Re: Regal Leisure Cat 26
Bought it about 2 weeks ago. We all love it but boy does it suck the gas and oil! It has the original 94 Merc 200 2 stroke. Think I'll be looking at a new motor within 2 or 3 years. Maybe go down to 175 or even a 150 4 stroke. Any thoughts on that?
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I wouldn't go down in HP. Mine has a 225 and while I feel comfortable with it, I have at times wished for a little more oomph...
What info I was able to find about the Leisurecats showed they were sold with either a 200, or 225 HP outboard.
Most that I have seen for sale that appear to have original motors have Mercs. Mine has a Mariner, which is just a Gray Merc.
Personally, if I were going to repower, I'd go with an Evinrude E-Tech.
The E-Tech seems to be about the same on fuel at low speeds as most 4 strokes.
Usually 2 strokes are lighter than 4S, but some threads I have read recently say that the difference is somewhat less in the higher HP (200+) range.
The 225 Merc/Mariners are 3.0L V6 motors, and I think the 200's are 2.5L V6. Mine doesn't seem so bad on fuel to me, so maybe the larger displacement motor doesn't have to work as hard...... But I really don't have any reference to compare it to since my previous boat was a very old 65HP Merc.....
My shop manual lists the weight of my carbed 225 as 445 lbs. The 225/250 EFI motors of the same vintage (95-97) are 455 lbs.
If you are bent on having a 4S, that is the weight target I would look for. I really wouldn't any more weight than that hanging on the back of mine.
Bottom line, if I had the 200, I'd be looking to go up, not down.