Looking to buy a new 202. What motor?

[EDEERNET]

Which motor is going to be the best on this boat? I am looking for the best mix of speed, gas usage, and warranty.
Also, can you recommend any extras to add the base model.

[chad202]

I'd put a 250XS with sportmaster lowerunit. That should put you loaded to fish around 85ishmph. Blazer comes with alot of standard stuff. Maybe just get a GPS/sonar for the dash. Everything else should be in there already.

[EDEERNET]

I know that would be the fastest motor, but how is it on gas? Don't they only have a 2 year warranty

[chad202]

Your best warrantys will probably come from Yamaha or Evinrude. The 250XS is great on gas. The 225ProXS is another good choice. I will be a little better on gas but the price between the two is not much at all. Always go with the bigger power. JMO. You could always run 3/4 throttle and get even better gas mileage and not run the motor hard at all. I'm partial to Mercurys. I'm sure the Yamaha and Evinrude guys will be in here shortly to give there perspsective.

[Jason Phillips]

Here I are (as my 3-yr old says).

All three brands have great motors. It is going to come down to what do you want. I have an '06 202 on order that should be here in a couple of weeks. I ordered it with a 225 H.O. E-Tec from Evinrude. I have experience with this motor and truly believe it is the best motor out right now taking EVERYTHING into consideration. There are some faster, and some cheaper, but I believe in this motor. I had an '05 and loved it. The H.O. puts out an estimated 247 +/- horsepower, so you aren't underpowering the boat. It has GOBS of torque, so it can carry weight extremely well. This boat/motor should turn a 30 TXP prop to 5800 rpms and 82-84 mph. It gets good gas mileage plus you have these other benefits....
3 year standard warranty (should have additional 4 yrs offered during boat show season)
No break-in period--put it in the water and go!
No dealer service for the first 3 years or 300 hours--nothing, nada, zero
Owner can do the winterizing procedure themself
3-Star Emissions Compliant
It will scare you as to how little it uses oil when programmed for the XD-100 oil
Runs incredibly smooth and quiet on 87 Octane gasoline
I personally know of two people that have gone to this motor this year--1 from a 225 HPDI and 1 from a 250XS (05 model). Both are extremely impressed.
Like I said, you aren't going to outrun a properly set up 250XS powered 202, but there's not much else stock that will pull away from you.

[Rebel1]

Ok, here is a Yamaha guy. My 250 HPDI has been pretty good. Great gas mileage, low oil usage, and great manners. Plus, I got a 5 year warranty. I don't think that you could go wrong with any of motors that have been mentioned. With that said, most all of us Blazer guys start off on the right track, but the speed bug bites us, and then you will want more. For speed, the 250 XS with the Sportmaster lower unit is the ticket, but like you said 2 year warranty. Just buy what you like the most and what will look best on your boat to you. All of these new motors are pretty dang good.

[EDEERNET]

Thanks, for all the info guys. I have a couple more questions to ask. How much leg room is there behind the console on this boat? (I'm 6'-4") Also, do these boats have a recess fro the trolling motor pedal? And the last thing is, what is the overall length of this rig with a jackplate and a drop tongue? (garage is 21'-6") I've heard alot of different lengths and the website is no help.

[blair]

Hey ..

As far as the leg room goes...........i am 6'3" and the 210 has adequate leg room.....can't say the same for the 202. You may have to crouch or bend a bit to drive............

[Jason Phillips]

I'm 6' and had plenty of room behind the wheel (I know, I'm short).

The recessed trolling motor pedal is available. I ordered it on mine.

With the swing away tounge you will be close, but should be ok (may have to turn the motor completely to one side.

[blair]

Hey Jason:

That's not short.......

I know lots more shorties........i thought that measurement would be close.......I had to knock out a wall in my garage to fit my 210......plenty of room now...

[EDEERNET]

I know I will be putting my boat in at an angle, I was just wanting to make sure it was under 23' long. I emailed the company, but got no response. Also can you get this boat with a single axle trailer?

[Jason Phillips]

You shouldn't have any trouble if you've got 23 feet to work with.

As for the trailer.....I would keep something in mind. If you want to sell it, you won't lose a sale because you have a tandem axle, but you might lose one if you don't have it. I would suggest getting the dual axle since it is standard. You might be able to turn your wheel enough to not have to put the trailer in at an angle. Plus, if you have a flat, you'll sure be glad you've got that tandem axle. There are also products out there to help make it easier to move around.

[blair]

Excellent suggestion Jason...

[EDEERNET]

The 18' Stratos I have know weighs more than a 202 and it only has a single axle. I do see your points though, but it is a pain to try and move a 2 axle trailer around

[Jason Phillips]

Just learn how to back up real well.

Another option to try might be this.....Do you have an air compressor? If so, jack the front end of the boat up as high as you can with the jack. Now, here's where it gets interesting. Let all of the air out of the tires on the front axle of your tandem axle trailer (I mean ALL the air). This will cause the circumference to shrink about an inch and just might possibly make you a single axle trailer. If you're going to use the trailer again the next day I wouldn't go to that much trouble, but it is an idea.

[EDEERNET]

If I'm going to go through all that. I could just take 2 of the wheels off and just have 3 spares, plus a back-up set of hubs
Does Blazer have any othe options for this year not listed on their website?

[EJP]

No their sit is not up to date at all... and well their brochures are not even close.. They look to be 5 or 6 years old. But after going to dealer and talking about options, their are way more then listed on the site. I am placing order as soon as my equity check gets here in a week or two. I am going with the yamaha 250hpdi. I think for the extra 2-3mph you will get out of the 250XS it isnt worth the cost difference, and les warranty. I also am interested in the 250 h.o. e-tec that is supposed to be released this next week. It comes with 7 year warranty I believe, I imgaine way more money then the HPDI

This is what I found out as far as motor choices and the pluses and minuses

250XS: Fast, should see 84-85mph. Very sporty looking, by far the best cosmetically. Worst warranty. Mid range in cost.

E-Tec: The most expensive. The best warranty, up to 7 years. Bad reputation with lower units, but seems to be solved. I would only get the 250 h.o. e-tec, but it is un-released as of this post. Second if I got it, it would first year motor, which I will not do with an outboard. Speed, no one has driven this combo.

250HPDI: the best economically upfront. I say up-front because I have never had any of these engines so I do not know operating cost comparisons. Fast enough for me. And almost everyone has this motor on the boat, so set-up help is readily available on this board. People are seeing speeds from 79-87, I think 87mph is a souped up motor, but I am not sure. There has been alot of prop experimentation, and all of them are regulars on this site.

I have learned alot about these boats just continuosly reading this site! I met two crazy crackers! ( I love that line), that really went way out of their way to show me the blazer. I was looking at Basscat's real hard, I love hose boats, they are great. But what I am getting for the money compared to the cat is extremely different. I have seen no lack of quality, and really like this boat. I will be ordering very soon, come on mail man, bring me my check!!

[EDEERNET]

I see that the 15" jackplate seems to be pretty popular on the 202. Is there much of a difference in performance vs. a 10" or 12" plate I'm trying to make this rig fit in my garage and 5" is alot right now

[Vyper202]

Go with the 15" bro, better all around performance from the boat. If you dont, a couple of months from now you will be selling the 10 and ordering a 15!

[Jason Phillips]

Is there MUCH difference between the size of plates......generally not a lot of difference. BUT, if you want to get the maximum performance out of your rig (I don't know many that don't want this), then you need to get the 15.

Different boats react differently to the setback. I would have never dreamed of running more than 8 on my 200 Pro Stratos (actually had a 6 on it), but the Blazer loves the setback. Remember, in this case, size matters........and I can say I've got a full 15 inches!!!