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250 Suzuki v. 250 Mercury Verado - What am I missing?

Noah Genda

Noah Genda

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Indianapolis, IN
New 2575 RCW w/ Mercury Verado arrived, and I've been breaking in the engine.  I believe I've read on this forum that Mercs get stronger as they get through the break-in period.  Part of the first two-hour break in is to go WOT for a minute every 10 minutes for the first two hours.  Top speed is 34.6 MPH.

My 2012 2575 RCW with the Suzuki hit 42.5 MPH regularly.  My first impression was, "It has to be the prop.  But I will probably have a quicker take-off."  After talking to my dealer, here's what I discovered:

They don't want the engine to exceed 6000 rpm.  Though the Mercury site lists 5800-6400 rpm as the WOT range.

And if I was was exceeding 6000 rpm, then they wanted to put a bigger prop on it.  My rpm was 5800.

I can't remember what the rpm was on my Suzuki, but their site says it is 6000 rpm max.

With a 80% full tank and two passengers - and I have the ESP package - I get on plane in roughly two seconds.  No complaints on the acceleration.  Quite frankly, at 30 MPH, it doesn't take long for me to want to slow down and stop getting beat up.  But I am curious about the top speed.  

Any thoughts would be appreciated.  And, yes, my anchor is inside the boat.  Though I am a few pounds heavier this spring.
 
There is no reason to limit it to 5800 or even 6000 RPM. That engine is made to be run hard, all the way to 6400 for optimum power. My top end of a little more than 50mph is right at 6250/6300 RPM with an 18 pitch prop. With a little more trim, it revs more than that, but loses speed. What prop do you have? Which hole is the engine mounted on?
 
Noah Genda said:
New 2575 RCW w/ Mercury Verado arrived, and I've been breaking in the engine. I believe I've read on this forum that Mercs get stronger as they get through the break-in period. Part of the first two-hour break in is to go WOT for a minute every 10 minutes for the first two hours. Top speed is 34.6 MPH.

My 2012 2575 RCW with the Suzuki hit 42.5 MPH regularly. My first impression was, "It has to be the prop. But I will probably have a quicker take-off." After talking to my dealer, here's what I discovered:

They don't want the engine to exceed 6000 rpm. Though the Mercury site lists 5800-6400 rpm as the WOT range.

And if I was was exceeding 6000 rpm, then they wanted to put a bigger prop on it. My rpm was 5800.

I can't remember what the rpm was on my Suzuki, but their site says it is 6000 rpm max.

With a 80% full tank and two passengers - and I have the ESP package - I get on plane in roughly two seconds. No complaints on the acceleration. Quite frankly, at 30 MPH, it doesn't take long for me to want to slow down and stop getting beat up. But I am curious about the top speed.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. And, yes, my anchor is inside the boat. Though I am a few pounds heavier this spring.
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Wow, that seems quite low. I would think you should be much closer to 40. Something does not seem right.
 
I will be picking up my boat soon so I have been researching this topic.  It is absolutely critical that your cavitation plate is out of the water before you start thinking about different props.  Check out this link from the Verado forum

http://www.veradoclub.com/index.php?topic=137.0

Everything you need to know if you don't already
 
You should continue to work closely with your dealer to get your boat to properly perform.  I know he wants a satisfied customer.

It should be up to your dealer to get it propped correctly and the engine height at the right place.  Since you're running substantially below the potential of 250 hp, the engine may need lifted.  

Sometimes it takes a while to get things dialed in.  And you may need to get more hours on the engine.
 
Scott1 said:
I will be picking up my boat soon so I have been researching this topic.  It is absolutely critical that your cavitation plate is out of the water before you start thinking about different props.  Check out this link from the Verado forum

http://www.veradoclub.com/index.php?topic=137.0

Everything you need to know if you don't already
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link, Scott1.  The visualization of where the cav plate is supposed to be is very helpful.  Do I need a drone with a GoPro on it to get the visual?   :D  My biggest fear is hanging off the stern and getting dumped - with my iPhone in hand taking pictures.  Thanks again.
 
Noah Genda said:
Thanks for the link, Scott1.  The visualization of where the cav plate is supposed to be is very helpful.  Do I need a drone with a GoPro on it to get the visual?   :D  My biggest fear is hanging off the stern and getting dumped - with my iPhone in hand taking pictures.  Thanks again.
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If your wife is upset at you in any way I would not let her drive the boat while you do this, maybe you should have your girlfriend drive instead :)
 
Noah Genda said:
Thanks for the link, Scott1.  The visualization of where the cav plate is supposed to be is very helpful.  Do I need a drone with a GoPro on it to get the visual?   :D  My biggest fear is hanging off the stern and getting dumped - with my iPhone in hand taking pictures.  Thanks again.
Click to expand...
I used a GoPro with a suction cup mount to the motor (and a tether!).
 
I take it this was the speed on the dash out the boat? Verify with GPS on your phone too. I agree with the group something is not right. Just as a comparison we have the same boat, 80% on the fuel load (51 gal tank) me and the wife, good water, ESP, Real 41 to 42 MPH , Yamaha 250 SHO. 

You will get it nailed
 
another thing to bear in mind is what really drives the boat is torque, just like your car.

Two different 250hp engines are just that. If one of the engines is "oversquare" meaning the bore is larger that the stroke, that engine will produce more torque at lower RPM and throw you back in the seat.

what do the horsepower and torque curves look like for the two engines?
 
Great question guardrail.  I wish I could find the numbers.  I searched but found nothing.
 
Noah Genda said:
Great question guardrail.  I wish I could find the numbers.  I searched but found nothing.
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That's because NO ONE publishes them, except maybe a tuner like Simon Motorsports with a dyno.
 
I'm starting to wonder if outboard "hp" ratings are a scam! What does it say for a manufacturer when they won't publish that kind of technical information. And that applies to all brands
 
Ooops, tried to post a torque vs RPM curve here  --  and no dice .
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Problem solved!  Turns out my boat was performing as expected.  The speedometer, however, was not.  It was off by 8 mph.  Probably not a big deal unless I was pulling you on skis.  New speedometer was ordered as the old one cannot be calibrated according to the dealer.
 
Noah Genda said:
Problem solved!  Turns out my boat was performing as expected.  The speedometer, however, was not.  It was off by 8 mph.  Probably not a big deal unless I was pulling you on skis.  New speedometer was ordered as the old one cannot be calibrated according to the dealer.
Click to expand...
Now just get that ECM to Simon Motorsports and you will be pushing close to 325HP, give or take.  :)
 
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