Repower thoughts.

I have a 1990 Stratos 1850 center console that is built like a tank. It feels rock solid and is a pleasure to use for trolling. It is rated for a 175 HP but has a 1990 Evinrude XP150 on it. The outboard is tired and I'm looking to possibly repower with something newer.

Evinrude had a promo a while back with a decent interest rate and free rigging so I'm open to a 175HP E-Tec if I can get that promo. Otherwise it's down to:
4 stroke Suzuki DF175 (if they still provide financing)
2 stroke 175 HP Yamaha (Yamaha has some financing options)
4 stroke 150HP or possibly 200 HP Yamaha
4 stroke 150HP or possibly 200 HP Honda (Honda has a good interest rate)

I'm really leaning toward the Suzuki as the weight of the motor is really reasonable for a 4 stroke.

What are the ramifications of going 25 HP over the rating of a boat?

Any thoughts? Concerns? Comments? Questions?

I have the money in savings to purchase an outboard outright, I would rather borrow on a decent interest rate and have my savings readily available for rainy day times.

Re: Repower thoughts.

"What are the ramifications of going 25 HP over the rating of a boat?"

The dealer may not mount the motor for you....if that matters. And some manufacturers won't warranty a large motor if it's not installed by a certified dealer.

Re: Repower thoughts.

The Suzuki 175 hp is a fine motor, and it pushes a much larger propeller (diameter and pitch) than other manufacturers. It would be great on a slightly heavy hull like you've got. The question is do you have a good Suzuki dealer close by? The down side of Suzuki's is that propellers are not so easy to find and Suzuki Marine dealers are few and far apart. Parts are sometimes hard to come by from Suzuki.

The Yamaha 200 hp is a fine motor, and it now comes in 4 and 6 cylinder versions. IBoats.com has a 6 cylinder motor on sale @ $15K.

I have a new F150 Yamaha, and it's a fine motor--doing well.

We're not seeing so many new Honda motors on the lake right now. They're heavy but very reliable. There again, dealers are few and far between.

As a budget buster, have you considered the new Mercury 150 hp FourStroke? They're available @ $10K (without prop or controls), or $3K less than a F150 Yamaha. These are going to be very big sellers. Mercury dealers are also well represented all over North America.

Re: Repower thoughts.

I'm leaning toward the Suzuki if they have financing. The Evinrude promo is still in effect so it might be an E-Tec. I would still prefer a 4 stroke as I plan on getting an 8 HP Tohatsu kicker and it'd be nice to share fuel to both motors.

We have a Suzuki dealer near South Holston, one of our local TVA lakes. I've spoken with them before and will be stopping in tomorrow.

Re: Repower thoughts.

bakerjw said:

What are the ramifications of going 25 HP over the rating of a boat?

Any thoughts? Concerns? Comments? Questions?

Click to expand...

Well, that depends on where you are located.
In some states, like Wisconsin, it is illegal to sell, install, or use a motor larger than the rated hp.





Wis. Stats. database, updated through March 28, 2013.

CHAPTER 30
NAVIGABLE WATERS, HARBORS AND NAVIGATION
30.62 - 2M

(2m) OVERPOWERING. No person may sell, equip or operate,
and no owner of a boat may allow a person to operate, a boat with
any motor or other propulsion machinery beyond its safe power
capacity rating.



Do you think you will really benefit from the extra 25 hp?

Re: Repower thoughts.

It's not necessarily 25 HP. If I look at a Honda option, they offer a 150 or a 200. Rated at 175, I'm caught in the middle there.

Re: Repower thoughts.

I wouldn't overpower - although people do, you just don't gain enough speed to make it worth while. The motor will be heavier, more expensive, and more powerful than the boat needs. I would go with the Yamaha or the Suzuki. I have a a Yamaha and love it. Suzuki has a new technology for its gears that cut a lot of weight out of the motors, meaning that your new motor will be closer to the weight of the old.

Re: Repower thoughts.

the etec is oil injected thus you are not going to be mixing oil period so your concern about that is null and void.if your talking about fittings also easily solved .right now I believe you get a 6 year warranty on the etec and free rigging .

Re: Repower thoughts.

seeing as how your planning a sizable investment why not check out this video ?gives room for thought .Ship Shape TV: Repowering with an Evinrude E-TEC 150-HP Engine - YouTube

Re: Repower thoughts.

I've pretty much decided to go with a Mercury 150 4 stroke or the OptiMax 175. The 4 stroke will be quiet, but the 175 will have a little more umpf to it. I'd still like to look at a Suzuki but my dealer is going to give me $1500.00 trade in on my old outboard. The Suzuki dealer doesn't have quite the reputation that the Mercury dealer has though. I'm not in a rush though and I appreciate all of the input.

Re: Repower thoughts.

Go with the dealer that has the good rep.

My Suzuki ownership experience was not good.

I have a Merc. 4 stroke (60 BigFoot) that I love.

The etec is nice too. Sharing the fuel, as stated above, is not an issue.

Re: Repower thoughts.

82rude said:

seeing as how your planning a sizable investment why not check out this video ?gives room for thought .Ship Shape TV: Repowering with an Evinrude E-TEC 150-HP Engine - YouTube

Click to expand...

That boat is very similar to my Stratos and the same situation.

Very informative too!

Thanks.

Re: Repower thoughts.

bakerjw said:

That boat is very similar to my Stratos and the same situation.

Very informative too!

Thanks.

Click to expand...

your welcome.im with Fleetwin on this one also .select a good quality dealer first and foremost .all of the motors listed are fine machines in their own rights but a crappy dealer can ruin even the best of motors reps in an area .it happened up here with erude but thankfully I live on a border so I had lots of options .