I've been asked to submit a Driver's (0wner's) report on Mercury's new 150hp Four Stroke, so here goes: Overall, I am very happy with Merc's new Four Stroke. It looks much larger than an Optimax but only weighs 26 lbs more. Is the low end torque there? The short answer is yes. It will pull the handle out of a younger skiers hands if you don't back off on the throttle during starts. I was kinda hoping my wife could pull anybody of the dock just by dropping the throttle and waiting for the gradual rev up of a four stroke. This is not the case! You have to match your throttle input with your skiers needs. I ran this motor very hard this past summer. It ran very well at all ranges, from quick throttle changes at the top end pulling flat wing kites to consistant speed and rpm holds at the low end. Smooth running all the time. A 17.6 Dyna-Ski is US Coast Guard rated at a max of 150hp so this was an ideal fit. They say that this new Merc FS block was designed for a175hp rating and maybe even 200hp? I can see Mercury doing this. Time will tell. Kevin
