On a 23-foot, deep-V Boston Whaler Outrage, the Verado isn’t as peppy out of the hole as you’d think. High-speed acceleration is excellent, however.

The four-stroke engine has revolutionized powerboating, giving us cleaner, quieter, and more fuel-efficient propulsion.

If you’re buying a new boat of about 25 feet or larger, the extra weight of a four-stroke is no concern. However, switching from two- to four-stroke can be anything but smooth for owners who want to repower small boats.

Take Gene Wiles the owner of a 1999 Boston Whaler 230 Outrage. He replaced the boat’s 225-hp Mercury OptiMax DFI two-stroke with the Mercury Verado 250-hp four-stroke, expecting great things out of this highly touted engine. And, in general, Wiles is pleased with it. But it took a while. …