Mercury 250 HP Buying Guide: Specs, Prices and Best Models in Stock

If you’re hunting for a Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale, we carry all three of Mercury’s 250 HP families: the V8 FourStroke, the Verado and the Pro XS. Every motor is new, prices start at about $9,535, and we ship to buyers all over the world.

The 250 is one of the most popular sizes Mercury makes. It sits right where a lot of 22 to 28 foot boats need to be as a single, and it’s a common twin on bigger offshore boats. This page sets out what we have, how the three families differ, the specs, how to read Mercury’s codes, and how to order and get it delivered.

Mercury 250 HP Outboard for Sale: What We Have in Stock

We have 31 versions of the Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale on the site, covering every shaft length, both rotations, mechanical or digital controls, and black or white paint. Here’s the short version, grouped by family. Click a model for photos and the live price.

Mercury 250 Pro XS

Mercury 250 FourStroke

Each FourStroke above also comes in a DTS digital version and in white, for example the 250 XL DTS and the 250 XL white DTS. Those run from about $12,500 to $13,860.

Mercury Verado 250

White Verado versions are listed too, up to about $14,595 for the Verado 250 CXXL in white. Prices change as stock moves, so always check the product page. The full list is on our 250 HP Mercury page.

FourStroke, Verado or Pro XS: Which One?

All three are 250 horsepower, and all three are built around Mercury’s 4.6 litre V8. They’re aimed at different owners though. Picking the right family matters more than any other choice you’ll make with a Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale.

FourStroke 250: the all-rounder

This is the Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale most people should start with. It’s smooth, quiet, easy to service and suits almost any boat: centre consoles, pontoons, deck boats, cruisers and work boats. The top cowl has a service door so you can check and top up the oil without lifting the whole cowl off. It comes with mechanical controls or DTS digital controls.

Verado 250: the premium choice

The Verado is the top-end Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale. It’s built to be the quietest and smoothest motor in its class, with power steering built into the motor and a mounting system that soaks up a lot of the vibration. Owners of bigger, more expensive boats, especially offshore and cruising boats, tend to choose it. It costs more and weighs more than the FourStroke.

Pro XS 250: built for speed

The Pro XS is the performance version. It’s tuned for quick acceleration and high top speed, and it’s the motor you’ll see on bass boats, fast bay boats and tournament fishing rigs. The 250L TorqueMaster has a special gearcase designed for the hole shot and handling bass boats need. It’s also the cheapest Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale in our stock.

Mercury 250 HP Outboard for Sale: Specifications

These are typical figures for the V8 FourStroke 250. The Verado and Pro XS share the same V8 platform but differ in tuning, steering and weight. We confirm the exact specs on the plate of your motor before you pay.

The 85 amp alternator with idle charge is a real plus on fishing boats. It keeps batteries topped up even when you’re idling or trolling with electronics, livewells and lights all running. That’s one thing owners of a Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale often tell us they didn’t expect to appreciate as much as they do.

For more on the company behind the motor, the Mercury Marine page on Wikipedia has the history, and Mercury’s own site has the factory brochures.

How to Read a Mercury Model Name

Mercury names are short once you know the letters. Here’s how to read any Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale on our site.

• L is a 20 inch shaft.
• XL is a 25 inch shaft.
• XXL is a 30 inch shaft.
• C in front, as in CXL or CXXL, means counter-rotation.
• DTS means Digital Throttle and Shift. No DTS means mechanical cable controls.
• WH means white paint. Without it the motor is the standard black.

So a Mercury 250HP CXXL FourStroke WH DTS is a counter-rotation FourStroke with a 30 inch shaft, white paint and digital controls. If a name confuses you, send it to us.

Mechanical or DTS Controls

Mechanical controls use traditional cables. They’re simpler and cheaper, and if your boat already has Mercury mechanical controls they may carry over. DTS is drive-by-wire. Shifting is smoother, the throttle feels lighter, and it opens up features like Mercury’s joystick piloting on twin installs and Adaptive Speed Control, which holds rpm steady as the load changes, for example climbing a swell.

For a single-engine boat, a mechanical Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale is usually all you need. For twins or a new build, DTS is worth the extra.

Which Boats Suit a Mercury 250

The 250 covers a lot of ground. We ship them for:

• Centre consoles from 22 to 28 feet as a single, and 30 feet and up as twins
• Bay boats and fast fishing boats
• Bass boats, usually with the Pro XS
• Large pontoons and tritoons
• Walkarounds, cuddy cabins and small cruisers
• Work and patrol boats

Check the maximum horsepower and engine weight on your capacity plate first. The US Coast Guard boating site explains what those numbers mean if you’re new to them.

Choosing the Shaft Length

Each Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale comes in 20, 25 or 30 inch shaft. Measure from the top of the transom straight down to the bottom of the hull at the centreline. Most single-engine boats around 22 to 24 feet take a 25 inch XL. Bass boats and some bay boats use the 20 inch L. Bigger offshore boats, catamarans and boats on brackets often need the 30 inch XXL. If you land between two sizes, talk to us before ordering.

Twin Engine Setups

On a twin you want one standard and one counter-rotation motor so the boat tracks straight and handles evenly. That means pairing, for example, an XL with a CXL, or an XXL with a CXXL. We keep both rotations in stock in the FourStroke and Verado lines, so a matched pair of Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale motors can ship together. With DTS on both, you can add joystick piloting for easy docking.

Check These Before You Order

1. Capacity plate: maximum horsepower and weight.
2. Transom height: to choose L, XL or XXL.
3. Single or twin: and which rotation goes where.
4. Controls: mechanical or DTS, and what’s at the helm now.
5. Steering: hydraulic on FourStroke and Pro XS. The Verado has power steering built in.
6. Gauges: Mercury SmartCraft gauges or a compatible display.

Send us those answers and we’ll point you to the right Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale.

Rigging and First Start

When your Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale arrives, check the crate for damage and photograph anything wrong before the driver leaves. Get the motor hung by someone with the right lifting gear. A good starting height is with the anti-ventilation plate level with the bottom of the hull, then adjust after testing.

Fit a fresh fuel line and a water separating filter, connect the battery, controls and gauges, and run it in the water or on a proper flush set-up. Follow the break-in steps in Mercury’s owner’s manual and book the first service on time. After that your Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale should give years of easy running.

Propping a Mercury 250

With any Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale, the aim is to have the motor reach its 5,200 to 6,000 rpm range at full throttle with a normal load. If it falls short, drop pitch. If it hits the limiter, go up. Stainless props suit most boats at this power. Pro XS owners often fine tune with performance props to get the best hole shot and top speed. Tell us your boat and we’ll suggest a starting prop.

Servicing and Running Costs

Mercury made the V8 in every Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale easy to look after. The service door on the FourStroke cowl lets you check oil without tools, and there’s an hour-based service guide under the cowl. Routine work covers oil and filter, gear oil, plugs, water pump, anodes and fuel filters at the intervals in the manual.

The 4.6 litre V8 has plenty of torque, so it doesn’t have to rev hard to push a boat at cruise. That helps both fuel use and engine life. Run a Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale at a sensible cruise and it’ll be economical for its size.

For general engine care and fuel advice, the BoatUS site is very useful.

Fuel, Oil and Winter Storage

The V8 runs happily on regular 87 octane unleaded, which keeps running costs down and makes fuel easy to find wherever you are. What it doesn’t like is old or wet fuel. Use a good water separating filter on the boat, change it on schedule, and don’t leave half a tank sitting for months without a stabiliser.

Use a certified FC-W four-stroke marine oil in the grade Mercury gives in the manual. Marine oil is made to cope with the long periods at steady load and the damp conditions an outboard lives in, which car oil isn’t.

If your boat comes out of the water for winter, run the motor on a flush set-up with stabilised fuel, change the oil and filter so old acidic oil isn’t sitting in the engine, fog it if the manual calls for it, and store it upright or tilted down so water drains out. Take the battery off and keep it charged. Do that every year and your Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale will start the first time in spring.

Delivery Day

Big motors travel on pallets or in crates, so plan where the truck can unload and have a forklift or enough help ready. Check every side of the packaging before signing, and write any damage on the delivery note with photos. Then leave the motor in its crate until your rigger is ready to hang it. That way it stays protected right up until it goes on the boat.

Salt Water Care

Mercury builds its outboards for salt water, but the basics still matter. Flush after every trip. Tilt the motor up when moored. Replace anodes when they’re about half gone. Rinse the cowl and look underneath it now and then for any white salt build-up. A few minutes after every trip keeps a Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale looking and running like new for a long time.

What the V8 Is Like on the Water

The first thing people notice with the 4.6 litre V8 is how little effort it seems to make. Because it has a lot of displacement for 250 horsepower, it makes strong torque low down. The boat comes up on plane without the motor screaming, and cruise speeds sit at fairly relaxed revs.

It’s also smooth and quiet for its size. Mercury fitted a big muffler and a cowl that damps vibration, so at idle and low speed you can talk normally at the helm. If you’re stepping up from an older two-stroke or a smaller four-stroke, a Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale will feel very refined by comparison.

Repowering an Older Boat

A lot of our buyers are replacing an older motor: a tired two-stroke 225 or 250, an older inline six Verado, or another brand altogether. The V8 FourStroke is fairly slim for its power, so it fits most transoms and engine wells, including twin installs with tight spacing.

What you’ll usually need to change is the controls, gauges and sometimes steering. If you’re coming from an older Mercury with mechanical controls, those may work with a mechanical Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale. If you’re switching from another brand, plan on new controls and gauges. Tell us what’s on the boat now and we’ll list what you need.

Gauges and SmartCraft

Every motor in this range works with Mercury SmartCraft. You can run simple digital gauges or a full colour display, and most chartplotters can show engine data too. You’ll see rpm, trim, fuel flow, temperature, hours and any warnings. On DTS motors, SmartCraft also handles features like Adaptive Speed Control and troll control. Sort out the gauges at the same time as you order your Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale so nothing holds up the install.

What Comes in the Crate

A new Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale from us arrives as a complete motor, ready to hang, with the owner’s manual and the parts Mercury packs as standard. Items that depend on your boat are usually separate:

• Propeller to suit your hull and load
• Mechanical controls and cables, or DTS controls and harness
• SmartCraft gauges or display
• Hydraulic steering on FourStroke and Pro XS models
• Fuel line, filter and battery cables

We can quote all of these with the motor so it arrives as one shipment.

Owning One for the Long Run

Mercury’s V8 has built up a good name for reliability since it came out. Keep up with the servicing, use clean fuel, flush it after salt water and it will run for a very long time. Parts and dealers are easy to find in most boating countries, which matters if you’re cruising or fishing far from home.

When you sell the boat, a well-kept Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale also holds its value well. Buyers know the name and they know the motor.

Who Usually Buys These Motors

We sell 250s to a wide mix of people. Private owners repowering a centre console or pontoon. Tournament anglers who want a Pro XS on a bass or bay boat. Charter skippers running twins every day. Boat builders and dealers fitting out new hulls. Patrol and work boat operators who need power and good charging.

If you need a pair or a batch, ask. Shipping several Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale motors together cuts the delivery cost per motor.

Why Buy From Us

We’ve sold outboards for more than 20 years. You’ll talk to people who know these motors. When you buy a Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale here:

• The motor is new, and we confirm the model, shaft, rotation and controls before you pay.
• We’ll tell you straight if the motor isn’t right for your boat.
• We can match standard and counter-rotation pairs from stock.
• Each motor is crated or palleted for safe delivery.

Have a look at what buyers say on our reviews page and learn more about us.

Worldwide Shipping

We ship every Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale worldwide. In North America it goes by freight truck. Elsewhere we use sea freight or air freight depending on your timing and budget.

Give us your country and nearest port or city and we’ll send a delivery quote before you pay. Import duties and local taxes depend on your country and are paid on arrival. A local clearing agent can give you a good idea of what to expect.

How to Order

1. Choose a motor from the tables above or browse all Mercury outboards.
2. Send us your boat details if you’d like help choosing.
3. We confirm the motor and send a delivery quote.
4. You place the order and we prepare the motor.
5. We send tracking and stay in touch until it’s delivered.

Please read our refund and return policy and terms before ordering. Questions? Visit our contact page, or call or WhatsApp +1 209 690 5983.

Common Questions About the Mercury 250 HP Outboard for Sale

Are these motors new?

Yes. Every Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale in the tables above is new.

What’s the cheapest option?

The 250L Pro XS TorqueMaster, from about $9,535.

Which one is quietest?

The Verado. It’s built for low noise and vibration.

Can I get a matched pair?

Yes. Tell us the shaft length and we’ll pair a standard and a counter-rotation motor.

Do you ship to my country?

Almost certainly. We ship worldwide. Send us your location for a quote.

More Outboard Guides

Need more or less power? See our 300 HP Mercury and 225 HP Mercury pages, or the Yamaha 425 HP outboard for sale and Suzuki 200 HP outboard for sale guides. Need a kicker or tender motor too? The Tohatsu 9.9 HP outboard for sale guide covers that, and the full shop has everything else.

Final Word

Whether you want the all-round FourStroke, the smooth Verado or the fast Pro XS, the Mercury 250 is a strong, dependable motor. The key is picking the right family, shaft and rotation for your boat.

That’s what we help with on every Mercury 250 HP outboard for sale we ship. Browse the stock, and if you’d like advice or a delivery price, get in touch. We usually reply the same day. For general boating tips, Discover Boating is a good place to start.