I got my new vessel view mobile installed this weekend and took it out on Sunday. My temperature gauge was broken, so I have never known what my engine temp is until now, which is why I bought the vessel view mobile. I've owned the boat since August and previously just idled through a long no-wake zone and then fast idled a bit more to make sure it was up to temp before taking off. I always let it run for about a minute or two after getting in place to let the temps stabilize.
Anyway, after idling through the no-wake zone on Sunday, the engine never got above 108. I went to about 1500 rpm for a few minutes longer and it never got above 111. Since it had been running for about 15 minutes already, I went ahead and got on plane, then kept it about 3500rpm for about 5 minutes. The temps were around 102-105 the entire time. Once I got in place and idled, the temps never rose above 111. Water temp was 54 degrees and outside temp was about 58. Is this normal operating temperature in 54 degree water? Is the vessel view mobile reading taken at a point that would show a lower temp than usual? I've always had the idea that I shouldn't run the Optimax hard until it hits 120 or a little hotter.
Since this is a 2004 Optimax with about 70 hours on it, I'm a bit paranoid about cold seizing this engine.