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?
