Worth it to Repower a Renegade 20?

[BayouBengal]

Unfortunately I'm looking for some opinions. I have a 2000 Renegade 20 F/S and the Fitch 225 just went pop. I knew it was a risk when I bought the boat but everything was priced right. So now I have a 20 year old hull that's still in really good shape but I'm not certain I want to sink a lot of money into it. I know most on this site don't care for Fish & Skis but it works well for my family and the price difference between this and a "proper" bass boat was significant.

If I do repower with a new motor, will this hull last another 15-20 years if taken care of? Should I be looking at used motors or will that put my right back in this situation in a few years? I'm assuming a new G2 would run me around $20K or so. I'm looking for some opinions of people who have repowered their old boats.

[Jumping Jimmy]

I just repowered my 2004 Stratos. It boils down to how much you like your boat and want to keep it. Cheapest temporary fix is to purchase a used motor and replace your old one. If you want to keep your boat for years to come, get the new motor. I was torn but I do like my boat so when I found a new 200 ProXS opti for $12K I jumped on it. It did cost some extra because of brad change but I am happy now that my boat starts and goes when I want it to.

[tdt91]

yes

[JR19]

I repowered my 1999 hull in 2014 with a new motor and plan on running it several years. If you're in it for the long haul then go new. if you think you may trade then find a reasonable used motor that is 5 or so years old.

[BayouBengal]

If I do repower, how would a 200HO compare to the Fitch 225? Would I be losing much?

[mactlman]

likely not but the fichts did/do make good power. 200ho likely 220 or so HP. why not go with a 225ho? close to 250 hp actual?

[JR19]

Lose...heck you will gain in certain areas...For the record there is a difference in a 200 and 200 HO. The 200 is a small block that is the same cubic inch as the 135,150 and 175. Basically it is tuned to turn 200 HP. The 200 HO is a large block that is the same cubic inch as the 225,250 and 300. NMEA (National Marine Manufacturers Association) states all motors must be within 10% of advertised horsepower. So the 200 can be 180-220 HP and still be called a 200...the small block 200 is probably close to 200 or just shy but within the 10% rule. The letters HO stand for High Output. The 200 HO (and all HO models) are tuned to push the upper limits of the 10% rule so its probably close to 220 horsepower. It has a big cubic inch block so bottom end torque will good. The technology and reliability is tons better than the Ficht. I could see faster holeshot, better mid range punch with the same top end speed or possibly even a 1-2 mph gain...but don't forget all performance will depend on correct motor height, setback and correct prop but long story short I would think you would see a gain instead of a loss.

[JR19]

yes

come on man...a simple yes...you have a Renegade 20 with a 200 HO. I had to do all the work. You simply said yes. For those not in the know tdt91 knows I am a BBC friend just giving him a hard way to go.

[tdt91]

Yes, re-power with a 200HO!!!
Better? LOL

[tdt91]

I had a 2000 200 Ficht and it was a good strong motor while it lasted. When it blew I re-powered w a 2008 200HO. The Etec makes so much more power it ridiculous. If you can find a deal on a 200HO or 225HO and you like the boat then do it. Reason I went 200HO was I found it left over in 2013 and I got a great deal. If I were to have put a 225HO on it I'd be close to 80MPH with a good hole shot. I'm spinning a 26 Trophy to 58-5900 and can reach 73. These boats like weight in the azz so fill up the gas and let her eat.

[JR19]

I had a 2000 200 Ficht and it was a good strong motor while it lasted. When it blew I re-powered w a 2008 200HO. The Etec makes so much more power it ridiculous. If you can find a deal on a 200HO or 225HO and you like the boat then do it. Reason I went 200HO was I found it left over in 2013 and I got a great deal. If I were to have put a 225HO on it I'd be close to 80MPH with a good hole shot. I'm spinning a 26 Trophy to 58-5900 and can reach 73. These boats like weight in the azz so fill up the gas and let her eat.

much better

[BayouBengal]

Thanks for the feedback on the 200HO. I'm aware of the differences between the small block and big block. I never really took advantage of the full 225 HP on the Fitch because I was running a prop that was too small. And I won't get your speed because the F/S is heavier. I'll get some quotes and see where we stand between the 200HO and 225HO.

[Nightmare]

http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=981517

Possibilities.....

[StratosNCO]

with the price of new boats or even slightly used boats, yes I think its totally worth it to repower if the hull is in good shape. I repowered mine in 2016 with a new 200 HO ETEC for $17k and am glad I did.

[tmapes225]

I just popped my 2000 225 Ficht in March and weighed all of the options and decided to put a new reman powerhead on as I did all of the work myself and saved a bunch of cash. Spent $3930.00 for the powerhead and then a hundred more for water pump and lower unit seals. Motor lost the locating ring pin in a piston and she went boom and put a hole in the block. I have already broke in the new powerhead and got 3 tournaments on it this year with out any problems. I would say repower or buy a powerhead if you can do the work.

I was quoted $21,402.00 for a new 225HO Evinrude or $8000.00 for a new powerhead from the dealer. I went the powerhead for 4k and got some help from the guys here on where to buy one with a good reputational company. All is well and nothing was financed.

[BayouBengal]

Good for you man. I wish I had the time and skill to fix it myself but I don’t. And I don’t feel like throwing money at a motor with parts availability issues would be in my best interest long term. But if you have some spare time you can come down here to Louisiana and fix it. I’ll provide the beer. lol

[tmapes225]

I totally understand your take on it. It was actually a lot easier than I thought and I had a guy helping that had more experience but it was still a first time for him with a Ficht but it only took us about 12 hours start to finish and that included changing out the jackplate to an Atlas hydraulic plate. The biggest thing was the oil lines removal and installation because they are hard to get to in the right spots on the intake. I really wanted the new motor but I did not want the payment so I went the other route. Good luck and get her fired back up and on the water.