For two hours, the Boston Whaler 240 Outrage has been slogging through 4-foot seas off
Daytona Beach. Sometimes fishing is incredibly easy, and then there are days like this when you
have to scratch and claw your way offshore looking for something ... anything that's different.
When the crew reaches the Gulf Stream, they find something different, all right: even more confused
and steeper six-footers and an incredibly vivid color change that abruptly transitions from sea
foam green to indigo blue. If they're going to find fish, this should be the place.
Normally, this kind of run is tiring for a driver, because you're constantly working the
throttle, trying to keep it on plane without overcooking it and slamming - not easy when you have
the boat loaded to the gills with fuel, ice, beverages and four keeper-sized anglers. In confused
conditions you also tend to make a lot of steering corrections to keep your heading steady, and the
cumulative toll of all these gyrations usually leads to a worn-out driver, but that isn't the case
today, due in large part to the pair of 150 Verado engines on the transom of the stout Boston
Whaler Outrage center console.
Athletes know the importance of teamwork, and Mercury's Verado follows that mantra with an integrated system of steering, throttle control and performance engine that makes offshore days like this a breeze, if you'll pardon the pun. Most boaters had read about the Verado's intercooled supercharging system last year when the first wave of Verado in-line six-cylinder outboards hit the market. The engines ranged from 200 hp all the way to the 275-hp fire-breathers that all use a small-displacement 2.6-liter engine to maximize effect. For 2006, Mercury takes that same small-block/big-horsepower formula and introduces a new family of in-line, 4-cylinder outboards in the 135/150/175-hp ratings.
If you took out all the references to boating from the engine's description, you'd think it was something that belongs on a racetrack, like the ultra-cool Ford GT, which produces 500 hp from a small-block V8. Like the GT, the Verado has four valves per cylinder, dual overhead cams and an intercooled supercharger, which is essentially an air compressor that takes the compacted air and cools it to make it even denser, so that you can introduce more oxygen (and a larger measure of fuel) into the combustion chamber. Unlike a turbocharger, which only kicks in after the engine has spooled up, the supercharger is engine-driven by a Kevlar belt, so it begins working the instant you throw the power lever. These quick blasts of power allow the driver to keep the 240 Outrage on plane even after shouldering into an extra-large wave, which might normally cause you to slow down enough to wallow. When this happens in rough seas, sometimes it can be a struggle to get back on plane.
Even when fully loaded for fishing, the Boston Whaler gets on plane in only 6 seconds and hits 30 mph in just 8.1 seconds. Mercury gets all this power from only 1.7 liters of displacement, quite impressive when you consider that Suzuki's 150/175 uses a nearly 2.9-liter engine block to get the same power. Bore and stroke are exactly the same (3.23 inches x 3.23 inches), which usually leads to a fat power curve, which is the case here. Whether you're coming out of the hole, or are goosing the throttle at mid-range speeds, you're instantly rewarded with a satisfying burst of power. Keeping the 240 Outrage on a steady course requires little effort thanks to the optional electro-hydraulic power steering system, which is standard on the larger Verado engines.
Mercury gives consumers a chance to save some money by shipping 4-cylinder models with a universal steering cylinder, which can be easily upgraded from unassisted hydraulic steering to power steering by simply adding a pump. Even without power steering, a single Verado steers pretty well, as demonstrated on an aluminum walleye boat tested at a separate time. If the power steering system doesn't spoil you, the DTS (Digital Throttle and Shift) will. Like a 747, all Verado outboards are equipped with this fly-by-wire system that takes all the effort out of applying power and shifting, since you aren't pulling and pushing a manual cable encased in a tube over a lengthy and circuitous path. When you bump the 150s into gear, there's no clunk or grinding; it glides into gear like a skater on freshly-Zambonied ice.
In sea conditions like those today, you're constantly working the throttles to get the smoothest ride possible, and with a conventional cable system you can end up with a case of 'tennis elbow' in extreme conditions if you have additional friction, as is often the case when cables get older. Not everyone likes the same amount of resistance in their throttle control, so Mercury lets you adjust it to your preference. You can even set the detents where you want to. One of the amazing features of the DTS system that Mercury doesn't often publicize is that in a panic situation, you can jam the throttle into reverse when cruising, because the shift won't occur until the engine has slowed down enough to engage without causing damage. This allows you to stop in the shortest amount of time possible. It must be a thrilling maneuver because even when you just chop the throttle on a Verado, the fuel control is so precise, it's almost like having brakes. In the case of sudden throttle changes when either accelerating or decelerating, you'd better warn your passengers first or you could find them sprawled on the deck. Fuel consumption numbers for the 150 Verado are very similar to those of the economical 150 OptiMax, Mercury's direct-injected two-stroke.
According to Mercury performance bulletins, at idle, the pair of Verados burns just 1.2 gallons per hour (gph), same as the OptiMax outboards. At 3500 rpm, the Verado burns slightly less fuel at 9 gph versus 10.6 gph, although mpg is almost the same since the OptiMax is slightly faster at this speed, possibly because at 410 pounds, it weighs 79 pounds less. One of the beefs you hear about the Verado is that at wide-open throttle it burns a lot of gas. This is a bit misleading, though, since the Verado can turn a higher rpm (6050 vs. 5600), causing it to burn more fuel (38 gph vs. 29.4 gph). But dropping both engines to 5000 rpm reveals that the Verado burns less fuel than its OptiMax counterpart (22.5 gph vs. 26.4 gph). In our real-world test of running almost 40 miles offshore and trolling all day (notice we didn't say catching fish), just 47 gallons of fuel is burned. One of the major benefits of the Verado (whether large or medium) is its quietude. At idle, the pair measures just 58 decibels (in windy conditions) and only 92.5 decibels at a top speed of 44.8 mph.
After running and trolling all day your ears will thank you. At slower speeds the 150s
vibrate slightly more than the larger six-cylinder Verado engines, but that's pretty typical since
having more cylinders tends to cancel each other's movement out. The bottom line is that when you
go to the fishing wars offshore, the Verado, with its excellent acceleration, Digital Throttle and
Shifting, and power hydraulic steering allows anglers to tackle harsh real-world conditions with an
ease previously unknown. And that leaves anglers rested so they can do the only work they really
care to do ... hauling in fish.
MERCURY
150 Verado
Engine type: Supercharged in-line 4-cylinder, fuel-injected 4-stroke, 4 valves per cylinder,
dual overhead cam.
Displacement 1.7 liters
Weight 510 lbs.
Warranty 3 year
Test data was gathered on a
Boston Whaler 240 Outrage with
4 passengers, 103 gal. fuel, 47 gal. water and 0 lbs. fish.
Top Speed 44.8 mph
Time To Plane 6 seconds
0-30 mph 8.1 seconds
Decibels @ Idle 58 dB-A
Decibels @ 30 mph 83 dB-A
Decibels @ WOT 92.5 dB-A