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first Bennington on water less than a month

KC24 said:
My Yamaha has the Clunk, With all the technology out there you would think manufactures could fix that, I feel like its ripping the guts out every time i put it in gear or change from forward to reverse. 
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Are you sure it's not the prop that clunks?
 
My gear shifts on a F150 with the model 704 pinnacle are easily felt.  Verado fly by wire electric shifts may be smoother.  You should be able to feel them on any cable activated motor.
 
Waterproof Marine grease.
 
Hello all....back again with the same bad news. A year late, the SAME thing has occurred to our pontoon again. Would love any feedback from anyone re Mercury motors. Or if anyone has any mercury motor blogs.
 
My Yamaha controller took a long time to get used to as it has minimal detent feedback when going into neutral. I finally figured out if I put my hand near the bottom of the shifter/throttle I get a much better sense of when it hits neutral. My wife still won't drive the boat because for 20 years our Evinrude was a rock solid neutral click. It's an opportunity for improvement with Yamaha from our perspective.
 
Biggie Bigs said:
Hello all....back again with the same bad news. A year late, the SAME thing has occurred to our pontoon again. Would love any feedback from anyone re Mercury motors. Or if anyone has any mercury motor blogs.
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Another broken shaft??
 
PonTuna Salad said:
On my Yamaha I have to be paying attention to know when it goes into neutral and reverse. There is no definite click. Not what I was use to with Mercruiser I/Os.
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I experience the exact same thing. My shifter is very smooth and hard to notice the definitive "click" but I do notice that the travel between forward and reverse is quite a distance with neutral in the middle. I also cam from a Mercruiser I/O.
 
I have the verado 350 with the digital Mercury throttle! It is insanely smooth. No click when going from neutral to F or R. I have to pay attention to where the throttle is at idle/no wake zones.

I agree with many users that suggest you make a warranty claim...
 
Slightly off topic from the outboard, but I've seen a few mentions here of a Mercruiser I/O. Mine is a pretty solid clunk, and I have to pause briefly at Neutral to make sure it goes into reverse. It seems to me (but not sure as I haven't done it much) that if I get excited and move too quickly, it just simply doesn't shift. And as commented above, it takes a lot of effort to shift - my wife struggles with it.
When maneuvering in tight spaces, I have to take account of that pause in neutral when timing vector thrusts.
 
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Michiman said:
Another broken shaft??
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Yes! This time my bil was driving the boat. My husband and his brother co-own this boat along with our summer home. They have been around and owned boats their entire lives. They are both very experienced with boats, maintenance, etc.
 
So following up Bennington has agreed to cover this second lower unit in full. However we have not yet determined WHY this has happened again. We are very nervous about this happening again. Hubs has contacted multiple Bennington dealers to see if this has occurred anywhere else and answers have all been no. In addition he has contacted multiple marinas who rent these pontoons and they have not see this as well. Did we get a lemon?? Seriously my hubs and his brother have owned and used boats for over 40 years and have never had any issues. Also this boat is on the same lake we have been going to for over 40 years. Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions?? TIA
 
Has anyone been in contact with Mercury customer service directly? I understand it’s a Bennington but the issue would be directly related to Mercury. One of the guys at work was taking delivery of another brand with a Merc verado 250 and it spit the rod out of the side of the block at the dock! They pushed both the dealer and Merc for a new motor rather than repair and Mercury made it happen. Even the dealer wasn’t 100 percent when they asked. Can hurt to call!
 
For Yamahas 150 & up use Yamaha SDS props. Shift Dampener System. Will not get the clank when shifting, and no prop chatter. Mercury also makes a spring drive sleeve that reduces rattle.
 
We have a 200 hp Mercury Verado. Very quite motor, very easy smooth shifting. However, there is a little click/notch type feel as you go from F-N-R. I totally agree with what others are saying above. What the dealer is telling you sounds very fishy to me. If what is being stated is the case, it absolutely sounds like a Mercury warranty claim. I would push back hard on this one for sure.

Demand to see and keep parts. Have dealer walk you through the damaged parts with ample explanation of “how” they believe that damage to have been done. Then contact Mercury and push for a warranty claim assuming something is amiss.
 
A follow up and GREAT news !
Mercury has agreed to replace the motor AND is refunding in full the amount of the first repair. They have not told us much but it certainly seems they know something was wrong with the lower unit alignment in the motor. We are going to purchase an extended warranty as a just in case. But replacing the motor certainly give us piece of mind and will let us truly enjoy our pontoon again!
 
Excellent! So glad this is having a good ending. Certainly didn’t sound right originally, and good to know Mercury stepped up (particularly since I have a Mercury too). Enjoy the summer boating season ahead with the new motor.
 
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