Reply With Quoteis there any other choice but go for the Opti? far better fuel economy, but quite a bit heavier (and dearer)
HI All ,
Just about to upgrade my 198o's 150 Black Max to either a 2003 150 Optimax or a 2005 Salwater eddition (carbi)
not sure which way to go .... any advice would be appreciated
Cheers
is there any other choice but go for the Opti? far better fuel economy, but quite a bit heavier (and dearer)
Dearer YES , but it must be lighter than the Black Max ???
is the fuel economy the only benefit ?
Weight is an issue as it is the max horsepower on my Caribbean Safri.
Current motor is a tad heavy
I would find the weights of all the motors in question, and compare it to your old one, the Opti is much smoother, quieter and more fuel efficient than a carby model, but it is a heavy beast (they all are these days) and more expensive, by how much? you will need to ask your dealer that.
Got an 05' 140 Merc Saltwater. 185kg from memory. Goes really good but likes a bit of fuel. Gets 1.4-1.5L/nautical mile average on a 100nm round reef trip. Pushes a 19ft Haines Sig. 40kts top end, heaps of power.
Never had any trouble and the local Merc dealer reckons probably one of the most reliable engines ever made by Merc. He's been in the Merc business a looooong time.
Guido
No brainer!
If it ticks all the boxes in terms of weight, max hp, & budget, its the Opti all the way.
Opti all the way , they weigh 195kg and thye are 2.5lt
I have a 200 opti 3.0lt on my 6.5 mt Trophy ( around the 2000 kg mark) and I get 1 mile per lt average .
They are very economical at very low trolling speeds like using 1.5 lts per hour at 600rpm.
Go the Opti with smart gauges. You should also be able to see a computer readout of its lifetime running and alarms. You should also see where it has been revved to and for how long.
Cheers
Chris
Do your sums, how many hours do you do a year, how do you use the engine do you troll a lot or do you just blast from point to point. The carb modle is a much simpler engine, a lot easier to diagnose should something go wrong, particularly handy if you are away from help, and also a lot easier to service if you service the motor yourself. Yes they do use more fuel and they smell a lot more, the boat should you have to sell it will have a lower resale. These are some things that need to be considered before making the decision on which technology suits your purpose.
I would love an opti, but if you are not prepared to spend the bigger dollars for new tech, I would seriously consider a new engine that was old tech again...cause they are just so bloody simple and reliable as said above. For infrequent use the fuel issue is not an issue.
Cheers
Boat: Seafarer Vagabond
Live: Great South East....love Moreton Bay fishing
.For infrequent use the fuel issue is not an issue.
True but it could make the difference in getting home and running out of fuel!!!
Fuel can become an issue when considering just how much fuel you can carry and how far you want to go. Just changed to a 4 stroke and it makes some decisions on the water a lot easier and I now feel more comfortable going that extra distance to new fishing spots.
Sorry Hoon You must be able to type faster than me.
Last edited by Jarrah Jack; 31-10-2009 at 08:18 AM. Reason: Slow typing
Fuel capacity is an issue reguardless of the type of motor you have, you will be able to travel further on the same amount of fuel with a new tech motor, but you may find yourself travelling to more distant grounds. A good rutle of thumb is 1/3 out 1/3 back and 1/3 in reserve. This way if it does blow up when you are out you should have sufficient to get back.
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