Conference vicki::boats

<I am planing on replacing my 1968 105 hp Chrysler outboard with a 1985
<90 hp Mercury outboard.  I went to  Middlesex Power and Marine in 
<Tyngsboro and they're selling the engine for $2400 without trim and tilt
<and $2800 with trim and tilt.  I don't know if that's a good price and
<I've never had trim and tilt.  Does anyone have any recommendations as
<to buying trim and tilt for $400?  I don't know what this place is like for 
<sales and service.  They said that I would only have a 30 day warrenty on
<the motor?  Is that customery?  I would appreciate any feedback on the 
<subject.  Thanks.

Rob,

	B U Y  the   T I L T   &   T R I M    now!!!!!

  A couple years back I could have had the tilt-n-trim on my '86 75hp Mariner
(same engine as the '85 90hp Merc only smaller pistons). My "penny
ante" attitude about how much the rig was going to cost told me I would save
a couple hundred dollars on a 'frill'.  I cuss every time I remember the day I
made that bonehead decision. The TILT-n-TRIM will let you get into shallow
water without banging your skeg/prop on the bottom. It allows you to trim your
boat for maximum performance (both hole-shot and topend).

  To manually lift the engine every time I put the boat on the trailer or want
to reduce my draft (I've got an electric trolling motor on the bow) for shallow
water is a royal pain in the neck.  My wife and daughter are not capable of
lifting the engine. I've had to do that in some very awkward situations when
speed of getting the engine up was a factor and I would have given twice the
cash I saved to have that feature at those times.  $400 might be a little steep
for a used tilt-n-trim unit, but a new one was going to run me about $700 as
a retro-fit (I think it was $350 as part of the new engine).

  I tell you what if you don't want the tilt-n-trim I may be very interested in
exploring a swap of engine mounts and controls with you.

  On a used engine a 30 day warranty seems reasonable to me.

  Unless you're never going to let the boat get in shallow water(intentionally 
or otherwise), you have a wife whose favorite hobby is weightlifting, and keep
the boat in the water all season, do yourself a BIG favor and spend the bucks..
I sure wish I had. 

Al

    
    I definitely agree, go for the trim and tilt!  I just paid
    $650 extra for it on my new Sunbird, and am glad I did.
    
    Everything Al said in .1 is true.
    
    Rick W.

    Like, .1, I thought, "Why spend $400 for tilt and trim?"
    
    Then I went ahead and did it anyway.  And now life is great.
    I have an 80 horse Merc and it is really nice to lift that
    baby at the push of a button.  Also, I can alway pick up a couple
    mph by adjusting the trim when I'm cruising.  It is a great option.
    Never again will I go without titl and trim if I have a choice.
    
    /brett
    

      I have a 1983 Merc 90 which has been super on my Glastron as far
    as performance and dependability. If I had to do it over again I
    would also have added power tilt and trim when I bought it. Now
    if I want it, the price for the add on unit is $500+ so I'm
    hesitant to spend the bucks. Most of the time I can get along just
    fine without, but there have been plenty of times in a weedy bass
    cove when I wished I had it. Also, my wife likes to drive the boat
    too, and there's no way she can lift the motor by herself if the
    need arises. Go for it, you'll find it a worthwhile investment,
    and if you trade, I'm sure it will return some of that money.
    
    Paul
    

    You talked me into it.  I spent the extra $400 and got the trim and
    tilt.  I had the boat out over the weekend and it makes life so much
    easier just to lift the engine with the pust of a button, as opposed
    to jumping out of the boat into the water to lift the engine out.  The
    90Hp Mercury runs great.  I've never had trim and tilt before, and I
    don't have any gauges, so I've got to learn how to trim the boat
    effectively.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  I thought about
    getting a tachometer, but I didn't have another $100 to spend.
    
    								Rob.

re .-1
<    ..........Does anyone have any suggestions?  I thought about
<    getting a tachometer, but I didn't have another $100 to spend.
    
   I think you definitely want a tachometer.  It's one of the best indcators
you have about the performance of your engine.  Overton's has a tach for a
Merc OB as low as $41.95 (probably does not include a cable).

Gee I wonder what's going to be on your Christmas list this year???

Al

    you can actually hear it. for the first several times over trim
    it. you'll hear the engine lose its rev's. after a while you'll
    know where it should be.  unless you really want a tach.
    you don't have to have one. the choice is yours.
    
    anyway, the electic tach's are only 90% efficient, i think 
    you can do better with your ear.
    
    jim.
    
    

    This is what I was told by the local dealer when discussing the
    need for a trim indicator on my outboard: "That's the most useless
    instrument there is. First of all it is not very accurate, secondly
    you don't know what's the right position anyway and finally you
    can feel in the steering wheel when you have the right trim angle!"
    I got an indicator anyway. (It was part of the standard package!)
    And true enough! The right trim is easily felt through the wheel
    as a condition with no pull either way and with the same force needed
    for turning either way.
    I assume that this is strictly true only if you have everything
    else set up properly, trim fin adjusted, boat evenly loaded and
    so on...
    
    I would be a little bit wary of just relying on my ear to find the
    right trim angle. When having a little bit too much out-("bow-up")
    trim on you get higher revs by changing trim a little either way.
    The only difference being that speed goes slightly up in one case 
    and down in the other! Listening very carefully one might hear the
    difference between the "healthy" reving when trimming the right
    way and the slightly "sick" sound when going the wrong way.

    This might all vary from one boat to another so don't take this
    as any absolute truth, it's just one boaters experience!
    
    -jcl                                        
    

    Maybe useless on an outboard, you can just look at the angle of
    the powerhead, but on an I/O they are needed. Not so much for
    cruising, (you listen, feel, etc) but when your sitting idle,
    awaiting for your skier to say "hit it", you better be sure that
    the outdrive is tucked under, or you'll have one aggrevated skier!
    It's also good to know the attitude/draft of the lower unit when
    you're around the launch area or unfamiliar waters. 
    Doug (with fixed-draft inboard) 

    Thanks for the responses (.6-.9).  Is Overton's a catalog, if so how
    do I go about getting a copy?  If not, can you supply me more info.
    Right now, I only know about Tri City Marine in Leominster, and Middlesex 
    Power and Marine in Tyngsboro where I bought my outboard.
    
    								Rob.

    
    Rob,
    
    	Overtons is a catalog. What facility are you in?
    
    Rick

    
re     	Overtons is a catalog. What facility are you in?
    
	Nah,  Overtones is something in music, or acoustics, or 
something to do with sound :-)

Overton's
111 Red Banks Road
P.O. Box 8228
Greenville, NC 27835

1-800-334-6541

    Thanks for the info on Overton's.  I'll have to send for a catalog.  By
    the way I'm in the TWO Tewksbury facility.
    
    								Rob
    

    
    If you want an endless supply of catalogs, just subscribe to
    Trailer Boats Magazine.  Before you know it they'll be arriving
    daily, including Goldbergs, E & B, Bliss, Ski Limited, Overtons,
    Northern Hydraulics, and several others I can't even remember.
    I like getting 'em, gives you a good chance to price shop.
    
    Rick W.

    Unfortunately, it looks like I'm a little late for this, but, a couple
    of people I know who purchased the '85 Merc 90 had some severe
    problems.  Just watch it closely.  Bart's is another catalog order
    company.  Good luck.