Outboards brands suggestions

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Mariner = Mercury, in fact the only reason Brunswick have kept the Mariner brand going is for a few of its brand loyal followers, they are 100% Mercury with Mariner decals. I'm not convinced about the local 'agent' for mariner here.

To add to what shanook and busu were saying about trying a boat, always try and consider your max load that intend to run and test the boat accordingly. going out with half fuel in the tanks, no water if applicable and say two people will not be an accurate reflection of the boats performance, nor necessarily if the prop is correct.

Add in full fuel, water, some gear or an extra person to compensate and ensure  you are say 4 people minimum simulating some weight and THEN see how the boat runs. I noticed this was a big issue on mine, the 90hp with the factory prop is good at pushing me and another lightish person along with full fuel and water, but as soon as you add another person or have a total of 3 guys on board, you can not longer hit the factory recommended WOT, planing took much longer etc. In fact i had to change to a 4 bladed lower pitch prop to compensate. Ie. Switched from factory 3 blade 15P prop to a Solas 4 blade 13.25x13P prop which makes planing extremely quick, but the prop is too 'fast' for just one person, as you get to 6000rpm no problem whereas the recommended WOT for my 90TLDI is 5,850 but then when we're 3 or 4 guys and full fuel and water you want that prop. As I tend to use the boat with 2-3 I am going to compromise this year and get my 4 bladed 13P cupped to add 1 inch of pitch making it a 14P and therefore an ideal compromise for planing speed, mid-range cruise, economy and speed.

[fabrizioviper]

  I cannot complain on local mariner agent .They are very nice and help full people. When i had  a 90hp fitted on my ex fletcher they fit it for free, and they had a 2 day job to do cause they had to do some fibre glass work also. Where as the yamaha agent wanted garage charges in order to mount the outboard.  Its the 4th MARINER i own which i wont change for another brand surely.

[busumark]

i had a nissan from jupiter had a hole in the block after only 6 years and agent is an a*****e good thing that he closed down or nearly closing down. i bought a mariner and till now everything ok and agent was ok also.i have a 25hp and wanted to change the standard prop to a lower pitch and he changed it for free after 2 months using it. but for a bigger motor i would go for a suzuki 4-stroke

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Good to read positive feedback here about the Mariner agent, I must have just heard a couple of bad experiences from ppl on larger engines. To me the most important aspect of representing a brand is having a fully certified and experienced mechanic to back it all up.

[fabrizioviper]

Another thing i need to add is that the agent himself insisted that he wanted to start and try the outboard himself at sea , which i found very helpful , i m always refering to the 90 hp , as regards 20 hp and 9.9 hp one can easily mount them and try them on his own.

[spiru]

yes mariner agents always try the motor at sea to check that the propeller is ok.i bought a new 50 hp  2 stroke mariner 2 1/2   years ago and it is very good and i trolled for 9 hours straight at one time with no problems.sometimes it needs a second or third self starter to start a cold engine but otherwise it is perfect.and compared to other 50 hp engines i think mariner is the most powerfull