Merc 25XD

Gashauler · Oct 7, 2023

I have the aforementioned motor, as near as I can tell it’s an ‘84. I’m restoring my grandpa’s boat and this was the motor that was on it.

Originally it was an 18 horse evinrude but after an unfortunate mishap with an underwater stump dad had to buy a new motor so he bought this brand new. We used it often until the mid 90s. Don’t think it has run since then.

I know it’s going to need a tuneup and new oil, grease, etc.

My question is originally the boat had remote throttle and gear shift (2 separate levers) on the right side and stick steering on the left. This motor has electric start and tiller steering and throttle control. Can I convert this motor back to the original set up or am I stuck with the tiller? If I am stuck with it it’s fine and quite honestly save me some money, but I like the idea of putting it back the way it was when grandpa then dad, both heroes in my young eyes, sat in the front seat like a throne.

Thanks for any help in advance.

wmk0002 · Oct 11, 2023

Have any pics from under the cowling? I'd assume if it was a remote model at some point it will have what you need to hook up throttle and shift cables. It probably had an electrical connector too for remote start, kill, choke etc but a lot of times those get cut off and rewired when going from remote to a tiller.

Gashauler · Oct 11, 2023

I don’t. I should have been clearer though. The original evinrude was the one with the remote stuff. After hitting the submerged stump my dad bought the merc new and it had the tiller on it when he bought it.

I want to change it to remote, just not sure if it’s possible.

wmk0002 · Oct 12, 2023

Gashauler said:
I don’t. I should have been clearer though. The original evinrude was the one with the remote stuff. After hitting the submerged stump my dad bought the merc new and it had the tiller on it when he bought it.

I want to change it to remote, just not sure if it’s possible.

Ah, I see. I misread that.

I have a 94 model that is remote. Not sure it will be apples to apples to yours but they were fairly similar from the 80s all the way til they basically did away with the 2 strokes in the late 2000s. I'll take a look and see what I can offer.

LDUBS · Oct 12, 2023

First, I need to disclaim I'm way out of my depths here so please double check before relying on anything I say. Converting an outboard to remote has come up before. I recall there being conversion kits and I found one. Kind of pricey. I wonder if finding a blown motor and scavenging together the needed items might be a better way to go.

Here is a pic of the kit description. See the note at the bottom about which outboards the kit will fit. Might not be yours, but the good news is at least you know they make the kits.