MERCURY 9.9 HP 9.9MH OUTBOARD MOTOR

Description

The Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor is the one we point people to when they ask for a small, honest motor that starts on a pull, pushes a light boat properly and doesn’t need a battery, a key or a dealer visit every season. We have it for sale right now, new, with the Mercury factory warranty, and we ship it to buyers all over the world.

If you’re here because you already know what a 9.9MH is and you just want the price and a straight answer about shipping, scroll down to the price and shipping section. If you’re still deciding between this and a few other small Mercury tillers, read on. I’ll go through what this motor actually does well, where it falls short, and what kind of boat it belongs on.

On this page:

• Why buy the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor
• What “9.9MH” means
• What boats it fits
• How the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor runs on the water
• Features
• Full specifications
• Fuel, oil and upkeep
• How it compares with other Mercury tillers
• Price, shipping and what’s in the crate
• FAQ

Why buy the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor

Most people who buy a 9.9 aren’t chasing speed. They want something that will get a 12 to 14 foot aluminum boat out to the fishing spot, bring it home in a headwind, and start the next morning after a night of rain. That is exactly the job the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor was built for.

It’s a two cylinder four stroke. It weighs about 84 pounds, which means one reasonably fit person can lift it onto a transom, though I’d still suggest two if your boat is sitting in the water. It’s manual start only, so there’s no battery to go flat over the winter. It has a 15 inch short shaft, tiller steering, and a manual tilt with a ratchet that locks in five positions.

There are other reasons 9.9 horsepower is such a popular size. In a lot of places around the world, small lakes, reservoirs and some harbour areas cap horsepower, and 9.9 slides in under many of those limits. Some licensing and registration rules also change once you go above 10 hp. So the 9.9 has become the default “biggest motor that keeps things simple” size, and Mercury’s version is one of the most trusted in that class.

We sell a lot of these to three kinds of buyers. The first is the angler with a small tinny or jon boat who’s tired of an old two stroke that smokes and floods. The second is the sailor who wants a reliable auxiliary on a short transom. The third is the person who runs a tender or a work skiff and needs something that starts every single time. If you fit one of those, the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor is a very safe choice.

What “9.9MH” actually tells you

Mercury model codes look like alphabet soup, but they’re simple once somebody explains them. Here’s the breakdown for this one:

• 9.9 is the horsepower.
• M means manual start, so it’s a pull cord, no electric starter.
• H means tiller handle steering.
• No “L” or “XL” in the code means it’s the short shaft, 15 inches.

So when you see “MLH” on the Mercury 9.9MLH, that’s the same motor with a 20 inch long shaft. “EH” on the Mercury 9.9EH means electric start with a tiller. Once you know the letters, you can read almost every Mercury small outboard listing on our site without asking anyone.

The reason this matters is simple. The most common mistake we see with small motors isn’t picking the wrong brand. It’s picking the wrong shaft length. Get that right first and the rest of the decision gets much easier.

What boats the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor fits

A 15 inch shaft suits a transom that measures roughly 15 inches from the top of the transom down to the bottom of the hull. Measure yours before you order. Put a straight edge along the bottom of the hull, run a tape measure from the top of the transom down to it, and write the number down.

Boats that usually take a 15 inch short shaft include:

• Small aluminum fishing boats and car toppers around 10 to 14 feet
• Many jon boats with low transoms
• Inflatable boats and RIBs with a short transom
• Dinghies and yacht tenders
• Some canoes with a proper side mount or square stern

If your transom is closer to 20 inches, which is common on bigger jon boats, some sailboats with an outboard bracket, and small pontoons, you’ll want the long shaft version instead. The 9.9MLH long shaft is the one for that. Running a short shaft on a tall transom puts the prop too close to the surface. It will ventilate, lose grip and overheat more easily, because the water pickup isn’t deep enough.

As for load, the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor will happily plane a light 12 foot aluminum boat with one or two people and some gear. Put three adults and a cooler in a 14 footer and it’ll still move you along fine, just more slowly and probably not on plane. Always check the capacity plate on your boat and don’t go over the maximum horsepower it lists.

How the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor runs on the water

This is where the four stroke design earns its keep. Compared with an old two stroke of the same size, the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor is noticeably quieter at trolling speed. You can hold a normal conversation in the boat. There’s no blue smoke, and you don’t need to mix oil into the fuel.

Starting is easy once the motor is set up properly. On a cold morning you’ll pull the choke, give it a couple of firm pulls, and it catches. Once warm it usually fires on the first pull. The start in gear protection means it won’t start unless it’s in neutral, which is a good thing. Nobody wants a boat lurching off the dock because someone left it in forward.

Gear shifting is built into the tiller, forward, neutral and reverse, so you don’t have to reach round the side of the cowl to find a lever. The twist grip throttle has an adjustable friction knob. Tighten it a little and you can let go of the handle to net a fish without the revs dropping. I’d call that the most underrated feature on any small tiller motor.

Trolling is one of the things the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor is best at. It idles down smoothly and will crawl along at a speed that suits most lake fishing. The prop exhausts through the hub, which keeps noise down and puts the exhaust under the water where you can’t smell it.

Top speed depends heavily on the boat, the load and the prop, so I won’t quote a number that you might not see on your own hull. What I can say is that full throttle sits in a 5,000 to 6,000 rpm range, and if your boat is set up right the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor should reach that range without straining.

Features you get with the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor

• Compact, lightweight two cylinder four stroke powerhead
• Digital CD ignition with spark advance for easier starting
• High grade marine alloy construction
• Stainless steel water pump housing
• Zinc coated water passages
• Rated for saltwater use
• Sacrificial zinc anodes and trim tab
• Forward, neutral and reverse shifting built into the tiller
• Adjustable steering tension
• Twist grip throttle with tension control
• Thermostat controlled water cooling
• Auto ratchet trim system with 5 positions
• Shallow water drive
• Quiet through the propeller hub exhaust
• 3.2 gallon fuel tank and fuel line included
• Start in gear protection
• Low oil pressure warning
• ESG over rev protection
• Safety lanyard stop switch
• Owner’s manual
• Mercury Marine 3 year warranty

A couple of these are worth a closer look. The shallow water drive lets you lock the motor partly tilted so the prop sits higher. That’s what you want when you’re creeping over weed beds, sand bars or rocky shallows at low speed. The ESG over rev protection cuts spark if the engine revs too high, which saves the powerhead if the prop lifts out of the water in a chop.

The low oil pressure warning is another one people ignore until it saves them. If oil pressure drops, the motor tells you. Stop, check the dipstick, and you’ve probably just avoided a very expensive repair.

Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor specifications

A note on the alternator. The standard Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor doesn’t charge a battery out of the box, because it doesn’t need one to run. If you want to power a fish finder or navigation lights off the motor, the optional 12 volt charging kit can be fitted. Ask us when you order and we’ll tell you what’s involved.

If you want to compare these numbers against the manufacturer’s current lineup, Mercury Marine’s own 9.9hp FourStroke page is the place to look. Mercury has updated some small motors to fuel injection in recent model years, so if EFI matters to you, tell us before you buy and we’ll confirm exactly which version is in stock.

Fuel, oil and upkeep for the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor

Owning a Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor is cheap compared with most boat engines, but it isn’t zero effort. Here’s what a sensible owner does.

Fuel

Run fresh 87 octane unleaded with no more than 10% ethanol. Old fuel is the number one reason small carbureted motors stop starting. If the boat is going to sit for more than a month, add a fuel stabiliser, or better still, disconnect the fuel line and let the motor run until the carburetor is dry. Keep the tank vent closed when you’re not using it so water doesn’t get in.

Oil

The motor holds about 27 ounces (800 ml) of 10W-30 four stroke outboard oil. Check the dipstick before every trip. It takes ten seconds. Change it after the first 20 hours of break in, then every 100 hours or once a season, whichever comes first.

Gear case

The lower unit has its own gear lube. Change it once a year. If the old lube comes out milky, water is getting past a seal, and that’s worth fixing before it turns into a gear failure.

Cooling and saltwater care

Watch for the tell tale stream of water from the side of the motor when it’s running. No stream, shut it down and find out why. If you use the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor in saltwater, flush it with fresh water after every trip using a flushing attachment or a barrel. Check the zinc anodes and replace them once they’re about half worn. They’re cheap. Corrosion isn’t.

Break in

For the first couple of hours, vary the throttle and don’t hold it at full speed for long periods. After that, use it normally. Four strokes like to be run, and short hard bursts are better for them than hours of dead slow idling.

If you’re new to boating in general, it’s worth reading through the safety basics from the US Coast Guard’s recreational boating site. Most of it applies wherever in the world you’re running a small boat, and it covers lanyards, life jackets and fuel handling better than any product page can.

Who should skip this motor

I’d rather lose a sale than sell someone the wrong engine, so here’s the honest part. If your boat is over about 15 feet, heavy fiberglass, or you regularly carry three or four adults, the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor is going to feel underpowered. You’ll get where you’re going, but slowly, and you’ll run it near full throttle most of the time. That isn’t good for fuel use or for the motor. Look at a 20 or 25 hp instead.

The same goes if you want to run lights, a fish finder and a bilge pump all day off the motor. A manual start tiller without a charging kit isn’t built for that. Go for an electric start model, or fit the charging kit.

And if your transom is 20 inches, don’t talk yourself into the short shaft because it’s a few dollars cheaper. Buy the right length. You’ll be happier with the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor on the boat it was meant for, and happier with the long shaft on the boat it was meant for.

Setting up your new Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor

When it arrives, unpack it, check for any shipping damage and let us know straight away if something isn’t right. Clamp it to the centre of the transom and tighten both clamp screws by hand, firmly. Tie a safety line from the motor to the boat. It sounds silly until you watch a motor sink.

Check the oil level before the first start. Connect the fuel line, squeeze the primer bulb until it’s firm, attach the lanyard to your wrist or life jacket, and start it in neutral. Let it warm up for a minute and check the water stream. That’s it. Your Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor is ready for its break in hours.

How the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor compares with other Mercury tillers

We stock the full small Mercury range, so here’s the quick version of how this one fits in.

Against the 8 hp: The Mercury 8MH uses the same basic powerhead and the same weight class. If your area has an 8 hp limit, buy that. If not, the 9.9 costs only a little more and gives you extra push when the boat is loaded.

Against the 6 hp and smaller: The Mercury 6MH and the 4MH are lighter and easier to carry, and they suit tenders and small inflatables. They won’t plane most aluminum boats with any real load, though. If you want to get up and go, the 9.9 is the better buy.

Against the 15 hp: The Mercury 15MH gives noticeably more top end on a 14 footer and handles a bigger load. It’s heavier and costs more. If your boat is rated for 15 and horsepower limits don’t apply to you, it’s worth a look. You can see all of them on our Mercury 15 HP page.

Against the electric start 9.9: The 9.9ELH and 9.9EH add a starter and a charging system. They’re great if you already carry a battery for electronics. If you don’t, the manual start Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor is lighter, simpler and has less to go wrong.

For the whole range in this size, including long shaft, extra long shaft and Command Thrust versions, see our Mercury 9.9 HP outboard motors category. For everything else Mercury, from portables up to the big Verados, go to our main Mercury outboard motors for sale page.

Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor for sale: price, worldwide shipping and what’s in the crate

The Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor is listed at the price shown at the top of this page, and you can add it to your cart and check out directly. If you’d rather talk to a person first, and plenty of our customers do, send us a message through our contact page and we’ll get back to you with a full delivered price to your country.

What comes with it

• The Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor, new
• 3.2 gallon portable fuel tank
• Quick connect fuel line
• Installed 3 blade aluminum propeller
• Owner’s manual
• Mercury Marine 3 year factory warranty, starting from the date of purchase

Shipping

We ship the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor worldwide. Small motors like this one travel well. They’re crated or boxed securely and sent by freight or courier depending on where you are. Once your order is confirmed we’ll give you a tracking number and keep you updated until it’s delivered. Import duties and local taxes depend on your country, and we’ll help you understand them before you pay if you ask.

Returns and buyer protection

You can read our full refund and return policy before you buy. We’d also suggest looking at our customer reviews to see what other boat owners have said about buying from us. If you want to know more about who we are, the about page covers that.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor new or used?

New. It comes with the Mercury factory warranty. If you’re after a used motor to save money, contact us and we’ll tell you what we have in the yard.

Can one person carry the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor?

At 84 pounds, most adults can lift it for a short distance, but it’s awkward. Use two people to hang it on a boat that’s in the water. A small motor stand at home makes storage and flushing much easier.

Is the Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor good for saltwater?

Yes. It’s rated for saltwater use, with zinc anodes, coated water passages and a stainless water pump housing. Flush it with fresh water after each trip and it’ll last.

Will it charge my battery?

Not as standard. An optional 12V 76W charging kit can be added. If charging matters to you, the electric start 9.9EH or 9.9ELH already has it built in.

What shaft length do I need?

Measure from the top of your transom to the bottom of the hull. About 15 inches means this short shaft 9.9MH is right. About 20 inches means you need the long shaft 9.9MLH.

Do you ship to my country?

Almost certainly. We ship worldwide. Send us your country and nearest port or city through the contact page and we’ll quote the delivered cost.

How long does delivery take?

It depends on distance and the shipping method you pick. Courier is faster, sea freight is cheaper for heavier or multiple motors. We’ll give you a realistic time frame with your quote.

Can I pay in instalments?

Ask us. Payment options vary by country, and we’ll tell you what’s available for your order.

Order your Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor today

If you’ve got a small boat with a 15 inch transom and you want a motor that just works, this is the one. The Mercury 9.9 HP 9.9MH outboard motor is light, quiet, easy on fuel, and backed by one of the best known names in marine engines. Add it to your cart, or get in touch if you’ve got a question first. We’ll get it crated and on its way to you. You can also browse the rest of our outboard motors for sale if you want to compare before you decide.