Why bother RPM, water temperature, oil pressure, fuel, and alarms can all live on the screen that's already mounted where you look. Alarms show up where you'll see them, and you can lose the clutter of mismatched gauges. It's also the honest answer to "do I need VesselView?"...
Quick answer: Yes, a SmartCraft-capable Mercury can put its engine data on the screen you already own, but the Mercury module you need depends on the brand of that screen. Garmin, Raymarine and newer Simrad use SmartCraft Connect. Lowrance and Simrad use VesselView Link. Humminbird and other brands use Mercury's NMEA 2000 Gateway, which sends basic engine data only. All three join your boat's NMEA 2000 network. If you just want engine data on your phone, the SmartCraft Connect Mobile module does that for about $300 CAD.
Why bother
RPM, water temperature, oil pressure, fuel, and alarms can all live on the screen that's already mounted where you look. Alarms show up where you'll see them, and you can lose the clutter of mismatched gauges.
It's also the honest answer to "do I need VesselView?" VesselView is Mercury's own display line and it's excellent, but if you already run a good plotter, the right gateway gets the engine data onto it. Our VesselView and SmartCraft guide explains the two in plain English.
Step 1: Is your motor SmartCraft-capable?
Mercury's line: outboards from model year 2004 and newer, 40 hp and up, plus 25 and 30 hp outboards from 2022 on with electric start. If there's a SmartCraft harness or junction box under your console, you're likely in the game. Not sure? We can tell from the serial number. Here's how to find it.
Step 2: Match the gateway to your screen
This is where most online advice goes wrong. Mercury makes three different ways to feed a non-Mercury screen, and they are not interchangeable.
| Your screen |
Mercury module |
What you get |
| Garmin GPSMAP / TD50 (software 24.1+), NMEA 2000-capable ECHOMAP (17.1+) |
SmartCraft Connect |
Full native Mercury integration |
| Raymarine plotters on LightHouse 4.1 |
SmartCraft Connect |
Full native Mercury integration |
| Simrad NSX, NSX Ultrawide, NSS 4 |
SmartCraft Connect |
Full native Mercury integration |
| Lowrance (and Simrad) |
VesselView Link |
Full native Mercury integration |
| Humminbird, Furuno and other NMEA 2000 displays |
NMEA 2000 Gateway (8M0165589) |
Basic engine data: no Mercury fault descriptions, Troll Control or software updates |
Humminbird's own compatibility chart lists the Mercury 8M0165589 gateway plus a Humminbird NMEA 2000 starter kit for Mercury engines, and some Humminbird models need an extra adapter cable. Check your model's page before ordering.
Phone instead of plotter? The SmartCraft Connect Mobile module sends engine data over Bluetooth to the Mercury app on your phone or tablet. It's the cheapest way in and a good fit for occasional checks.
Step 3: What it costs
| Part |
Number |
Recent price |
| SmartCraft Connect Mobile (phone), under-cowl |
8M0173128 |
~$310 to $330 CAD |
| SmartCraft Connect Mobile (phone), under-helm |
8M0173129 |
~$310 to $330 CAD |
| SmartCraft Connect, single engine, under-helm |
8M0173694 |
~$1,170 to $1,300 CAD |
| SmartCraft Connect, multi-engine |
8M0173703 |
~$2,340 to $2,600 CAD |
| VesselView Link base kit, single engine |
8M0110639 |
~$820 to $885 USD |
| VesselView Link base kit, multi-engine |
8M0110641 |
~$1,310 to $1,435 USD |
| NMEA 2000 backbone starter kit |
8M0110642 |
~$107 USD |
| SmartCraft data harness, 10-pin, 25 ft |
84-879981T25 |
~$119 USD |
| NMEA 2000 T-connector |
8M0204742 |
~$41 USD each |
CAD prices are recent Canadian retail and USD prices are US parts-retailer references, both checked September 2026. Prices move with the exchange rate, so confirm when you order. The takeaway: the gateway is where the money goes. The wiring is commodity parts.
Step 4: How the NMEA 2000 wiring works
A NMEA 2000 network isn't one cable from motor to screen. It's a small backbone that every device taps into.
- The backbone is a run of NMEA 2000 cable along the boat, usually from the console toward the stern.
- T-connectors sit on the backbone wherever a device joins: the Mercury gateway, the display, and the power feed.
- Each device connects to its T with a drop cable.
- A terminator goes on each end of the backbone. Exactly two.
- The backbone needs power, from a fused 12 V feed on its own T.
- The Mercury side: the gateway connects to the engine's SmartCraft junction box with Mercury's data harness, then joins the backbone on its own T.
Powered backbone, two terminators, a T for everything. Multi-engine boats use the multi-engine version of the gateway rather than a second network.
What you'll see on screen
With SmartCraft Connect or VesselView Link, your display gets Mercury's engine pages: RPM, temperatures, pressures, fuel data, battery voltage and alarms, in a layout designed for that brand. Depending on the display and engine, extras like Troll Control and Mercury fault descriptions come along too.
The generic NMEA 2000 Gateway gives the basics in your display's own engine pages, which is plenty for many fishing boats. If a feature matters to you, check it before you buy. Our beeping codes guide covers what each alarm means.
DIY or dealer install?
The phone module is a reasonable DIY job if you're comfortable behind a console. The plotter path is where it's worth a conversation: picking the right gateway for your display and engine, running the backbone cleanly, powering it properly, and confirming the display actually reads the data. It's part of a normal repower rig-out, and it's also a standalone job on boats keeping their current motor.
Book it through the service form. If you're shopping motors with this setup in mind, build your repower quote and we'll spec the rigging with it.
Sources
About the author
Jay Harris runs Harris Boat Works in Gores Landing, Ontario, a third-generation family marina on Rice Lake since 1947 and a Mercury dealer since 1965.
