TOPIC: 50 hp vers 65 hp

i am looking at getting a motor for the boat i just bought. it is a long shaft transom, and rated for a 50 hp, what is the weight difference between thr 50 and the 65 hp merc's? iam looking for a 1965 modle year. would the 65 be too much for the boat? it is a 1965 crestliner sea scout, aluminum and is in good shape. see pix in aluminum forums. thanks to all. frog

15 extra HP isnt gonna hurt a thing.

Weight differences between the two would be negligible in terms of what the boat could handle.

big power difference.well worth it.

I am not one to tell people to back away from power. I usually double what the transom tag says.

But you asked if the 1965 650 will be much heavier than a comparable 50 hp 500. The short answer is yes....

The 1965 650 is very beefy. It is the same tower lower unit etc... as the 6 cyl mercs. Its a 1000 merc with 2 cyls lopped off.

The 500 is based on the smaller lighter platform.


The 500EL will weigh in at 175 ish.EDIT I think the 500 is closer to 150lbs The 650LE will be over 220 My 65 650 short without stator weighs 215.


I personally like the 650 and the 500, the 650 will help a bigger boat some

I personally think the 800 and 850 were the only 4 cyl mercs that were worth the "Weight Penalty" of the heavier set up. The motors because it was cheaper to make 1 tower and lower for both the big 6 cls and the 4 cyls were over engineered and a bit portly.

The 500 is the peak HP for that design/weight class.

THe 650 is the lowest HP for that design/weight class..

I hope I didnt ramble too much
Conrad

The 800 850 and 650 4 cylinder motors weight the same basically.....

Conrad

thanks to all for the replys, iam thinking a 500 is the way iam going to go. frog

3 cyl 75 Stinger weight for hp on a small boat is great im putting one on a 10 tri-cat tunnel

I think youll like the 500 IMO. Lots of em out there and put out good HP for the weight.

Makes a good nimble efficient boat. The 650 is cool but portly.

I have one and plan on using it someday.

Conrad

Hi,
I find this thread interesting.
Here is another viewpoint (my family was a Mercury dealer for 50 years), starting in 1972 (through 1990 - a new clean-sheet 51.1 cubic inch, then 59 cubic inch, version then replaced them), Mercury introduced a 49.7 cubic inch three cylinder horsepower basically using the Merc 500 driveshaft and gear housings. As one can guess, there is very little weight difference with the Merc 500, but the 5.8 larger cubic inches is nice to have, and with a "vented" propeller works pretty well, considering, for water sports. With some creative decals and paint, a 1965 version could be done.
I will add that some attack these motors, as the early versions, which when ran hot, would often crack the cylinder block. Although this was certainly a problem, it can simply be addressed by drilling a cooling water outlet at the top of the block (as later versions of these and other size Mercurys were changed to). I feel the augument is very weak, as I do not see other motors around this size or larger, that survive well after letting the water pump impeller fail. So a reminder to all (no matter what brand and size you have), DO replace the impeller on a periodic basis. It is far cheaper than a major overhaul or a outboard replacement for a really very silly reason.

Regards,
Joe
www.fergusonpoolemarine.com