mariner

[Andy56]

seeing a lot of boats advertised with mariner motors. As is usual on the internet of things, information is hard to come by. I saw mariner 60hp 4s for sale. Now i know its a merc, but is it the same as standard merc models or an inferior grade? And its not exactly the cheapest on the block either.

[up the creek]

mate merc built mariner to fill a market need for cheaper options for people who didint want to pay as much, now if there dear as u say then i guess there not trying to help anyone with price anymore , i do know that ive hardly ever heard bad reports in fact mariners have been reliable.. spose the fact old ones for sale are still running means they go the distance.,, there not a cheap chinese quality engine, but im not sure with the newer ones how there built, but i havent heard too many bad things over the years,, and merc would be baggin there name if there mariners were crap...

[Steeler]

No diff at all, what color do you prefer ? Phantom black or there was a couple of different shades of the Mariner Grey/Silver.

To the best of my knowledge it was a second brand so Brunswick Corp could have two dealers within a geographical catchment area and not two dealers of the same brand next door ( not quite next door but you get the drift ) to each other bastardizing the price.

[up the creek]

No diff at all, what color do you prefer ? Phantom black or there was a couple of different shades of the Mariner Grey/Silver.

To the best of my knowledge it was a second brand so Brunswick Corp could have two dealers within a geographical catchment area and not two dealers of the same brand next door ( not quite next door but you get the drift ) to each other bastardizing the price.

yeah thats what i thought but wasnt sure,,, that mariner were a good merc, like tohy makes mercs now and there stil a merc but there cheaper, simple motors with no bells and whistles, similar to mariner, but in my knowledge still a good donk..

[ranmar850]

Weren't they a collaboration with Yamaha in the early days? When they first came out they were saying they were a Yamaha powerhead, Merc lower unit, something like that? It was a long time ago. I've owned a few in the smaller sizes, as good as anything you'll get.

[up the creek]

Weren't they a collaboration with Yamaha in the early days? When they first came out they were saying they were a Yamaha powerhead, Merc lower unit, something like that? It was a long time ago. I've owned a few in the smaller sizes, as good as anything you'll get.


i was lookin at a old mariner 20hp a few months ago and the dealer was saying ooo is it a merc or yammie build,, and i asked and he said yes yammie built em and merc buiilt em.. so i think theres some truth to that also..

[Steeler]

Yes there were some Mariner models that were Yamaha powerheads. The twin Cyl screamers you could hear coming from miles away.

[up the creek]

Yes there were some Mariner models that were Yamaha powerheads. The twin Cyl screamers you could hear coming from miles away.


lol, like today people want the shifter on the handle etc etc and the mariner was as you said just a get out there engine,

[up the creek]

cheap but in my experience not badly built, to answer one of the posts origonal questions, unless anyone has owned em over the years and can say they were crap.. i never actually owned one im just going off what ive seen and been told about em..

[jackson4300]

I have a 20hp mariner, cant remember the build date of the motor but have had the motor for probably close to 15 years, it was bought second hand. No major issue with the motor in that time and it still runs hard now, 2 pull start and idles nicely. When I did need to buy a new prop was when I found all the parts were mercury/mariner.

It is the only mariner I have dealt with so can't really say a blanket statement that mariner are good, but from my experience with my motor, they are fantastic.

[Andy56]

cheap but in my experience not badly built, to answer one of the posts origonal questions, unless anyone has owned em over the years and can say they were crap.. i never actually owned one im just going off what ive seen and been told about em..
Thanks guys, but thats all i ever knew too. The hope was somebody would have more solid info. Like what is the performance and economy. Not necessarily the old stuff, but the newer generation.

Who makes them? Who copied who? Are not really all that relevant these days, especially if they work and work well.

[up the creek]

these days andy i have no idea who building half the motors out there with all the deals builders are doing with other manufactures, some people dont even know that some 2 stroke yammies were asembled in other countries they still think all yammies are japan built etc, so good luck with your reccearch lol,, someone on ausfish should know whos building mariner now etc. hopefully someone responds.

[Andy56]

For all i know they still use carbies and drink like a fish.

Come on, must be someone from mercury who can set us straight on what they are and who they compete with.

They say if you repeat something 3 times, somewhere in the world you will get attention, so here goes.

MARINER ARE SHIT
MARINER ARE SHIT
MARINER ARE SHIT

That should send some marketing type into a frenzy, lol

[up the creek]

mate if a genuine mercury is cheaper... as u say the mariner are dear,, just get a mercury or tohy, but now u got me wondering as ive considered a mariner a few times, but i wont buy unless i know things like ur asking,, and lol u might get a email from a mariner dealer...after ur rant.. ha ha

[Andy56]

For all i know they still use carbies and drink like a fish.

Come on, must be someone from mercury who can set us straight on what they are and who they compete with.

They say if you repeat something 3 times, somewhere in the world you will get attention, so here goes.

MARINER ARE SHIT
MARINER ARE SHIT
MARINER ARE SHIT

That should send some marketing type into a frenzy, lol

[Noelm]

Just to put things straight, Mariner was never a "cheap" Mercury, they are identical motors, just the colour differs, same as Johnson and Evinrude, same motor, different colour, no difference in quality. The Yamaha powerhead business is nothing new, they shared some motors at one time, not exactly sure of the reason, but it was not a "badge engineering" deal, Yamaha retained all their bits and pieces (lower leg etc) and Mercury kept theirs, just the powerhead was shared. Tohatsu has been making outboards for decades, but Mercury sold them as Mercury, and Tohatsu was Tohatsu, just like now, Tohatsu 4 strokes are Honda's.

[Andy56]

I guess what i am saying is that in 2018, its not good enough to say here is our motor, its a 2s or a 4s and thats it !!! That seems to be their strategy. Wish i was the head of their marketing, i would get sales through the roof. TELL US SOMETHING, ANYTHING. Never read reviews, never see on boatsales news never, never, never.

If thats the game they play, they do themselves a disservice.

[Noelm]

There is plenty of marketing "blurb" out there, thousands of reviews in magazines, lots of head to head "tests" and fishing shows telling you how good brand X is, unfortunately most of it is bullshit and paid advertising!

[GM-Bluewater]

I have an 06 Mariner 75 4 stroke on my Trailcraft. Been a great motor and never missed a beat, i fish in pretty remote spots and have always had confidence in it.

[chocolatemoose]

So Mariner was due to wind up years ago.however brunswick has kept the brand around...yep they are the exact same engine. Merc.Mariner follow the line untill the very end when some get silver cowls some get black. as mentioned, its a way of allowing a region to have "merc" engines without stepping on peoples toes. though you dont see a great deal of Mariner dealers .

[Noelm]

I don't think Mariner is still around in the US, but I could be wrong.

[up the creek]

yeah moose, so short story is for this post, read the merc stats, etc and thats wat a mariner is with silver paint, same as 1 to 40hp 2 stroke mercs bult by tohatsu , same line just tohy blue paint merc black at end of production line. even though parts will interchange and merc dealers will know how to fix and parts etc,, my quick google showed 1 mariner dealer in australia.... just buy the mercury i say...

[up the creek]

I guess what i am saying is that in 2018, its not good enough to say here is our motor, its a 2s or a 4s and thats it !!! That seems to be their strategy. Wish i was the head of their marketing, i would get sales through the roof. TELL US SOMETHING, ANYTHING. Never read reviews, never see on boatsales news never, never, never.

If thats the game they play, they do themselves a disservice.


yeah it is pretty arrogant andy and i see what ur sayin,,, mercury know we know they build em, but marketing wise keep there cards close to there chest..for wateva stupid reason.. but so people like you can find some stats etc then stop mucking around and put on mercury or mariner website.. HEY they are the same motor..

[Andy56]

I also posted on facebleed and got a response to talk to the dealer direct. We all know they are mercs but which ones? Must be secret merc business, hahahahahah

Hey lets put this in perspective, i would consider one of these for a boat if i knew which model it corresponded to. With this wilfull denial of information, they have two chance of getting a new sale on me, lol.
Which brings me around to what i am really interested in, if i find a second hand boat i like with a mariner motor, how do I know which merc it corresponds to? I wouldnt be adverse to a two stroke but i dont want a guzzler either.

Mercury, get your act together. Hey guys, i am trying to help you out.

[fishizzle]

I also posted on facebleed and got a response to talk to the dealer direct. We all know they are mercs but which ones? Must be secret merc business, hahahahahah

Hey lets put this in perspective, i would consider one of these for a boat if i knew which model it corresponded to. With this wilfull denial of information, they have two chance of getting a new sale on me, lol.
Which brings me around to what i am really interested in, if i find a second hand boat i like with a mariner motor, how do I know which merc it corresponds to? I wouldnt be adverse to a two stroke but i dont want a guzzler either.

Mercury, get your act together. Hey guys, i am trying to help you out.

Well the Mariner optimax is the same as the mercury optimax, the Marina Verado is the same as the mercury verado and the mariner efi four stroke is the same as the mercury efi four stroke. That’s in the more recent models. The later model carby 2 strokes were also the same.

[fishizzle]

Also I believe Yamaha were supplying powerheads for the smaller hp range (single and twin cylinders) for mercury at the same time they were to mariner. Around the mid 90’s pre the Merc/tohatsu arrangement,so again the only difference between those motors will be paint.

[up the creek]

I also posted on facebleed and got a response to talk to the dealer direct. We all know they are mercs but which ones? Must be secret merc business, hahahahahah

Hey lets put this in perspective, i would consider one of these for a boat if i knew which model it corresponded to. With this wilfull denial of information, they have two chance of getting a new sale on me, lol.
Which brings me around to what i am really interested in, if i find a second hand boat i like with a mariner motor, how do I know which merc it corresponds to? I wouldnt be adverse to a two stroke but i dont want a guzzler either.

Mercury, get your act together. Hey guys, i am trying to help you out.

andy bro i say this with tongue in cheek and fun... but i dont think you should buy a mariner mate, as ur blowin your top before you own one and are already unhappy,,, and if you do buy one and it blows up on you i think youll blow ur top and we here and mercury are gonna hear about it for the next 10 years lol

[Andy56]

andy bro i say this with tongue in cheek and fun... but i dont think you should buy a mariner mate, as ur blowin your top before you own one and are already unhappy,,, and if you do buy one and it blows up on you i think youll blow ur top and we here and mercury are gonna hear about it for the next 10 years lol

Funny man, lol. Hey i dont give a shit either way, but i do find it funny how they dont want people to know anything. I got more info here than anywhere else on the net of everything..
in any case, warranty is void soon as its out of australian waters. Another cross to their name, hahaha

[up the creek]

yeah andy, i was keen on owning one over the years, i like the old school orange sticker ones, but after this thread ill just buy a merc i think.

[shakey55]

https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/ca/legacy/history/week21


Sent from my iPhone using Ausfish forums

[Noelm]

I don't quite get what you are getting in a bind about, the motors are the same, a Merc dealer will have parts to suit, or, are you expecting Mariner/Mercury to advertise that their motors are the same? This sort of thing has gone on for decades in the car industry, electronics and marine too, no one has a big sign saying "don't buy a (say) Holden VN Commodore, buy a Toyota Lexan instead, it's better! Badge engineering is certainly not new, manufacturers have been "in bed" with each other on and off for years, Suzuki and Evinrude for example, an on, then off relationship, others stayed together and continue to do so, like Tohatsu and Mercury.

[up the creek]

yeah its nothing new hey noelm, :)

[Andy56]

Mercury marketing gurus
Very few sold in Australia these days. They are directly comparable to the equivalent Mercury model, they simply have a silver cowl and Mariner stickers instead of a black cowl and Mercury stickers. So a 150hp FourStroke Mariner is a 150hp FourStroke Mercury with a silver cowl. We will let you work out which one goes faster 😉



Marketing for Mariner is non existent in Australia as we have a single brand strategy in this market. That brand is Mercury. As mentioned we don't sell Mariner here except for one small dealer in Victoria for strategic reasons.

my response was:
what you are saying is " we dont sell a lot so we dont do marketing so we dont sell a lot" Makes perfect economic sense.

the end
gee, i really learned a lot

[ericcs]

Mariner even had their own 80's 90-115hp tower of power(merc) engines!

[Steeler]

Just grey Mercs all those the inline 3,4 and 6 cyls. Ultimately down the line some got a grey paint job on the earlier stuff and just a silver cowl on the later stuff.

BTW, Nothing comes even close to the crispy sound of a inline 6 doing its thing. Ate OMC's for breakfast.

[up the creek]

Just grey Mercs all those the inline 3,4 and 6 cyls. Ultimately down the line some got a grey paint job on the earlier stuff and just a silver cowl on the later stuff.

BTW, Nothing comes even close to the crispy sound of a inline 6 doing its thing. Ate OMC's for breakfast.


ooohhh yeah steeler bro, inline 6 or the tower of power i youtube em now and then and find different ones idling then gunning it out of the holeshot and yeah bro they sound wicked... merc dealer other day when i was talkin bout tower of powers other day said,, tower of shit..... yeah compared to new motors there old tech,, but they sounded good...... and went hard...

[up the creek]

seeing a lot of boats advertised with mariner motors. As is usual on the internet of things, information is hard to come by. I saw mariner 60hp 4s for sale. Now i know its a merc, but is it the same as standard merc models or an inferior grade? And its not exactly the cheapest on the block either.


if they were old mariners on old boats most likely there older blokes who own them, as i said i read a reputable story about mariner in earlier years (at least 30) they were sold by merc as a cheaper motor to get sales out of blokes who maybe could not afford the best of the best (even if they were a merc with silver paint) for wateva reason unkown, and older guys with not much cash back in the day would have bought 1000s of em,, now if there new mariners on older boats most likely the older guys trust them now and even if there dearer these days, you kinda love a motor brand if it served you well,,and still buy them now even with all the choices.. those good old salts are loyal you know ha ha.. :)

[up the creek]

annoying when u do a post then think of somethin else... im pretty sure mercury like yamaha wont discount or sell cheap there home built top of the line motors, as if we pay more there better, (not what i think neccesarily)..but mercury saw a gap in market for people who cant afford top price, and repainted there engines maybe changed a think or 2 here n there and bamm we have a mariner at a cheaper price to sell more engines which is what they want but not reducing there premium engine price,, or there name mercury...