300 Verado or 350 Verado?

[Mrhavasu]

Wanted to see what ya all think. I am ordering a new Barletta pontoon, 24 foot. Not sure if I should get the v8 300 Verado
or the 350 v10. I have no experience with these newer Mercury motors. The 350 is about 10k more and I do realize this is
a pontoon boat. We want to do some tubing and stuff with the kids, not concerned with top speed. Just would like to have
good low and mid range.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Melloyellovector]

300 will be fine, save 10k if top speed isn’t a concern

 

[Racer56]

Wanted to see what ya all think. I am ordering a new Barletta pontoon, 24 foot. Not sure if I should get the v8 300 Verado
or the 350 v10. I have no experience with these newer Mercury motors. The 350 is about 10k more and I do realize this is
a pontoon boat. We want to do some tubing and stuff with the kids, not concerned with top speed. Just would like to have
good low and mid range.

Thanks in advance.

There's no substitute for power, but a 300 would be fine. If you decide to go the 350 route you might as well do a 400 as it's only 4K more. Also boats with bigger power hold their value better and are easier to resale.

 

[n2otoofast4u]

What are fuel octane requirements on the 350?

 

[DLC]

Buddy just bought a Barletta Lusso w/ 400 v10

It’s really nice - we took it out for its maiden voyage Saturday! I like it. It seems to power the toon w ease & very quiet, it appears to produce the power different than mine - just kinda felt different

I have a crest Tri toon w/ a Merc 350 verado. When I bought mine it was a $1500 upgrade to go from the 300 to 350 verado
Get as much power as you can afford ! I should went w/ a 400 !!!

LoL

Fuel consumption is about the same although just slightly better on the V 10 from what I read

 

[DLC]

From my experience 32-35 & 38 up to 42 mph is the sweet range for driving depending on water conditions & wind

I can pop up my buddy on his single ski w/ 5 people on board, we typically don’t tube…

 

[Joeman]

Question for all you motor heads. I want to be able to have my 200 pound son ski , would a V300 V8 do the job on a 27 foot pontoon?

 

[Gramps]

My son bought a Barletta Corsa about a year ago. He has the 300 and says it's a plenty big motor

 

[throttle]

Something else to take into consideration...

The weight of the V10 350/400 is around 700lbs. The weight of the V8 Verado 300 is slightly over 500lbs. If you are staying true to a 24' toon, the V8 300/350 Verado would be a better choice IMO.

I of course would say to go with the V10 400, however the ratio will be off and the boat will operate better with the weight of the V8. IMO, the weight and HP would be too much for the 24, you won't be running at 7000rpm's.

The 350/400 in the new V10 are basically the same. If going that route, yeah go with the V10 400 (I agree with what has been previously mentioned, resale value). But not necessary. I wanted the V10 400 with our new benny but the one we bought already had the V10 350 on it and it pushes my 26 just fine.

 

[throttle]

What are fuel octane requirements on the 350?

87

 

[rivergames]

My Brother and I just put a Merc 200 Verado on our 24' pontoon. Haven't gotten her out yet, but it should be a hell of a lot better than the old 115HP 2 stroke turd we had on her.

P.S. Anyone want to buy a 115HP 2 Stroke????

 

[DaveH]

put 300 on it, less weight and cost, then put the Motec kit on it....380-400hp.

 

[BoatCop]

Nobody has ever said, "Gee. I wish I had less horsepower."

Get the biggest mill you can afford (and afford to feed).

 

[Runs2rch]

Nobody has ever said, "Gee. I wish I had less horsepower."

Get the biggest mill you can afford (and afford to feed).

2FF did hahaha!

 

[Orange Juice]

Check with your insurance company. It might make a difference.

 

[Mrhavasu]

Thanks everyone. Thanks for the info. I also wonder why the engine oil specs are different. The 300 calls for 10w30 and the 350 25w50.
I thought they were the same engine plus or minus 2 cylinders and a different lower unit.