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Original price was: $2,000.00.$1,800.00Current price is: $1,800.00.
Mercury 6Hp Outboard Engine
Single cylinder four-stroke 6hp portable outboard motors are unique in the recreational boating world. All two-stroke sixes have two cylinders and are normally de-rated from 8hp, but not the four-strokes which are up-rated from 5hp. So why would I bother testing a four-stroke 6hp instead of a 5hp?
The reason is simple: all four-stroke 5hp outboards weigh 5 to 7kg more over two-stroke 5hp engines. Doesn’t seem like much but on a 3-3.5m tinny it’s enough to seriously affect planning performance — simply because of the additional weight aft of the transom. Tests I performed with two and four-stroke Mercury fives on a flat-bottomed 3m punt showed that pushing a total of 255kg, the 20kg two-stroke five cruised on the plane at 11.6kts and 5000rpm. But swinging the same 8in prop and load, all the 26.1kg four-stroke could manage was a semi-planning 8.9kts and 4500rpm.
At WOT the two-stroke averaged an impressive 16.7kts and 6000rpm, while the four-stroke could just maintain a clean plane of 11.5kts and 5000rpm. Under identical test conditions a four-stroke Mercury 6 cruised at 11.5kts and 5000rpm, but ran out to 15.3kts and 5700rpm at WOT.
