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Convert to remote, or not to conver? Opinions wanted

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daniel4616

New member
Hey everyone, I am able to get a good deal on 2015 Merc 15HP tiller (~$1600) with 3 year warranty. I got quoted the other day for the remote model at $3000. My boat is setup for remote and I plan to use it that way. My questions to you are:

Exactly what parts are needed for this new model to setup, I know remote attachment kit (part #?) and remote control (881170a16 correct?) plus cables and steering system?

Second, is it worth going this route vs. buying the new one with remote included, AKA is this a cost effective route?

Will this void the remaining warranty on the tiller if I do decide to do this?

Lastly, does work like this create problem? I know the throttle and shifter will be outside the cowling, does this create problems with shifting, or poor throttle response?

Any info would help tremendously

Thanks
Daniel
 
The remote attachment kit, Merc part 856553A 2 goes for about $255.

That will allow you to attach everything, and if you use the OEM kit it won't void your warranty. That kit will allow you to hook it up to a remote throttle and shift control. Unless the motor you are looking at is already electric start, you will still have a rope start motor.

Now, if it is electric start you will need the harness kit as well - Merc part 84-856554A 1 which adds another 200 bucks.

If it is rope start and you want to go with the electric start kit, Merc part 50-856555A 1 will add another $665 to the cost of the upgrade. And then don't forget the charging kit for the battery as well, Merc part 856557A 1, another 270 bucks.

So if you are trying to compare a manual start 15 @ 1600'ish bucks to an electric start, remote @ 3K - you would have to drop another $1190 on the manual (plus all the time to remove/install everything) - so about 2800 bucks to save the 200 bucks on the one that is already "totally rigged" from factory.

Adding all the "kits" does not pose any "problems" - whether the motor is tiller or remote it will function and perform "exactly the same".

And aside from the motor you will need a control (shifter) - you can spend a couple hundred to many hundreds on that. You will also need the steering attaching kit, a steering system (Teleflex/UFlex are the big two that produce them) - again, can spend a few hundred to many hundreds on a steering system.

If you really want a "remote" motor, buy it that way. Because unless you get a manual for "free" it will, in the end, cost you more to turn it into a remote (in terms of parts, time and potential issues) than what the initial sticker price might indicate.

Merc probably has a bean counter than figured it out to the last penny - because if "self converting" was cheaper, nobody would pay extra for the remote models.


 
galamb said:
The remote attachment kit, Merc part 856553A 2 goes for about $255.

That will allow you to attach everything, and if you use the OEM kit it won't void your warranty. That kit will allow you to hook it up to a remote throttle and shift control. Unless the motor you are looking at is already electric start, you will still have a rope start motor.

Now, if it is electric start you will need the harness kit as well - Merc part 84-856554A 1 which adds another 200 bucks.

If it is rope start and you want to go with the electric start kit, Merc part 50-856555A 1 will add another $665 to the cost of the upgrade. And then don't forget the charging kit for the battery as well, Merc part 856557A 1, another 270 bucks.

So if you are trying to compare a manual start 15 @ 1600'ish bucks to an electric start, remote @ 3K - you would have to drop another $1190 on the manual (plus all the time to remove/install everything) - so about 2800 bucks to save the 200 bucks on the one that is already "totally rigged" from factory.

Adding all the "kits" does not pose any "problems" - whether the motor is tiller or remote it will function and perform "exactly the same".

And aside from the motor you will need a control (shifter) - you can spend a couple hundred to many hundreds on that. You will also need the steering attaching kit, a steering system (Teleflex/UFlex are the big two that produce them) - again, can spend a few hundred to many hundreds on a steering system.

If you really want a "remote" motor, buy it that way. Because unless you get a manual for "free" it will, in the end, cost you more to turn it into a remote (in terms of parts, time and potential issues) than what the initial sticker price might indicate.

Merc probably has a bean counter than figured it out to the last penny - because if "self converting" was cheaper, nobody would pay extra for the remote models.
Click to expand...


Excellent post, and thanks SO much! I know you ended with just buying the remote model, but you actually convinced me that is well worth it to buy the tiller and convert. The boat I have is a 13ft skiff that I run battery-less, or I have a box with 2-parallel small batteries that run my trolling motor for about 1.5-2hours. Without the electric start and all, the only things I need are the controls, attachment kit, and cables. Boat has steering and steering cable already. I think I am going to give it a try.
 
I did go the same route on my 14 foot aluminum.

It has a 1991 15 horse 2 stroke on it that I simply wanted to remotely control. I did buy the attaching kit from Merc, way easier than trying to source the individual parts, plus it gives you "step by step" instructions which makes the job easier (and you have to follow their sequence even if it seems you can "shortcut").

I sourced a steering system (UFlex) and Control from Flea-Bay at less then half the cost of the cheapest at a marine dealer. I left it as a rope start - not a huge inconvenience (I can pull a lot of rope for 600 bucks :) ).

I did add what Merc calls a "lighting kit" - it was a couple extra coils to go under the flywheel and a voltage regulator. That allowed me to wire up nav lights and run directly from the motor without carrying a battery - it's no good for a VHF, Fishfinder etc, but allowed me the lights required to run after sundown (legally).

The only other thing you should need going that route is a steering attachment kit - it's just the little metal mount that goes on the motor and the arm to connect to the steering linkage (on some models it also includes a new tilt tube to accommodate the end of the steering cable through the tilt tube - not familiar enough with the new 15's that I can say whether or not they use a different tube on the manual/remote models - so just check ahead of time to save a headache later.

Good luck with the conversion - take your time and it will go well. You can leave the tiller arm in place if you want, just have to remove the cables etc. I removed mine completely to get it out of the way...
 
Going around checking, but can anyone help me verify the exact parts?

I have the kit listed above for the control attachment:


856553A 2 REMOTE ATTACHMENT KIT

881170A 8 REMOTE CONTROLS
889246A34 CONVERSION KIT FOR STEERING

The two underlined at the bottom are what I have found for the remote, and and the steering conversion. Do these look correct?
Any help would be great.
 
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