Mariner 60 HP (Free) Needs carbs, fuel pump, impeller - Have never seen it run
• A 1997 Johnson 60 HP - ($750) Needs carbs cleaned, impeller - ran good about 3 years ago
• A 2001 Evinrude 70 HP. ($1,200) Needs carbs cleaned, impeller - ran okay earlier this year.

I've never run a Merc 60, but I've heard they are stronger than OMC motors.

Any thoughts or comments on that statement? True or not true?

Thanks

 

[nowgrn4]

A compression test and a check of the lower units for a "Milkshake" on all three may help you decide.

 

[Still Afloat]

I'm restoring a 17' Spectrum, and it's getting time to decide which engine to put on it. The boat is rated up to 70 HP, but it's already rigged for MERCURY. This boat will be for resale.

I have three engines I am considering. Here are the motors, issues, and what I've got into them, so far:

• A 1991 Mercury Mariner 60 HP (Free) Needs carbs, fuel pump, impeller - Have never seen it run
• A 1997 Johnson 60 HP - ($750) Needs carbs cleaned, impeller - ran good about 3 years ago
• A 2001 Evinrude 70 HP. ($1,200) Needs carbs cleaned, impeller - ran okay earlier this year.

I've never run a Merc 60, but I've heard they are stronger than OMC motors.

Any thoughts or comments on that statement? True or not true?

Thanks

Back in the days of two stroke glory Merc used to underate their HP so they would be faster than Johnson/Evinrude. That 60 hp probably put out around 65 or 66 hp.

 

[DaleH]

That’s no different than OMC marketing ‘Stinger’ or ‘HO’ models. Fed laws are +/- 10% the labeled horsepower.

Me? No way I’d run any motor that is a Mariner … means ‘cheap’ Merc …

 

[MrGiggles]

Sounds like all three need about the same amount of work, I'd opt for the Merc if the compression checks out good and the lower unit oil is clean. Would also save you from rerigging. From a resale perspective, money saved is money earned.

The ignition, powerhead, and lower unit are what you will want to check out before buying anything.

 

[thill]

A compression test and a check of the lower units for a "Milkshake" on all three may help you decide.

That's been done. The motor is in good condition. It mainly needs a carb clean, a fuel pump rebuild, and probably some new hoses. But we will have to see once I get into it.

Back in the days of two stroke glory Merc used to underate their HP so they would be faster than Johnson/Evinrude. That 60 hp probably put out around 65 or 66 hp.

Now THAT is what I have heard for a long time. I've heard that a lot of guys use Mercs for racing for that very reason. But lately, I am leaning toward the Johnson. Stick with what I know best, I guess.

Sounds like all three need about the same amount of work, I'd opt for the Merc if the compression checks out good and the lower unit oil is clean. Would also save you from rerigging. From a resale perspective, money saved is money earned.

ACK!!! Now I'm on the fence again!

 

[thill]

That’s no different than OMC marketing ‘Stinger’ or ‘HO’ models. Fed laws are +/- 10% the labeled horsepower.

Me? No way I’d run any motor that is a Mariner … means ‘cheap’ Merc …

I've had OMC stingers and HO models, and they were both great.

As far as Mariner goes, I don't know if I agree...

I've had a couple of older, 80's Mariners, and they had Yamaha powerheads, and ran like sewing machines. Excellent engines, in my opinion.

Back before Covid, I sold a Mariner 40 on a Crestliner Fish Hawk 16. A nice setup, but not the prettiest. (I am not a fan of yellow):


The outside of the motor wasn't anything special, maybe even ugly:


But under the hood, it seemed to be in good condition. Here are pics after it has been sitting for years, before I cleaned it up. It had some dirt and crud on it, but looked pretty good to me. I decided it was worth servicing:


As expected, the motor ran smooth as butter after cleaning the carbs. I put the rig up for sale, and a buyer came. He really liked the boat, but he hated the motor, and said he was going to sell or trash it, due to the Mariner name. I guess he felt the same way you do, Dale. His choice, of course.

We made the deal, and I asked him to PLEASE let me run it before he left. He agreed, and the motor started instantly and purred like a kitten. Revved instantly and went right back to a flawless idle. (Way smoother than most Mercurys, by the way)

He looked at me and listened, and looked again and listened, and finally exclaimed something like, "D@*%! I didn't expect that. That motor sounds perfect! I would have never believed it!" I advised him to run it on the lake before deciding, and off he went. Well, it's been a few years, but he sent me a message recently, and he was letting me know that he had added a PT30 power trim unit to it.

Later model Mariners seem to be exactly the same as the Mercury counterparts. But maybe they are cheaper. In what ways have you noticed?

 

[MrGiggles]

That's been done. The motor is in good condition. It mainly needs a carb clean, a fuel pump rebuild, and probably some new hoses. But we will have to see once I get into it.


Now THAT is what I have heard for a long time. I've heard that a lot of guys use Mercs for racing for that very reason. But lately, I am leaning toward the Johnson. Stick with what I know best, I guess.



ACK!!! Now I'm on the fence again!

If the Mariner is the same as a Merc of that year, it should have the 849cc headless Yamaha powerhead. I had an 84 model that was a very fine runner. Check it over really well for rotten wires, that was a common Merc problem.

 

[thill]

You are right about the wire that Mercury used. I've had a number that looked great until you touch the wires, and then it crumbles apart.

I wonder if I didn't guess the year wrong... I don't think this is a Yamaha powerhead on this 60. It looks like a typical Mercury. Let me see if I can find the serial number....



I hate that about Mercury. They often don't have a year, or year code, just a serial number. What does that say??? Looks like 0C276012 Does that sound right? The 0 is a guess, as it's unreadable.

Anyone have an easy look up chart as to what year/model this is?

 

[thill]

This looks like the right one...
https://www.marineengine.com/parts/mariner-outboard-parts/60-3-cyl/0b122930-thru-0d000749-usa
Late 80's, early 90's?

 

[moedelawn]

For resale, as long as you can get the carbs for a reasonable price the Mercury makes the most sense. Especially since it's rigged for it.
I've only run one 60 Mariner that was that cubic in (52) and I wasn't impressed. The compression was good. Correct prop etc. I called a guy that did our cylinder boring and he said his wife had one and it was a great engine but not strong. Maybe someone with more experience can chime in. A friend had a 50 Tohatsu on the same hull and it was faster.
I've owned an 89 70 Johnson and it was a very strong motor. When my buddy's motor broke, I towed his 16' fiberglass boat (80 Mercury) back to the landing on plane with 4 people in my boat and 1 in his with all of our hunting gear, ice chests etc.
If I were buying it to keep and they are all in similar condition cosmetically it would be the 70. If it's still connected I would disconnect the VRO oil injection pump.

 

[thill]

Aaaahhh, finally! Someone who has run this exact engine. I appreciate you sharing your observations about it.

Something about this motor that bugs me a bit is the fact that this motor has three cylinders, but only two carbs. Not one or three, but two. That's just weird. Split intake manifold, I suppose?

Top carb: 2/3 top cylinder, 1/3 middle cylinder?
Bottom carb: 1/3 middle cylinder, 2/3 bottom cylinder?

That would give all three carbs 2/3 of a carb. No reason it can't work just fine, but it's still odd.

Thank you for chiming in.

 

[thill]

Hearing this has helped me make up my mind.

I'm about to go out and rebuild the Johnson 60 carbs, and I'll see how it runs on the stand. If it runs smoothly, I'll mount it on the Spectrum and lake test it tomorrow after work.

The lake test will be for both the boat and the motor.

IF I really like the boat, I may swap it out for my Princecraft, which has been a great boat.
IF I decide to keep it, and if I like the 60, it will stay on the boat. Otherwise, 70 HP it will be.
IF I decide to sell the boat, the 60 will go with it and I'll keep the 70 for future use.

The Mercury is a clean motor with power trim, and should be easy to sell down the road, when I have time.

This is good. Now I have a plan. Thanks again, Modelawn. Your personal experience has tipped the scales and helped me end the stalemate.

 

[LDUBS]

I think that is it. If selling, put the Mariner 60 (free motor) on it.

 

[moedelawn]

Glad to help! Are the oil injection systems still intact on the 60 and 70? I would be surprised if they are. It's a diaphragm pump and I certainly wouldn't trust it with the age of them.

 

[thill]

Well, I just came in from doing the carbs on the 60 Johnson. Got them done and back on, everything looking good. I turned the key and... nothing. Hooked up the test neons and no spark. Bummer.

Unplugged the black/yellow kill wire, just in case, but no change. I probably should test the stator, but it's probably the power pack, (#583748) so I ordered a CDI brand aftermarket one from Amazon. Have had decent success with CDI, and it was half the price of OEM. ($110) Will be here tomorrow or Tuesday. We'll see if and how it runs once the part comes in. Worst case, free returns, and not a lot of time invested.

A little bit of a letdown, but I have plenty of other stuff to do to keep me busy.

 

[thill]

I decided to install 70 HP carbs on the 60, since I had them.

Can you see the difference between these carbs? Hint: look down the throat of the carbs:



Two other things I notice between the motors:
1. As-adjusted, the carbs butterflies never opened fully on the 60.
2. The timing was redarded a couple of degrees, compared to a 70.

I've changed/adjusted these things, and I'm hoping to get closer to 70 HP out of this motor, but if it doesn't run right, I'll swap the carbs and adjust it back as it was. But I have high hopes for this little motor.

 

[thill]

I got the CDI powerpack this afternoon, so time to swap them out. When taking off the old one, I noticed quite a bit of white corrosion around the ground. I suspect that is why the powerpack died.

Got the new one on, hooked up fuel and turned the key. Vroom! She started up immediately. She was running a little rich, so I adjusted the idle setting. Went from 1-1/2 turns out to right at 1 turn out. Maybe because they are from a 70, but I have it running smoothly.

At that point, I decided to install the motor to the boat. Found a good OMC control box and cables that fit the boat and then made a panel to mount the side controls. Worked until dark but got it done.

It was a good day. Can't wait to test run the boat. Hopefully, the motor will be great, but if not I can always swap motors.

 

[thill]

I floated the boat in the water today, but didn't drive anywhere, as it doesn't have numbers and safety gear. Just wanted to make sure she was water-tight. She looks good with that Johnson on the back:




I can't wait to see how she pushes. I'm guessing about 35 MPH, but we will see.

 

[LDUBS]

Awesome! Forum will only allow me to put one "like".