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| I've always assumed that Mariners were a notch below Mercs, Evinrudes and recently, Honda$. I was recently looking at a 10y/o Mariner 40 Mag (tiller), the seller say's they made this line for 9 years and it's one of the more dependable used motors out there.
What do you think? |
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| As far as I know they are mercs. I think some of the older ones may have been yamaha. A buddy of mine has a 115 2-stroke. Was supposed to be one of the most reliable motors they make. I guess that's why they have made it so long and still do. |
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| From what was explained to me by a Merc mechanic, Mariner outboards 40 hp and less were Yamaha outboards, over 40 and these were built by Mercury.
I know that I had a 1985 Mariner 40 hp and if you took the cowl off, Yamaha was stamped all over the powerhead.
Steve @ G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com |
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| The early Mariners were up (to 60 HP) made by Yamaha in a partnership with Mercury, and were Mercs all the way over 60 HP.
Mariner was originally an offshore line sold to other countries. Mercury decided to go dual line like OMC was at the time, and introduced the Mariner line to accomplish that marketing plan.
The Mariner motors built by Mercury 45HP and up including some of the kicker motors in the line, are Mercs with a grey cowl, all the way.
The motors made by Yamaha were originally a Yamaha product through and through. As the Mariner line matured, the Yamaha influence was gradually reduced, with some of the units sporting a Yamaha powerhead and Merc components.
Mercury recently made the decision to go back to the single product branding philosophy in the US. There is still Mariner product built for other markets.[8)] |
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| I have the exact motor you are referring to. It is a 1992 Mariner Mag tiller. I haven't looked all over the inside of the motor for who made it, but I do know that the service manual that came with it has Mercury in large letters and Mariner in smaller letters on the front cover.
It is a very strong and dependable motor. It starts right up year after year (with proper winterization) & lake after lake, and pushes my Tuffy Esox along at a max. speed of 31 mph. |
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| Rick;
Any chance you can get it to a mechanic?? Or pull
the plugs and head to look into the cylinders? They
can all be good or they can be nightmares........... |
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| Ranger,
For what it's worth..
I've two of the Mariner 60's that were basically the Merc motor...no problems at all, knock on wood. In fact I'm currently running one on my 96 Esox Mag. that's listed on the Classifieds board.
Have a buddy who has run a 40hp Mariner for about 10 yrs. and has never had it in the shop...
Like any used motor much depends on how the previous took care of it but overall I believe they are a good line.
Mark |
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