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TIME FOR MORE POWER

C

crazycunuck

Member
Hi everybody i am about to change my outboard engine i own a 1984 17 sportfire with a 115 merc boat is rated for 140hp am i able to put a 200hp merc on it or is that a bit to much transom is in mint shape. Any advice would be welcome before i buy my new engine thanks.
 
You wouldn't be insurable, but its only about 60lbs more than you have on there now. A little extra transom support couldn't hurt.
 
I've got 200 HP Mercury hanging off the back of a Pulse170 and didn't have any trouble getting insured.:thumb:
 
PapaMaC said:
You wouldn't be insurable, but its only about 60lbs more than you have on there now. A little extra transom support couldn't hurt.
Click to expand...

Who said that you have to broadcast how much H.P. you really have? Insure the boat the way you always have and lose the stickers displaying your HP.

This is the first time in my boating career that my motor has matched my Coast Guard Plate. I was running a 260 under a 200 cover for years....pulled over and boarded many times. Cover said 200, and no one could prove me wrong.

We had a friend years ago with a Sportfire/200 Black Max, when he went by you could see completely under the boat....SICK!!!

Good luck.
 
In the event of an accident, they will inspect your engine and look for ANY reason not to pay out. Overpowering without informing your insurance company is a definite violation of your policy. Most companies won't insure an overpowered boat, let alone pay out for one that was insured as rated hp. Unless you plan on swapping all part/serial numbers, your only fooling yourself. Even then there are other ways to tell the actual HP of an engine, running or not.

P.S.

Paying insurance is like betting with your cards all face-up against the company that something is going to happen. The company accepts your bet without showing its cards or coughing up the ante. The house always wins, my friends.
 
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I had won insured for years it was rated for a 115 and I had a 200 on it. My policy covered the engine, trailer, and boat separately because it was a OB. I always use a stated value policy so I know what I am getting on everything

party-smiley-028.gif
 
Policies are regulated slightly differently from state to state, but are generally the same. Neither of my boat policies offer to pay for the boat separately from the engine, they are all covered as one. They are itemized but not for separate coverage. When I asked my insurance agent about overpowering a couple months ago he told me "if you crash with an overpowered motor, you had better hope the motor disappears during the accident."
 
Well I dont remember the guy asking about insurance for his Sportfire so I am going to comment on the engine issue.
Enticer1 has a Sportfire with a 200 merc on it he has put a lot of time in to the set up and he never did get it to handle like he wanted. The Sportfire is just not as stable at high speeds as other checkmate hulls. I think you should look for a 135v6 or 150 and prop it for all around use.
PM Enticer1 for more details.
 
I have always had V6 Mercs.

As long as I had the original midsection/bracket (where the I.D.# resides). I could use any block I wanted. The 2.4 blocks were all the same. It was the internals that differed.....and there ain't an insurance adjuster alive with balls big enough to split my motor!!

I won't Argue anymore, cuz it won't do me any good anyway. All I know is that probably 1/2 of the boats on here and on S&F are "overpowered" and I am yet to see a thread titled "insurance won't cover my overpowered motor/boat". I am sure you can find one by doing a search, but it is not the norm.

Anyway :offtopic:. Good luck with your new motor!
 
The oh mighty one onced asked :sssh: what do we considered over powered. I have yet been able to over power anything it may have scared the crap out of me or been unpractical but never over powered.

Take for instance this video here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocKlr43hUlE

Is this boat over powered or just down right Kick a$$ We all can get in anything car, truck, and boat and hold it to the floor and have a wreck. But the question in the end would be why did you not let off the gas.

Under powered
smilie_daumenneg.gif

Over powered

rock.gif
 
hotdaddy27, there's also serial numbers on your engine block if you know where to look.

I'm seriously thinking about pulling my 2.0 135 from the back of my Pulse 170 and puttin' a 3.0 225 efi back on. It's a risk that I'm willing to take on my small lake that only sees light boat traffic. I'll also be putting 135 stickers on the cowl, but I wont be removing the clamp bracket serial number or the block serial numbers.
Big Red, I haven't thought of insuring the three seperately. Probably a good idea against theft, but I dont think it would help if I piled the boat up into a ball and the sherrif came out to investigate :sssh:
 
200 on a17footer

I ran a 200 Merc for years on a 17 Baja and there were no handling issues once I got good dual steering and 6" of set back. You just need to be willing to spend the time to get it set up right. If you ski wth it you'll love the power and still be able to run 70+. We can cuss and discuss insurance but that's a choice for you to make. That video that Red posted has been around awhile and everytime I see it I wonder, is it overpowered or set up wrong or is it just too much for the driver? Watch the video, there's no shot of it flying under real power. Everytime he nails it, it gets squirrelly and he can't stay in it. Maybe there's another video of that boat but the only thing impressive in this one is the sound. Lesson is you can mess up a nice rig if you're not careful.


Art



In God We Trust:)
 
JW said:
hotdaddy27, there's also serial numbers on your engine block if you know where to look...
Click to expand...

I am aware, and I agree. But with high performance mercs, we all know that every so often a rod can end up through the block...then what. My numbers have never matched until this season.
 
Big Red said:
The oh mighty one onced asked :sssh: what do we considered over powered. I have yet been able to over power anything it may have scared the crap out of me or been unpractical but never over powered.

Take for instance this video here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocKlr43hUlE

Is this boat over powered or just down right Kick a$$ We all can get in anything car, truck, and boat and hold it to the floor and have a wreck. But the question in the end would be why did you not let off the gas.

Under powered
smilie_daumenneg.gif

Over powered

rock.gif
Click to expand...

with you big red!:cheers:drool::cheers:poke:
 
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