Volvo Penta V Mercruiser??

[Alistairr]

Am on the verge of buying a New boat, Its a 25' (loa 27')American Sports Cruiser. Approx weight 6,350 lbs (2,880kg) + luggage.
Only thing i need to deceide is which engine package to order.
The main 2 are;
<ul type="square"> Mercruiser 5.0 MPI 260hp with a Bravo 3
Volvo Penta 5.0 GXI/270 HP Duo Prop. [/list]

Other options are:
<ul type="square"> MerCruiser 350 MPI MAG Bravo 2/300 HP
MerCruiser 350 MPI MAG Bravo 3/300 HP
MerCruiser 350 Horizon Bravo 3/300 HP
MerCruiser 6.2L MX Bravo 3/320 HP
MerCruiser 6.2L Horizon Bravo 3/320 HP
Volvo Penta 5.7 GI DuoProp/280 HP
Volvo Penta 5.7 GXI DuoProp/320 HP
Volvo Penta XDP Ocean Drive with FWC [/list]
The only one of those i'd concider would probably be the 350 Mag Bravo 3 at £2k more.

Question to the Panel is, which is the better engine, Mercruiser of Volvo??Theres no difference in price.
I've been told maintaince would be about the same, but the dealer has told me, its Warranty is one year with the Volvo, and 2 years with the Merc.
Anybody any views as to which is better?
Or views in general please.

Cheers

AListair.

 

[gcwhite]

Volvo D series

 

[Roy]

Well done Alistair - look forward to celebrating her arrival with you soon then. Checked my boat today and repaired a ripped canopy. Forgot to look in on Indiana - sorry.

On your new baby....... does it come with a diesel??

 

[BarryH]

Re: Volvo Penta V Mercruiser??

Get the Vilevo. Forget cost of spares its a boat so your gonna get ripped off no matter what! Prefer vilevo drives over mercs, its a personal thang.
Who d'ya rip off then to get the dosh for that?

 

[DavidJ]

The technical merits discussion of both engines could go on forever but my perception is that for no good reason Mercrusers are unpopular in Europe. When I was looking around for a boat, Sealine's (in my case) fitted with Mercs were cheap and not shifting. With Volvos, expensive and shifting. Also larger engines are more sort after even in these fuel economic times.
Incidently Sealine and Merc are both owned by Brunswick Corp...what do they fit exclusively as new....Volvo's
David

 

[Nat]

Every marine engineer I have spoken to says the volvo drives give the least bother & OMC the most. Volvo duos on my new boat, so time will tell.
Good luck whichever choice you make................Nat

 

[andrewa]

I have never owned a Volvo but had a 5.0 mpi B 3 in a 26ft Sea Ray with a dry weight of 2700kgs it was ok with a couple of people half fuel and water jogging along in a nice calm sea but was severly wanting when fully fuelled and watered and with a head sea not enough torque to keep it on plane below 20 knots her old 7.4 could hold her at 16 knots on plane loaded and didn't use much more fuel either at cruise.

Depending on whether you are wet or dry berthing depends on whether you go for the Horizon models you list, I would think they would pay you back the difference come resale time and I think the Horizons come with a 3 year warranty from new but not sure. I have been out on a 26ft Chaparral with a 6.2 B 3 and it flew though the 350 mag wouldn't be far behind i'm sure. Whatever you decide enjoy your new boat.

 

[oldgit]

Re: Volvo Penta V Mercruiser??

Having had both,volvo were quicker to source and obtain difficult and semi obsolete parts.
Appreciate that air freight would show little time differance but when desperately wanted, a leg ram was put on the regular daily truck to UK and was collected by me 24 hours from ordering.Just guessing but think that V.....o have branches just about everywhere compared to Merc.

 

[cjrvernon]

Re: Volvo Penta V Mercruiser??

i would go for volvo

 

[mercman]

Re: Volvo Penta V Mercruiser??

MerCruiser if your going petrol without a doubt.
The Volvo uses GM MEFI 3 electronics which is out of date
The 350 Mag has MerCruiser designed intake manifold, Motorola PCM 555(ECM), Smart craft enabled engine which can run GPS depth and a multi function one piece screen with engine data, Engine has engine guardian with the most amazing software which senses anything to enable the engine to get home if you pick bad fuel, overheat(unless impeller gone), spark plug down....it compensates itself. 2 year warranty over one.
As for the post that said Volvo no probs which drive are you comparing the DP or the SX The SX was the old OMC and has loads of issues still.....

 

[Nat]

Re: Volvo Penta V Mercruiser??

Its the ones with the cone clutches I think DPs there is no clunk when shifting & the transmission is much smoother than the OMC which I had before on my Bayliner. As Oldgit says volvo agents everwhere & parts easy to source. when I was doing deal on new boat had new cable fitted on one leg, V agent in Torrevieja had it on the shelf & thats good for Spain. I'm not knocking mercruiser as I have never had one but as I said in the earlier post every one I spoke to said Volvo is the best.....Nat

 

[duncan]

but just what do you want to do with the thing? It's a cruiser not a sportsboat, and yes I know you can get a chop on the loch but quite frankly unless you are upping sticks the Volvo 5.0 with the DP drive will do.

I have a B3 and whilst it's pretty good, and very smooth changing etc, the Volvo DP and even more the Ocean are better bets. Budget 200 a year in anodes for the B3 over the Volvo and you won't get any nasty surprises.

As said Merc seems to have got the engine edge in the cyclical world of dev we live in. Who knows tommorrow.
BII is bullet proof but a lot less efficient than the BIII and will give you a fair degree trim steer on a single prop set up.
Warantee is a 2 edged sword - if you are going to work the engine drive yourself after the warantee period then the extra 400 you will pay away in the second year (to validate the warantee) is a cost as well as a benefit. Outwith corrosion most problems I have heard about happen in the first 100hrs.
Sorry if this isn't definitive - don't think there is a right or wrong!
I am sure you will enjoy whatever.

 

[BarryH]

Re: Volvo Penta V Mercruiser??

[ QUOTE ]
Having had both,volvo were quicker to source and obtain difficult and semi obsolete parts.

[/ QUOTE ]



......only because you've got an oddball set of drives! Volvo spares always available, just not in the place you want them! Which for me is normally poole.

 

[mercman]

The debate on Bravo 2 and 3 drives is interesting. Depending on the boat depends on which drive is more efficient.
We have many Sealines on B2`s ie S37 Flamenco`s which run superbly and a couple on identical engines with B3`s which dont run as well.
The drives were designed to complement different hull designs and hull speeds and engine applications.
So as to the B2 being an inefficient drive i disagree.
As a mercruiser dealer yes parts are an issue unfortuenatly Barrus have to go to Marine Power then to the States if out of stock in Belguim. But in fairness that is with less common parts. Volvo do have the upper hand with the 24hr set up.

 

[Sammo]

If you’re on the verge
Reconsider in favour of diesels, for obvious reasons
Sorry, but I’m only saying what everyone’s thinking.

.....................

 

[PhilF]

Re: Volvo Penta V Mercruiser??

and while you are at it, a second hand one with 2 engines

 

[spannerman]

Having serviced literally dozens and dozens of Volvo and Merc drives I'd go for the Merc as almost 50 % of Volvo drives have had water in them when we drain the oil out, which means to be sure you have to change the prop shaft seals and the gear shift seal, whereas its very rare to find water in a Bravo leg the oil nearly always looks like new.
I am a bit puzzled by your engine specs as to get 260 and 270hp respectively you will normally be using a 5.7 block, so check what they are offering you.
Also do you mean MPI or EFI as the former is individual injectors for each cylinder whereas the latter is two injectors in what looks like a carb body, poor mans fuel injection.and the Merc engine book I have lists the 5.0 as EFI with 240hp and the MPI is a 5.7 with 260hp as an inboard and 250hp as a stern drive. I may be wrong but I think that freshwater cooling may now be standard on the Merc but its an option on the Volvo.
Also as stated already the management system is far more advanced on Merc.

 

[mercman]

Fresh water cooling is not standard on the Mercruiser unless it is a Horizon model or diesel. The 5.0 was EFI upto 2001-2002 and rated at 240hp. The new 5.0 is mpi and rated at 260hp. The 5.7 mfi is the 350 magnum.
Are you really a mercruiser dealer because it seems you not to sure on the product you maintain.
99 percent of the drives that we service that have water in are either old or had underwater knocks causing the shaft seal to break so saying the Volvo have water in them without an explanation is a bit unfair.
And yes the 5.0 Volvo is 270hp

 

[oldgit]

More advanced electronics translated into boatspeak means

Guessing here, but is it all on one totally unrepairable pcb board,new only,with no service exchange.Guaranteed to have you weeping when its goes wrong(and it will eventually).At least the less advanced stuff will prob have discrete components which can be changed.IMHO.

 

[adey]

Re: More advanced electronics translated into boatspeak means

Is the 5.7 mfi cheaper because it's flat packed? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif