Looking to repower with an 01 Opti 200

[jiggin86]

I have been looking to repower for awhile. Finding used outboard in my area has turned out to difficult to day the least. However I've found an 01 Opti 200hp to replace my 99Ficht 175. Honestly I didn't do my homework when purchasing my Ranger with the Ficht. So I'm trying to be a little more prepared this time... some of the forums I've read about the older Optis aren't impressing me. I'm left wondering if they are anymore reliable than my dreaded Ficht. The Opti also has 600 hours, mostly at idle and mid-range speed. I'm looking for some insight to ease my pain here. Good or bad I wanna know the some truthful opinions. Thanks in advance!

[J Risco]

They didnt call the early ones "Opti-Pops" for fun...

Id look for an EFI, use more fuel but are more reliable. Or a Fastrike/Intruder, same deal, more fuel but bulletproof (and cheap to rebuild IF needed), and you can keep your current controls.

[jiggin86]

Thanks for the reply. I wish I could other outboard in my area but that's not proving to be the case. The Ficht still runs but it's not very reliable and my son has started fishing high school tournaments this year. So I need something reliable and less troublesome.

[06 SB]

They were just OK and certain parts can be hard to find. You really need a Mercury or Yamaha EFI if you want reliability from that era.