Seven Marine Outboards

Yes. When you buy these motors, you are supporting a price point that is unsubstantiated. The engine in the Seven outboard is essentially a 6.2-liter, Cadillac V-8 crate motor from a CTS-V that could be bought for $13k. You'll have a hard time convincing me that a mid-section, lower unit, cowl & controls cost more than another $25k to produce, even at minimal scale. Certainly there are tooling costs to amortize, factory operations and monetizing carbon life forms, but the math doesn't add up on these $100k motors.

I'm not sure the Yamaha 350s are a better option. They had flywheel problems that required replacement at certain intervals, something like every 75 hours, or some ridiculously short period. Maybe the latest generation of the Y350s fixed the problem, but be aware of this on the older motors. It's one of the reasons that Y350 equipped, used CCs can be found at good price points.

Consumer reservation on the Seven motors is well-founded. Up until Volvo's acquisition of Seven Marine, there wasn't much of an established network of support for these motors. There may be other factors, like decades of blown-up GM blocks in marine applications.

To me the issues would be dependability and the ability to get service wherever you are. Then the question of "why" comes into play. If I was going for an outboard boat that no other choice was reasonable then I might consider. Otherwise I would stick with manufacturers that just have longer track records and I've come to trust. I'm conservative when it comes to change. I was about to say when it comes to new technology, but I'm not sure 7 should be considered new anymore. I also have searched for issues of dependability and warranty problems and can find nothing negative, overall tremendously positive, seems their buyers are happy. There was concern about the Volvo takeover but I've heard the lower unit has been redesigned to better handle the horsepower.

So, I've looked for reasons to avoid and having a hard time finding them. Still I'm not in a boat range or needing a speed range to require them. I'm still very happy with triple 300's on a 39' CC. I'll even wait a while longer before considering the 400's and greater. As long as Yamaha and Mercury can meet my needs I'm unlikely to change, but I cannot find a reason to tell anyone not to consider 627's and I've tried. Weight is an issue but then you compare two 627's against three 400's or three 627's against five 400's and not so much an issue.

We've often said just no need for more hp. We said it at 150 hp and we've said it all the way to 350 and now 400. We don't buy boats or engines based on need though. We do it based on desire. Why else did 7 decide they needed more than 557. Volvo has expanded the line and incorporated all the production into their Lexington, TN plant.

That's why we stuck with 300's as the early 350's had issues. Today the 350's are more dependable but not when we bought.

I've heard/seen 2 things with the five sevens. 1 they need premium fuel and don't like lesser quality fuel. I know a big intrepid that went to Bimini fished for several days, fueled right before coming home, and on the way back blew 2 motors, first 1 motor, then the second motor. I think it has 4 of them. Five seven tested the fuel and didn't cover the rebuilds under warranty saying it was lower quality fuel. The other issue i've heard is that they like to break the chain that drives the shaft going to the lower unit. Then you have the service and parts network. I haven't seen either of this first hand, haven't even run one, so take it for what it's worth.

With the missteps that every OB manufacturer has made through their decades of experience I can't imagine shelling out the kind of money involved on a manufacturer with only 9 years experienced no matter who bought them. My friend is currently having some trouble with his Merc. His 23 y.o. Merc. Not that it's been trouble free the whole time, but it's still running after 23 years. Talk to me when the first 7's are 23 years old. I need more than a fancy colored cowling to sell me.

Ahh , yes . Loved my 4.5 Mercury thunderbolt ignition on my Dyer dink.
Then up graded to our family 13’ whaler
With the ‘72 Johnson 25.
Use to rip my 10 year old pencil wrists right out of my arms !
Both great outboards though!

I had a 13’ Whaler with a 25 Johnson too. Squeeze the bulb and go. Good old days. I miss analogue.

You could take that sentiment all the way up to inboards and diesels. remember when you could get most motors going on the fly? Today, before you can even approach a problem you have to call the tech to find out what the code means. Hey do the 7's come with a pull cord?

I've started several Detroits with a thick screwdriver on the starter solenoid!!!!!!!!!!

Did that to more than a few cars back in the day. Bet you can't do it to a new Mann.

It's amazing to read all the reservations about the 7's, but very little based on any knowledge and splitting off and somehow comparing them to ancient Johnson's or something. They've been around long enough to no longer be considered new. They're now owned by a company large enough to strengthen their program and improve where there are deficiencies. But most of all, you go in search of those who have actually owned them and the opinions are overwhelmingly positive. I share the fear of the new and different but when it proves itself over time I must pay attention.

As to the HSB 53 with four 7's not selling and Yamahas are, there are plenty of reasons for that and 7's are only one small one. 53' CC, four 7's, four, and a fear that any such boat has been run hard. That's a very unique boat and not in the mainstream and to compare it's sale used to a 39 or 42' of another brand with three Yamahas isn't at all fair.

I would consider 7's, but I just don't have a need for them. Three Yamahas on a 39' give me all I need from a center console and all I need from outboards. If I'm going cruising, I'm going inboard.

They're simply not as good of an engine as Mercury and Yamaha. It's a Cadillac engine stuffed into an outboard, not a dedicated outboard engine design from the beginning. Need premium fuel. Heavy. Have issues breaking the drive chain. When the HP gap was much larger and you were comparing 625hp to a 350hp yamaha or Mercury, they made sense for some people at their astronomical $80,000 price point, but now that Mercury has 450HP and Yamaha 425hp (both good engines) at half the price, it doesn't make much sense for most people. The boats I see with Five Sevens just sit, rarely see them out on the water for some reason.

Well, all those I've spoken to with them and those who have posted as owners of them on other forums sure speak highly of them. Drive chain issue is fixed since Volvo acquisition. They do require 89 octane still, the last I heard.

Over the past few years, a number of large center console builders used the Seven motors to showcase their newest offerings; adorning their "boat show" boats with all the latest bells & whistles. The Seven's are an exciting product. The price point is NOT and that might be why Seven equipped boats are idle?

I wonder if the fuel tanks are large enough for 5 x Seven outboards?

Shudders my back thinking 500+ gallons of GAS under my feet consumed in a day.