Quick Answer Mercury SmartCraft Connect Mobile, the product that replaced VesselView Mobile in Mercury's 2024 rebrand, is a small module that streams engine data to the Mercury Marine app on your phone. It is not included with a new motor, it is sold separately. Compatible...
Quick Answer
Mercury SmartCraft Connect Mobile, the product that replaced VesselView Mobile in Mercury's 2024 rebrand, is a small module that streams engine data to the Mercury Marine app on your phone. It is not included with a new motor, it is sold separately. Compatible with Mercury outboards and MerCruiser engines from model year 2004 and up, 40 HP and up. The 25 HP and 30 HP class is only compatible from model year 2022 onward. Sub-25 HP motors are not compatible. Module part numbers: 8M0173128 (under-cowl, single engine) and 8M0173129 (under-helm, one to four engines). The Mercury Marine app is free on iOS and Android. No subscription.
SmartCraft Connect Mobile is the current name for what Mercury used to call VesselView Mobile (rebranded in 2024). If you are shopping for the old name, this is the same product line.
If the app shows a complete fault number, use the Mercury fault-code lookup to check the scoped meaning and owner action before treating a component name as a parts diagnosis.
A lot of the best engine data Mercury builds into its motors never makes it to the helm. Fault codes happen. Fuel economy data is collected. Engine hours accumulate. Without a way to read them, all of that stays invisible until something goes wrong.
SmartCraft Connect Mobile fixes that for a relatively small investment, and without adding a dedicated display to the dashboard.
What SmartCraft Connect Mobile Actually Is
A small module, roughly the size of a deck of cards, that plugs into the SmartCraft network built into compatible Mercury motors. It pairs with a phone over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and streams real-time engine data to the Mercury Marine app.
What you see on the phone:
- Engine RPM
- Fuel rate (litres per hour) and total fuel used per session
- Engine temperature and coolant pressure
- Battery voltage
- Engine hours, lifetime and per trip
- Fault codes when they occur, with plain-English descriptions
- Boost upgrade eligibility on compatible models
- Maintenance reminders
What it is not: A chartplotter replacement. A SmartCraft gauge. A Boost upgrade itself. A VesselView dash display.
The 8M0173128 module lives under the cowl on a single-engine boat. The 8M0173129 module lives under the helm and supports one to four engines. You never see the module. You see its output in the app on your phone.
Getting it fitted: SmartCraft & VesselView install at HBW.
Compatibility (quick check)
Most Mercury motors from 2004 onward are SmartCraft-compatible. Mercury 9.9, 15, 20 HP portables, pre-2004 4-strokes, and carbureted 2-strokes are NOT compatible. Optimax motors from 2004 onward are SmartCraft-capable.
Eligibility Edge Cases
Mercury 25 and 30 HP. These got SmartCraft in 2022. A 2021 or earlier 25 or 30 has no Connect path; 2022 and newer does. This is the only class where the model-year cutoff is that recent.
Mercury Avator electric. The Avator outboards connect to the Mercury Marine app but use a different module than the gas SmartCraft path. Same end-user experience, different install part number. If you have an Avator, ask us for the Avator path specifically.
Joystick Piloting, Active Trim, or Skyhook boats. These boats are already deeply SmartCraft-integrated, so the Connect module just joins the existing network. Installs here are usually 30 minutes because the wiring is already in place.
Twin and triple setups. SmartCraft Connect handles up to four engines, each reporting independently in the app. For a triple or quad, ask before assuming, because gateway hardware can carry an engine-count limit depending on the year.
Optimax (2004 and newer). Optimax was Mercury's direct-injection 2-stroke family from the late 1990s until the late 2010s, and unlike the carbureted and EFI 2-strokes it runs the SmartCraft data bus. Mercury lists SmartCraft-capable engines 40 HP and up, 2004 and newer, as Connect-compatible, which takes in most Optimax rigs still on Kawartha water. Confirm by serial before buying the module.
Motors With No Connect Path
9.9, 15, and 20 HP portables. Designed as basic, lightweight outboards with no SmartCraft network bus. There is no retrofit path. On a kicker setup, the main engine is the one that connects, not the kicker.
Pre-2004 Mercury 4-strokes. SmartCraft rolled out across the lineup around 2004. Earlier 4-strokes use a simpler harness without the data bus, and no retrofit kit makes them compatible.
Carbureted and EFI 2-strokes. The classic 2-strokes, including the high-output 200 EFI, 225 EFI, and 250 EFI, use a different engine management protocol. Connect cannot read them and there is no software workaround.
If your motor has no path and you want connectivity specifically, the answer is a repower. Customers who repower to a current FourStroke get a SmartCraft-capable motor. A separate SmartCraft Connect module can be added at the repower.
Find Your Serial to Confirm
Five places to look, in order: the engine cowl plate (lift the cowl; photograph the plate), the lower starboard side of the block just above the lower cowl seam, the swivel bracket stamp on older portables and some mid-range motors, the engine info page on a VesselView display, or your original purchase paperwork. For full decoding, see the Mercury Outboard Serial Number Guide. Mercury 25 and 30 HP motors only support SmartCraft from 2022 onward. The eligibility details for every motor class and year cutoff are covered above.
Module Part Numbers
| Part Number |
Description |
For |
| 8M0173128 |
Under-cowl single-engine module |
One Mercury outboard |
| 8M0173129 |
Under-helm 1-to-4 engine module |
One to four engines |
The module is purchased separately from the motor. Pricing is set by Mercury Canada and updates annually. See the current price at mercuryrepower.ca.
SmartCraft tier decision
How seriously do you actually use the boat?
SmartCraft Connect is not free. The phone app and module add real cost. The payback depends on how much time you spend on the water and whether you share the boat.
Basic SmartCraft Link is enough
- ✓You boat a handful of times per season
- ✓You already have working analog gauges
- ✓You don't track maintenance digitally
- ✓Single user, simple use case
Stock gauges, no upgrade
SmartCraft Connect pays back season one
- ✓30+ hours per season on the water
- ✓You share the boat with family or partners
- ✓You want service intervals tracked automatically
- ✓You'd benefit from fuel-burn and route history
SmartCraft Connect + Mercury app
When in doubt:If you've ever forgotten when the last lower-unit service was, Connect tracks it for you. That alone is usually worth the upgrade.
How It Compares to VesselView Mobile and SmartCraft Gauges
SmartCraft Connect Mobile is the current Mercury phone-app product. The phone is the display. This is what new installs in 2026 should use.
VesselView Mobile was the original name. Mercury rebranded the product to SmartCraft Connect Mobile in 2024, with refreshed module part numbers (8M0173128 under-cowl for one engine and 8M0173129 under-helm for one to four engines). If you have a working VesselView Mobile install, the hardware still works and is still supported. Just do not buy a new VesselView-branded module in 2026. Order the SmartCraft Connect part numbers instead.
SmartCraft Gauges / VesselView dash displays are hardwired in-dash digital gauges, the same data plus more, in a permanent dashboard display. They pair well with SmartCraft Connect for a backup-data setup.
Short version: SmartCraft Connect = phone display. VesselView dash = built-in display. They are not either-or.
Chartplotter Integration (Garmin, Humminbird)
Most modern chartplotters from Garmin and Humminbird can read Mercury engine data over an NMEA 2000 network. SmartCraft Connect Mobile is an addition to that, not a replacement.
Path A, via NMEA 2000: Requires an NMEA 2000 backbone and a Mercury SmartCraft-to-NMEA gateway. The chartplotter shows engine data. SmartCraft Connect adds the phone-app layer, guest access, trip tracking, and fault diagnostics off the water.
Path B, SmartCraft Connect alone: No chartplotter, no NMEA 2000. Phone is the display. The cleanest setup for small fishing boats, kicker-rigged hulls, and budget-conscious customers who do not need a Garmin yet.
For most Ontario freshwater boaters with a Mercury 60-115 HP and a basic fishfinder, Path A is overkill. SmartCraft Connect alone is the right answer.
What the module actually puts on your phone
| Reading |
Notes |
| Engine RPM |
Live. |
| Fuel rate and total fuel used |
Litres per hour, plus a session total. |
| Engine temperature and coolant pressure |
Live. |
| Battery voltage |
Live. |
| Engine hours |
Lifetime and per trip. |
| Fault codes |
With plain-English descriptions when they occur. |
| Boost upgrade eligibility |
Compatible models only. |
| Maintenance reminders |
Based on accumulated hours. |
There is no dash display in this product. SmartCraft Connect Mobile is a module about the size of a deck of cards, and the phone is the screen.
Install: DIY vs. HBW
Mercury's official walkthrough demonstrates the under-cowl 8M0173128 installation for a single-engine boat. Mercury lists 8M0173129 as the under-helm module for one to four engines. The engine must be SmartCraft-capable; confirm the exact boat and engine configuration and follow the current instructions before installation.
SmartCraft Mobile Installation: Control Your Engine from Your Phone (Mercury Marine)
The module installs in roughly 30 minutes on a single-engine boat. It plugs into the SmartCraft network harness on the motor and gets a 12V power tap. Mercury markets it as customer-installable.
DIY works if: You have done basic electrical work on your boat, you are comfortable removing the cowl, and you know which connector on the motor's harness is the SmartCraft service port.
Bring it to HBW if: You have never opened the cowl, you want the module integrated cleanly with no loose wiring, you want app pairing tested and confirmed before you leave, and you want it on the service log for the rest of the motor's life. HBW installs the module and verifies it pairs correctly, usually about a 30-minute add-on to a service visit.
Since it's a fast 30-minute install, this is the perfect upgrade to add onto your spring prep or winterization service. Book your install at hbwservice.ca.
The most common DIY mistake: missing the SmartCraft service connector and splicing into the analog tach signal instead. This does not work and creates a confusing failure mode. HBW has done dozens of these installs. The fee is set up-front and includes the module, the install, app pairing, and a brief walkthrough.
What the Mercury Marine App Looks Like in Practice
Three main views:
Live engine view: RPM, speed, fuel rate, battery, temperature, hours, updating every second.
Trip log: Start/stop a trip. Distance, fuel used, average speed. Useful for season-end fuel cost reckoning.
Health and faults: Current fault codes, maintenance schedule, hour-based reminders. When the motor crosses 100 hours since the last logged service, the app nudges you to book.
Why Rice Lake and Kawarthas Boaters Find It Useful
A lot of HBW customers run multiple boats, a summer aluminum on Rice Lake, a kicker-rigged setup on Stoney or Pigeon. The same phone and the same Mercury app pairs with whichever motor is being used that day.
For boaters who lock through the Trent-Severn, the trip-log feature shows fuel used and hours on the water, a real record of the trip.
For Rice Lake walleye trolling, engine-hour tracking on the kicker is the practical payoff. Trolling hours are easy to underestimate. The app says exactly what happened.
Two Paths Forward
If you are repowering: Add the module to your quote at mercuryrepower.ca. HBW installs it during rigging and you leave with the app already paired.
If you already have a compatible motor: Put in a service request at hbwservice.ca with your serial number. HBW confirms compatibility, quotes the module, and books an install slot, about 30 minutes of shop time.
About the author
Jay Harris helps run Harris Boat Works, a third-generation family marina in Gores Landing on Rice Lake, established in 1947. HBW is a Mercury Marine Premier Dealer and Legend Boats dealer serving Rice Lake, the Kawarthas, and Ontario boaters who want straight answers before spending real money. Read Jay's full bio.
Add SmartCraft Connect to your repower quote.
mercuryrepower.ca. For install booking, submit a service request at hbwservice.ca with your motor's serial number.
Harris Boat Works, 5369 Harris Boat Works Rd, Gores Landing, ON K0K 2E0.
Mercury Premier dealer. Est. 1947.
