Guess I will wear the new off my boat, they say it takes 20 hours to properly break in a Mercury 4 stroke, guess I will run up and down Grapevine for a couple hours to get this process started. I may just drive it like i stole it lol.

I did 4 hours on mine before I began to act stupid. Drove from the river to the damn on granbury over and over for half a day. It's a pita.

For me....I my 4S break-in, I went to the largest open reservoir in the area and literally drove all day doing what the manual suggested. I didn't even put rods or tackle in the boats. Just fuel and my safety gear. Didn't want the temptation of fishing.

I hate it! Did it on Fork a few months back and felt like an idiot plowing around for an hour then driving like an old women for the next!

I think you for that role well Chris!!

Lucky dudes!

What they told me is don't go over 3500 for the first 2 hrs then up to 4500 for the next two hrs but vary your speed, then up to 5500+
but only for a short time (2-3 minutes) and keep varying your speed.

Had to do this until I had 10 hrs on the 4 stroke. May be different then yours as I broke the motor in at 5000 ft here in CO.

For Mercs
Engine Break‑in Procedure
IMPORTANT: Failure to follow the engine break‑in procedures can result in
poor performance throughout the life of the engine and can cause engine
damage. Always follow break‑in procedures.
1. For the first two hours of operation, run the engine at varied throttle
settings up to 4500 RPM or at three‑quarter throttle, and at full throttle for
approximately one minute every ten minutes.
2. For the next eight hours of operation, avoid continuous operation at full
throttle for more than five minutes at a time.

Roger,
Crank that 300r up and just gas it, live a little

I did a yamaha years ago, always bought used since then. Do it right an be patient if you don't want future headaches, I'd even be more paranoid about treating equipment the right way with all the parts shortages

The last new one I broke in was a 2 stroke Mercury XR6 150 on Fork and yes I felt like an idiot too, plowing around. I think I lasted just a little over an hour before I had it wide open, didn't keep it there long but I just had to feel the rush.

I drove 2 hours on my new one then stoped and caught a 8 pounder

I had it close to 5800 rpms and 70 mph a couple of times, when I did stop to fish a few minutes I left the engine running, i think I got a little over 3 hours on it, sure digging this Caymas boat, I think it is a keeper.

Nice!

Still surprises me that boat engines have break-in periods with today's manufacturing capabilities. You can go run a 700hp Hellcat wide open during a test drive, but not that new Merc