Seaswirl Striper and Evinrude OB - Good Combination?

[RiverRuns]

Hi All - My son and I are still searching for a first boat and found a nice 21 foot 2001 Seaswirl Striper 2100 WA with an Evinrude 175 HP Outboard with just over 300 hours on it. At first look, the boat and motor look very clean and well kept. We are looking at it again this weekend. Are the Seaswirl Stripers from the early 2000's known for any problems, or are they considered normally good solid boats? Is the 2001 Evinrude a 4 stroke, and is that a relaible motor? (I forgot to ask f it is a 4 stroke, but the dealer says they are known to last several thousand hours with normal maintenance - this one just had the water pump replaced) We would get it looked at by a marine mechanic before making a purchase, but does this seem like a normally good combination that should prove to be reliable in the salt water off Long Island's south shore? Thanks again for your time to respond! Bill

 

[southkogs]

Welcome aboard RiverRuns: There's a great boat buying checklist HERE that's well worth reading.

IMHO - even if the manufacturer had some issues (e.g. - 1980's Bayliner's reputation), I would look at the boat in it's current condition vs. the price you're willing to pay for it. Condition is key on any used boat ... and this one is 15 years old. Manufacturers defects are pretty much worked out at this point.

 

[JoLin]

What Southkogs said... condition.

The Evinrude is a 2-stroke. Also, given the year you might want to find out if the motor is a 'FICHT' motor (it should say so on the cowling). It was OMC's first experiment with motors using extensive electronics to control oil consumption and emissions- sort of a precursor to ETEC, which Bombardier introduced after OMC went belly up. The early ones earned a terrible rep, but I understand that there were continuous improvements, and the later ones (like 2001) seem to have been much better. If that motor is running well with 300 hours on it it's probably okay. If it's carbureted instead of FICHT, those motors are terrific. I owned a 1996 Johnson 175 that I loved.

My .02

 

[Chris1956]

As was said, if the motor is 2 cycle with carbs, it is a good powerplant. That HP should also be fine for that boat.

As for the Seaswirl, see if the model number is 2101, as I would expect a 2001 model year to have. The 2101 hull is supposed to be better than the 2100 hull.

​I have a 2100 DC, and the hull is OK, but not a great design.

 

[RiverRuns]

Hi - Thanks for your replies. We're going to try to get back this weekend and we'll check out the details mentioned above. Your help is appreciated! TY Bill