Backed the boat into the water and it started up fine. Idled over to the dock to pick my dad up and everything seemed like it always does. Started out slow while we got things adjusted, was going around 10 mph hour or so. Once we were ready to go, I pushed it up to about 4500 rpm and it ran for a minute sputtered then the motor shut off. Set there a second, refired and slowly pushed it back up to around 4500-5000 rpm and it shut off again. Dad crawled back to the motor and pumped the primer ball a couple times and it would run then shut off again. He stayed back there and pumped it a few times and it would run so I slowed down and he got back into his seat. We got back up to around 4000 or so and it shut off. It would run at a slower rpm but it eventually got to the point it was shutting off then as well. I've taken it to the dealership and have warranty so whatever is hopefully will be covered by the Mercury Warranty but just curious any ideas what it might be? Its a 2011 60 hp 4 Stroke Mercury. The tech said could be a gas line collapsing in on itself or a number of things but wouldn't know for sure until they looked at it. Just stinks to be without my boat for a week while being on vacation but those things happen and it is what it is.

Just based off your description, I would guess either an air leak on the fuel side or a fuel pump diaphram failure. Could be any number of things, but those seem like the ones you hear about most that are fuel related.

Had tje same problem with my cousins 90hp johnson...new fuel pump solved it.

Fuel lines possibly compromised from using ethanol fuel

Sounds like it could be a clogged fuel tank vent.

I have a 2005 60 hp Merc 4-stroke and had a similar problem. I could pump the bulb and it would fire up and run like crazy again, then die. I saw flakes in my fuel filter, changed it and changed my fuel line because the inside lining was deteriorating. I still had the problem. Even tried a portable gas tank and still had the problem. Finally discovered the problem was the connection between the motor and the gas line. I changed the snap-in connection and went about a month before the problem came up again. I then put a layer of grease on the connection, snapped it into the motor and now no problem for over a year. I was sucking air around the connection. Probably because (guessing) the motor was made in Mexico and the connection was made in China -- thus not a tight connection.

They said it was a collapsed fuel line. Replaced the line and the primer ball. Apparently was not covered by warranty, but they worked it in today when originally they said it would be next week before they could even look at it. $85 for labor and $51 for the parts. He said they would check with Mercury about the warranty and get back in touch with me. I bought what I thought was the highest warranty mercury offered and hoped that would cover any issue that came up.

When I found my fuel line deteriorating I called Mercury and the lady said my warranty was up. I told the lady they should not have used a fuel line that could not hold up to ethanol and how about sending me one as a courtesy. She said again my warranty was up!!! I replied, "I guess that's why so many people are buying Honda motors." All I got back was silence. I then said, "Did you hear what I said." She replied, "I heard you." Why would a company spend millions on advertising but refuse to send a customer a $20 fuel line?

She said again my warranty was up!!! I replied, "I guess that's why so many people are buying Honda motors."

That's some funny stuff right there!

The 4 strokes with the cam driven fuel pumps rarely fail. It usually is bad fuel from sitting sometime without any quick care. Or the crappy grey fuel hose that delaminates and collapses.

Ooh jeez you got her figured out didn't read far enough lol

I dug out my warranty papers and I do have the Platinum Plan through 2019 but it doesn't cover the primer bulb or gas line. At least I got my boat back in time for vacation. 

The primer bulb and fuel line to the motor wouldn't be covered under warranty because they are not part of the motor. That would be like expecting a company that makes trolling motors to warranty the wires run in a boat from the batteries to the plug. If something goes wrong with the wires in the boat that's on you or the boat's warranty.