you would have to find a dealer that will separate the package for you it is a very tough thing to do same with skeeters an yamahas they come as a rigged package anymore.
I would think that would probably be a much more expensive route than purchasing a rigged boat. But I agree, I'm not a big fan of boats that are married to one outboard company. There are still lots of quality boats out there that give you a choice of motor. I'm afraid that with the acquisition of Ranger, Triton, and Stratos by Bass Pro, the options for boats without a Mercury may become even more slim. Just speculation, though.
There are some dealers who have that flexibility and will do it but it will cost you in the long run, but not many want to go through with the hassle of splitting up the package since the total cost of the package has to be accounted for. Having someone that is willing to buy the "take off motor" as a stand alone item will make it easier for the dealer to swallow, otherwise he'd have to shelve the motor and its cost until he ran across someone who wanted to Buy it.
Call the factory and let them know what you want... Can't be too hard to pull one off the line before the rigging process... If that fails, you'd probably be better off buying the package and selling the engine yourself... Dan
PS... If you call the factory let us know what they tell you, I'd be interested to know...
Get the Nitro you want and get the 4 stroke. You pay more for it but you save on gas. I like my buddies Z19 but it has the pro xs on it. It is still new so can't comment on the motor.