OMC 2.5L paired with OMC Sterndrive 800 Outdrive

Chris1616

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Oct 12, 2020
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Hello.

I'm considering purchasing my first starter boat. It's a 1985 Citation 19ft bow rider. The engine is an OMC 2.5L. The outdrive on the boat is an OMC Sterndrive 800. From my reading, it's the 400 that is supposed to be paired with the 2.5L as it has smaller gears in the lower unit which matches the weaker engine.

My question is: Is there a problem with having the 800 and it's larger gears matched with 2.5L engine? I'm assuming that with this pairing, the boat may not have the same acceleration from stand still, but may have a faster top-end speed?

Is there a greater risk of damage to either the outdrive or the engine? Your advice is greatly appreciated! Also, if I get my hands on a 400, would it be easy to change?

Thank you very much for your help.

-Chris
 

kenny nunez

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Have the owner take you for a demonstration ride. If it turns up to 4000 -4300 rpm leave it alone If you buy it.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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I would tell you to walk away from a 2.5 and anything OMC.

you dont have enough motor to have a higher top end. even properly paired with a stringer 400, you were looking at 35mph max. the 3.0 could potentially muster 40mph.

if the gearing was low enough (say from a 3.8) and they managed to find a prop pitched less than 15p, as Kenny said, to get you over 4000 RPM, leave it alone.
however if the motor doesnt get to 4000 RPM (prefer closer to 4400), run away.

being a 1985 boat, the boat is 36 years old. that puts it well past its 15 year design life. not to mention, most boats in the 80's and 90's had less than adequate fiberglass workmanship leading to rotten transom and stringers. hence the caution.
 

Chris1616

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Thank you very much Kenny and Scott. That is helpful information. I I've read about how OMC stopped making their stringer outdrives in 1986, (probably for good reason), and they switched to the Cobra U joint drives which are similar to the Mercruiser.

I should back up and explain where I'm coming from. I'm engaged in a little trading experiment...started with an old broken guitar out for the trash at the end of someone's driveway, and now have a 1984 Honda Goldwing motorcycle that I'm looking to trade. I'm up in Ontario and figure that boats may be a good opportunity to trade up to a decent boat since the season is over and people are getting rid of their boats to avoid storage fees etc.

So I realize I won't be able to trade for a perfect boat (the bike I figure is worth $2500 tops)...and I'll probably look to fix the boat up and do some cosmetic improvements, and then trade it again in the spring.

The Citation with the OMC motor I mentioned is not currently in running condition. It was running in the summer...but someone hit a rock with the prop and likely screwed up the outdrive. The prop is apparently in the bottom of the lake. The (likely broken) outdrive that's on the boat is an 800...and he has a replacement 800 and another prop that comes with the boat. He tried to start up the boat with muffs in the driveway, just to confirm whether or not the old outdrive is actually broken....but the boat didn't start. He says it's the starter.

So I'd be trading an old motorcycle, for an old boat that likely needs a starter and/or a new battery, and that would also likely need the outdrive swapped. The boat does come with a nice trailer though. I've never owned a boat....and as I understand it, boats can be be money pits. So I'm just trying to avoid a mistake.

I actually have several possibilities for boat trades...some with outboard motors. I would actually love to get some advice on the which you guys think is the best opportunity. I'll post that part in a different section of this forum as it won't be an OMC specific discussion.

Thanks again for your responses. I love learning and I appreciate your advice.

-Chris
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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remember, if you are looking to flip boats, stay with boats newer than 10 years. the issue with a 35 year old OMC with the wrong drive on it is it will cost you $3000 to fix the hull and you still have a boat with a 35 year old OMC with the wrong drive. a good working OMC drive is only valuable to someone that has a broken OMC drive and doesnt want to spend money on a different boat.

at best, you can strip it down for parts. based on the fact its older than 1985 (last year of the stringer), its powered by a 2.5 and not a 3.0 and its from a limited production manufacturer that went out of business in the 80's.... the value on the boat is only a few$

if you are trying to avoid a mistake in an old boat, stay away from any of the following:
  • any fiberglass boat from the 80's or 90's unless it has a documented restoration
  • anything OMC unless its a re-labeled volvo as part of the Joint Venture.
  • anything with a stringer drive
  • anything ford powered, especially anything EFI and Ford.
get an aluminum boat with an outboard for a first boat. first an aluminum boat well cared for may need the wood transom replaced, which is a little more than a weekend job as compared to $3000 and 6 months of work on a fiberglass boat. a well cared for aluminum boat will last 50+ years as compared to about 20 for fiberglass.
 

Chris1616

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Oct 12, 2020
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Scott, thanks a lot for your advice. I'm going to shift my focus and see if I can get my hands on a solid aluminum boat with an outboard. I haven't been giving those much of a look because for some reason, they just don't seem as appealing to me as a fancy I/O fiberglass boat lol. But what you're saying makes a lot of sense.

I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. You probably just saved me a bunch of time and $$...and my trading empire may have collapsed before it even got going haha.

If/when I find something, I'll let you know.

Thanks again,

-Chris
 

Chris1616

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Oct 12, 2020
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Hi Scott and others in the forum. Thanks again for your advice regarding that boat with the OMC stringer drive. I passed on that one. But I now have a few other trade opportunities and I would love to get your opinion on which would be the best. I've been focusing on aluminum boats with outboards as advised, but the first option is not aluminum. It looks pretty good though!

1. High odds of being able to make this trade:
Option 1

2. Guy is going to get back to me, so nothing definite:
Option 2

3. This person is ready to make the trade:
Option 3

4. Guy is ready to make the trade
Option 4

5. Guy is ready to make the trade
Option 5

6. Guy seems interested and is scheduled to come see my bike
Option 6

7. Person showed some interest but has fallen off. Boat is located far away...low odds.
Option 7

8. Boat is local. Person showed interest, but the case has gone cold. Low odds.
Option 8

I'm not sure if this sort of advice is something that you guys are interested in giving, but I would appreciate your input if you're able! Which boat would you be most interested in? Which one do you think has the most value?

Thanks a lot!

-Chris
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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ask yourself the question. do you want to use the boat, or do you want to work on the boat?

of all those, the 3 small aluminum fishing boats are ready to run.

the fiberglass boats will be a project
 

Chris1616

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ask yourself the question. do you want to use the boat, or do you want to work on the boat?

of all those, the 3 small aluminum fishing boats are ready to run.

the fiberglass boats will be a project

Thanks Scott. I won't be using the boat. I'll be looking to trade it for something else in the spring. So I don't mind doing some research and working on the boat myself to increase the boat's value before trading it. As long it's not too big of a project and I can actually handle it. My main goal is to keep trading things while increasing value over time.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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the only way to increase value of a boat is to use it...... the value is in the memories. to simply try to trade for value, you will most likely get burned.
 
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