2018 Mercury 9.9 Hp 9.9MLH Outboard Motor

The 9.9MLH swaps the short shaft of Mercury's base 9.9 for a 20-inch long shaft while keeping the same pull-cord start and manual tilt, weighing 84 lb and fitting skiffs and small pontoons with a standard-height transom rather than the low-sided boats the short-shaft version targets.

Shaft length, not horsepower, decides fit

With outboards this size, matching shaft length to transom height matters more than chasing extra power. The 20-inch shaft here is the common long-shaft length for mid-size boats; check your transom before assuming it will fit a given hull shape.

Standard gearcase at this weight

This runs the 2.08:1 standard gearcase, swinging a three-bladed aluminum prop sized 8.5 inches with an 8.0-inch pitch, rather than a heavier four-blade CommandThrust setup. Manual start and manual ratcheting tilt mean no battery and fewer moving parts to maintain as the seasons pass and the hours add up, which keeps upkeep closer to a weekend chore than a shop visit.

Day-to-day controls

A single tiller grip handles steering, throttle twist, and gear shift together, and the engine is built to tolerate saltwater exposure without extra prep, which matters if you're splitting time between a lake and a coastal inlet.

Common questions

Does it have electric start? No, this is a manual pull-start model.

How long is the shaft on this one? 20 inches, the long-shaft option for standard transoms.

Specifications