And so it begins...

[arjone01]

The 200 EFI blew, sold it to a BBC member for a great price and he's rebuilding it for his 201. With that being said, I'm finally giving the 190 the overhaul I've been meaning to do. New Carpet (tan this time), dying the white on my seats to match the tan on the carpet to accent the gold on the boat, transforming the deck step/extension into a lockable compartment, finishing the front middle and rear compartment out with gel instead of carpet (for moister reasons) and some more bling to come. (as well as Bluewater LEDs that I've had for a year, but been waiting till I did the carpet to do the job).

Right now she's naked with no motor, going to replace the JP as well.

Oh yeah, I'm looking for a newer 200 Optimax with some hours in great condition as the new powerhouse. Going to be great whipping it into shape!

[Backlash Ar]

And don't forget the pics!

[BassAm]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by Backlash Ar &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">And don't forget the pics! </td></tr></table>

+1. I'm thinking of replacing the carpet on my boat ('99 Fisher fiberglass) from red (which I hate) to the tan.

[Tx 201]

Post pics of the process please. I am thinking about redoing the carpet this winter, finally got the motor running good, now it's time to brush up the rest of the boat.

My brother just delivered a boat to a friend at Falcon, a Triton 21' Elite with a 250 SHO on it, for a GREAT DEAL PRICE of $61,0000 plus change. Yeah, for that kind of money I'll spend a little time working on new carpet and some wet sanding in some areas and save a ton of money. Once the carpet starts to mat on that 61,000 dollar boat, I wonder if he will still be smiling?!?!?!

The way boat prices are going, my boat value is going to start going up!!

[AlanW]

If you do end up with a 200 Optimax, I love to hear your comparsion of it verse a 200 EFI on the same boat.

[Darth VMAX]

I would imagine with the weight of these Cobra's, the difference between the 2.5L and a 3.0l will be night and day!

[vnvjames]

So are you saying a Cobra is light or heavy ? I have a 99 Cobra 190D and have no idea how much it weights.

[Backlash Ar]

Just the boat @1350 lbs.

[AlanW]

Well, my Coral 191 F&S is supposed to weigh 1475 lbs, which is 125 lbs heavier than the 190 Cobra bass boat. Then figure the 3.0 200 OptiMax is at least 100 lbs heavier than the current 2.5 200 EFI.

The 2.5 200 EFI and the 3.0 200 Opti are both 200 HP. I know the 3.0 Opti will more low end torque....

But, will the extra torque ACTUALLY give me anything considering I would be adding at least 100 lbs on an already heavier boat? I mean, I fear it might just turn out to be a wash. Since they are both 200 HP, I don't see the top end speed changing much if at all.
The extra weigh of the Opti on back might give me more bow lift, which would probably be good.

I know the Opti would give me better gas mileage, but the way I use my boat, better gas mileage in & of itself would not cause me to spend the $$$ for an engine change. I want better performance.

All that considered, do you think I'd get much moving to a 3.0 200 ?

[btsmbass]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by AlanW &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Then figure the 3.0 200 OptiMax is at least 100 lbs heavier than the current 2.5 200 EFI.
</td></tr></table>

It's 435 to 500 lbs difference. Only 65 lbs and it is off the transom so very little in performance will be made of the weight.

The 2.5 case does not have as much lift as the 3.0 case, there fore in your application you need to choose between holeshot and top end due to your heavy boat mated to a 2.5. Due to the natural lift of the 3.0 case and low end torque you can set up your boat much easier for top end speed. You will gain at least 3mph with the 3.0 200, which dynos right at 218hp. Every one of them whether they are a opti or EFI. Every merc injected 200 is a strong motor. The 2.5 EFI is close to 200hp.

You will not regret moving to a 3.0l motor, they are worth every penny.

[AlanW]

Good info and answers, btsmbass, appreciate it.
First I've heard about difference in lift between the gear cases, I would never had thought of that.
I did think my 2.5 200EFI was only right at 400 lbs., and the 3.0 Opti was over 500 lbs.

[arjone01]

Agreed! I'm looking forward to the low end torque, and the fact that the optimax gear case will slide better. I don't expect anything more than keeping a consistent 70 MPH from a 3.0, as opposed to the "close" 66 mph out of the 2.5 EFI.

I will mostly like the "cruising" abilities of the 3.0 and the slight speed increase when needed.

[Tx 201]

The 3.0 Opti will not perform as well as the 2.5. Is your block in good shape? If so send it to Jay Smith to rebuild. Tell him you want some extra hp and tell him how much you want. He will cut the cases to give you some extra low end. (see Mercury High Performance board, "My take on cutting cases" or some title similar to that, it is pinned at the top.)He uses race bearing for the con rods so if you want to spin it up to 6500, or 6800 you can. The only limit is aluminum pistons won't take much over 6800 before you start to rip the wrist pin out the bottom

He will top pin the rings, cut the heads, remove the oiler and putty up #2 which will also wake up the low end a little, he removes the timing and detonation modules, and without the extras plus the oil tank, I bet you save 25 lbs in weight. Motor will start first bump, and be solid as a rock. Oh yeah, he balances all the rods and pistons. He has two world outboard championships on motors he built and drove and had built several other world champ motors. He is a great friend of the father of the modern Merc V6, so he has plenty of background knowledge IF he needs it.

One thing, ask him to send your current ECU to Simons to recurve the unit. The only problem I had with mine turned out that the Brucato ACU would not work on the motor. We changed EVERY electric part and something about the Brucato just wasn't right and we couldn't get it right. You have to recurve the unit to a 225 Promax, otherwise you will run too lean in cooler weather.

If you want performance, send it to him. You will run premium gas and pre-mix, but that is really a small thing to deal with to KNOW your motor won't come apart when the oiler goes bad. With the timing modules removed, timing is hard set at 24, which gives you a little better power on the top since the module is not retarding the timing at higher RPMs.

I have a 201 dual console and it comes out of the hole like an 18 ft boat. I had a local mechanic work on the prop and he screwed it up, I need to send it off to get some lift back in it. Right now with water touching the running surface about where the consoles start and I am hitting 6,000. I think once I get more lift I may have to go to a different prop or be careful not to go past 6800. I anticipate at 6500 running about 72-73 top end.

If you want better gas milage, get the Opti. One note if you do that, put the blown 2.5 up for sale. Guys that race boats are always looking for a 2.5 to modify. There is a TON of power available in those motors. I bumped mine to 250 just to keep the reliability in line with the stock setup. We could have pushed it over 300, but I like to fish more than haul butt.

By the way, my rebuild was all new pistons and rods, a new crank because the nylon races the stock bearings used wore a major spot on a lobe, all cylinders punched .015 over, all the above mentioned case work, rebuilt VST, fuel pump, injectors cleaned and flowed by Brucato, race plug wires (they are about twice the size of stock) cut heads to 34cc and I am sure some other things that I can't remember right now. Cost me just a tad over $4,700, then $150 for the recurve from Simons. How much is a new 200 Opti going to run? I can probably rebuild this motor two more times before it is even money.

I would say at least talk to Jay before you decide. Good luck with your decision

[Tx 201]

Sorry, just saw you said you sold the motor. I am leaving up the previous post in case someone else is considering rebuilding or buying new.

Merry Christmas!