1983 enticer motor

[ridemmx]

Been working hard on restoring this boat .. It currently had a 83 Johnson 90hp that does ok.. I'm wanting to replace it with alittle more power. So.. What do you all think I should put on it? Newer opti max 115? I like speed but also we play behind the boat also..

I still need to post pics of the work I have been doing ..

 

[wired]

Ive got an '81 enticer . Been driving it for 32 years. Ive had a Johnson 90 and 140 on it. Ive also had a Mercury 1500 ( 150 inline ) , a Mercury 260 2.5 liter, and a Mercury 225 HP 3.0 liter. Right now I have a 150 Mercury fat block 2.0 liter.

The 90 was a good motor. Lots of low end grunt and it got great gas mileage. 49-50 MPH bone stock with a 19 pitch prop. With 140 heads and some fiber reeds it would hit 54 MPH with a 21 pitch prop. lightweight and good mileage and great torque.

The 140 crossflow I built and opened up the ports a bit. It could hit 61 MPH with a 23 pitch. good motor too. Kind of like a 90 on 'roids.

The 1500 was a piece of crap compared to all the other motors even after a full rebuild.

The 260 was too much for the boat and got terrible mileage. Enticers handle like **** up on the pad. The 260 I could just keep the bow down and power through to 77 MPH but it was still too much.

The 225. Just too heavy for the boat. Pulled like a freight train but still WAY too heavy. It would run 75 MPH all day but I had to put 200 lbs of ballast up front to keep the rear from getting swamped when I stopped the boat.


The 1996 150 2.0 Merc is just right. A 2.5 150 would pull even better but I like the fuel savings. I did shave the heads quite a bit so its probably pushing more like 160 HP. Great hole shot and it runs solid up to the low 60's which is really all you can push an enticer to without it getting pretty unstable and more of a pain to drive than its worth.

If you are looking into opti's, a 150 opti weighs close to the same as a 115 and doesnt cost much more. If it were my dime I'd go with the 150.

 

[teamhart2]

Id agree with Wired, the merc v6s are a good balance of power and weight, I have a 135hp on mine and am real happy with it, prolly good for low 60s propped right, a 150 can push the boat up to the 70s if set up right, based on people with predictors, which is the same hull.


hey wired, you have any pics of yours that show how your ladder mounts? I am thinking of ordering one from aquarius and want to make sure it wont interfere with my ski pylon

 

[wired]

Yeah, mid 60's are completely doable with a 150 Merc without having to resort to using a jackplate or anything special. Enticers just dont balance well with large motors and jackplates. The Merc V6 is about the limit to the weight you can slap on the back of one and with a setback its really squeaking by. With the 150 my favorite prop is a 19 pitch and with the 2:1 lower it will still go 60 with a stout hole shot.

Sorry to hijack...

I got my ladder from Aquarius too. Dont remember how much I paid for it but its better than the original they also built. I think it was $235 or somewhere in there. Very close to the same fitment.
The Aquarius "original" ladder was actually the second ladder than came on that boat. Originally it had had a single fold down rung but no one could climb up the damn thing and my dad took it back to the dealer after a few weeks and had them install the better Aquarius model. Took 30 years to beat that thing to death.

 

[wired]

Heres a pic with a 225 3.0 liter. Best not to stop too fast with one of those on the bask or you get your back all wet.

Sits a little higher in back with a 2.5 260 and a 6 inch setback. High enough anyway but it still gets a bit of wash .



Without the jackplate the rear sits high enough to keep the back completely dry with the fat block 2.0/2.5

 

[teamhart2]

Darn, that mounts right where my pylon leg comes down against the splashwell, I wonder if i could rotate that stanchion just a bit? wouldnt be the prettiest but would maybe work.

sorry for the hijack, heres a pic of how it sits with the v6 and 6 inches of setback

 

[DropTop5.0]

Three thoughts come to mind:

1. If I had the coin I'd buy a new Opti
2. You can get crazy and go with a 2 liter of your personal preference
3. I'd find a high quality 1986-1988 Inline 115. they are quite a bit lighter and it's actually a rebadged 150. Plus they look way cool.

 

[wired]

Three thoughts come to mind:

1. If I had the coin I'd buy a new Opti
2. You can get crazy and go with a 2 liter of your personal preference
3. I'd find a high quality 1986-1988 Inline 115. they are quite a bit lighter and it's actually a rebadged 150. Plus they look way cool.

The late 115's arent quite a rebadged 150. The ports are a bit lower and the compression is significantly lower than the old 1500's. They do have a much better ignition system than the old 1500's but the back drag carbs arent the best in the world. Its a 115 HP motor and fully dressed with trim cylinder etc it still around 315 lbs. They do start a lot easier than the older "Thunderbolts" but theres still only so much you can do with 99 cubic inches. Torque is king.

 

[DropTop5.0]

I agree but you can run low high 50's and low 60's with a properly set up inline 115 and it does have that sweet sound.