2018 Mercury 20 Hp 20EH Outboard Motor

This 2018 Mercury 20 HP 20EH Outboard Motor is an electric-start, tiller-steered engine with a 15-inch short shaft and manual tilt, weighing 121 pounds.

Why electric start on a tiller motor

Electric start on a tiller-steered outboard like this one means turning a key at the handle rather than pulling a cord, while still keeping throttle and gear shift at the back of the boat where a tiller motor belongs. Tilt is manual rather than power-assisted, so the motor is raised and lowered by hand rather than at the touch of a switch.

Fitment

This 15-inch short shaft is sized for a lower transom than Mercury's long-shaft 20 HP offerings, so measure before ordering rather than assuming your existing bracket height will work on a different shaft length.

Propeller and charging

The propeller spec on this 20EH calls out a 9.2-inch diameter with a 9.8-inch pitch on a three-blade aluminum wheel, and electric start models like this one include an alternator for keeping a battery charged while the engine runs.

Caring for an electric-start tiller motor

Because this configuration pairs a starter and battery with an otherwise simple tiller layout, periodic checks of the battery connections and charge level matter more here than on a manual-start motor; a weak battery is one of the more common reasons an otherwise healthy electric-start outboard fails to turn over.

Common questions

Is this the short or long shaft version? Short shaft, 15 inches, sized for lower transoms.

Does it have power tilt? No, tilt on this model is manual, and it carries Mercury Marine's standard three-year warranty as a new motor.

Specifications