[ursa minor]

The EFI 2 stroke is updated "old school" technology. With both fuel and oil injection it is considerably more efficient than a carbed 2 stroke more typical from 70's or 80's. That said, it will burn more fuel than a comparable horsepower 4 stroke or a direct injected 2 stroke such as Mercury's "Optimax" or the Evinrude E-Tec. On the plus side, it's relatively light for the horsepower output and it's proven technology that can be serviced by most marine mechanics. They will smoke a little on start up but nothing like the carbed engines did. One of my neighbors has the same engine on a 23 foot walk around cuddy; they've shown it little mercy and it always comes back for more.

The Mercury Verado is a completely different animal. They use a supercharger and other features like variable valve timing, dual camshafts, 4 valves per cylinder and really advanced engine management electronics to squeeze a lot of horsepower out of a small displacement engine. They are quiet and efficient but not really that common here on the lake. The likely pool of qualified technicians is probably a lot smaller as a result; you would likely need to stick to the Mercury dealers on the lake.

I'll agree with the suggestions to get the boat and engine surveyed. On salt water boats also consider that it's not just the engine that can be affected by corrosion. The wiring, electronics and other parts of the boat can show signs of salt water use as well.