1987 228 Seafarer - which motor would you choose?

[thill]

I was just "gifted" a 1987 228 Seafarer with a the original blown 200 Johnson on the bracket.

The boat is in good shape overall. Needs a few little fixes and a lot of soap and bleach!

I have three motors that I can use for this boat:
1) 1999 Johnson 200 hp in very good condition
2) 1993 Johnson 225 hp in good condition
3) 1999 Optimax 225 hp in good condition

The 200 is obviously the safe choice. Bolt on and I'm done, with a harness adapter.
But how do the older 228's run with 200 hp two-troke power? I see a lot of them rigged that way.

The 225 has 25 hp more, but it is older, which could hurt resale, if I decide to flip.

The Optimax is HUGE, so I'm concerned about the weight. (Anyone know the lbs?) Plus it would require a full re-rig and new gauges and so on. But it would probably give best fuel economy and highest resale value.

Thoughts???

Thanks in advance.

-TH

 

[Doc Stressor]

My 1986 Seafarer had a 200 hp 2-stroke, which was plenty of power for that hull. We used to have up 4 people with scuba tanks on board and never had a problem getting up or staying up on plane. Top speed was 42 mph lightly loaded.

The pre-SV2 hulls don't need as much power to run well.

 

[thill]

Doc,
Thanks for the reply. That is good to hear, and that makes sense, as I see a bunch of these older ones with 200 hp on the back.

Any thoughts on the weight of the Optimax 225 being an issue with these hulls???

Thanks.

-TH

 

[Doc Stressor]

A 225 Opti doesn't weigh that much more than those old OMC 2-strokes. Depending on the year, they weighed in between 450 and 475 lb. The latest 200-250 hp Opti's are listed at 505 lb.

My old Seafarer had a 200 hp Mercury, which weighed less than 400 lb. The OMC's had more torque, but gave a slightly lower top speed.

If I were you, I'd give Grady a call about your choices. They are used to fielding repower questions.

 

[SwampGrizz]

I have a 2000 Seafarer with a 200hp HPDI Yamaha, and it's fine. I'm not going to win any speed trials, but that's OK. Your hull may be a little different, so it may make a difference, but I would go with the most reliable motor.

SwampGrizz

 

[gw204]

If you are going to resell, pick the prettier of the 99 and the 93 Johnsons. I doubt the 25 hp difference will be very noticeable. No way would I put the Opti on there. It survived this long so it's probably OK, but it still has one of the worst reputations out there.

 

[Parthery]

Top speed around 40 with the 200...maybe 2-3 mph faster with the 225. I'd go with one of the Johnsons and avoid the headache and expense of a rerig.

 

[thill]

I appreciate the replies. It's got me thinking.

Do the 225 Optimax really have a terrible reputation? I never heard that before. What goes wrong with them? I checked, and this one is listed at 518 lbs.

The 200 and 225 OMC are listed at 448 lbs. So I'm definitely leaning toward using a 225 on the Grady.

Any other thoughts on this matter?

Thanks for the feedback.

-TH

 

[wrxhoon]

I have a 228 with a 250 optimax on the bracket and she goes great after several hundred hours, very reliable engine, I wouldn't swap it with anything else.
I run up to 50 miles offshore chasing beakies in the pacific ( Sydney down under) so reliability is a must for me. The original engine was Yam 250 OX-66, reliable but very thirsty.

 

[Fishtales]

Easy... #1.

 

[Doc Stressor]

I'd go with #1 also as long as the engine is in good shape.

I've had some experience with those V6 OMC loopers on different boats. The only difference you will notice between the 200 and 225 is a slightly faster top end and increased fuel consumption. The main difference is they open up the breathing on the 225, which generates more hp at max rpm, but also uses more fuel and doesn't give as smooth an idle as the 200. The mid range torque, which is what you feel putting the boat up on plane is the same. You would not notice any difference cruising at say 42-4500 rpm. Both are very thirsty engines. You can expect less that 2 mpg at cruise. The Opti would give you ~3 mpg at cruise, but the early Opti's had a lot of issues that were addressed in the latter year models.

The age of any outboard is a concern. Most fail as the result of some form of internal corrosion. This happens even if the engine low hours and may in fact be even more of a problem for engines that see little use. I would not put a 23 year old engine on a boat if I was going offshore.

 

[Lt.Mike]

Is the question here what outboard is better, or which is better for you?
Sure if I was starting from scratch I'd grab the Merc and throw it on but it has has a Johnson on it now so I say stay with Johnson. Pick the one that is closest to the year so it is plug and play, meaning it uses the same controls and wiring so that you don't have to run a new set.
Just bolt it up and go, really, why make it complicated and hard on yourself? Don't have to spend a fortune either.
Is there a performance difference between the three? Probably but if you couldn't read it on a GPS could you feel the difference? Probably not to the degree that it matters all that much. Resale? I don't see one being worth much more than the other.
Will one save fuel over the other? Maybe but who cares, you got a free boat! Looking at the big picture if you burn twice the fuel as a guy who paid $100,000 for a new Grady its still like your taking a free ride compared to what he's laying out for a day on the water.
I love it when people suggest you spend $15,000 for a new outboard so that that you can save a couple hundred a year on fuel. :-|
Too funny.

Mike.

 

[Lt.Mike]

Top speed around 40 with the 200...maybe 2-3 mph faster with the 225. I'd go with one of the Johnsons and avoid the headache and expense of a rerig.

I missed your post here, this is my point in a nut shell. :wink:

 

[BigI]

Is the 99' Johnson a FITCH? If so, that should weigh heavily on the decision.

 

[Tucker]

Pick the best Johnson, ditch the oiler and premix. How much do they want for the motors?

 

[suzukidave]

if the 99 johnson 200 is a ficht (injected) motor avoid it. if it has carbs then that's the logical choice but do a compression check first.

the late 90s optimaxes have a reputation for injector issues but not as bad as ficht. carbed engines are easier and cheaper to maintain and there is less to break.

the 93 225 will be fine. it is identical to a 200 except for the larger carbs. in return for every so slightly more top end speed you will use more fuel. or you can get a set of 200 carbs and manifolds on ebay and sell the 225 carbs for more because the bassboat guys all want that extra 3 mph.

the 93 225 is really not worth much less than a 99 200. they are both considered old obsolete thirsty smokey engines and individual condition will govern. plus the older ocean runner decals are nicer.

 

[thill]

Gentlemen,
Thank you for all of your well thought-replies!
Sorry for the late replies, but I got no reply notifications, so I thought the topic had gone cold.

Well, there has been lots of progress since my last post!

First, I bought the 225 Johnson. Mainly, because it was $900, has perfect compression, and runs well. The 200 was $2,000. The $1,100 difference can go toward other needed items.

Then the previous owner old me he had some stuff for me. Outriggers, tackle and a full enclosure. Look:

 

[thill]

The next step was to go through the 225. Clean the carbs, replace the fuel lines and filters, service the lower unit, etc.

But then I got a call from a fellow who owns a marina. He had a trade in motor I might be interested in. It was a 2001 Evinrude 200 hp Ram. (Ficht)

I know what you are thinking.. But hear the story out.

This motor has always run flawlessly. But last year, the ECM got clogged up and started throwing erratic error codes. Very frustrating to have happen when on the water! He eventually had the marina look at it. They sent the ECM unit off to DFI and they rebuilt/replaced the ECM. While at it, they serviced the motor. Motor running flawlessly again.

In the meantime, the owner's wife was nagging her husband to just buy a new motor, so they wouldn't have to worry anymore. Well, she won! Brand new Mercury Pro on the boat, now.

So I was able to get the motor, prop and controls for the cost of the repairs. $1,200. I'm sorry, but I could not pass that deal. I drove up and got it! Look:

 

[thill]

So I bought two motors for $100 more than the 200 Ocean Runner.
If I have problems, I'll come in on my 9.9 kicker and swap motors.

But Dave knows this motor, and I think it is going to run great.

Last night after work, I got the bug. Pulled the old motor off and mounted the new one. Took me about 4 hours:


Today, I'm going to add a wiring harness adapter so that I can use he existing harness and run the boat. I'm really excited! Can't wait to see how she will perform.

-TH

 

[thill]

Update:
After installation, the 200 was acting strange. So I called the dealer, and he sent the EMM off to be rebuilt. It turned the ground wire screw was loose, and the erratic ground killed the EMM.

Two weeks later, I have a NEW EMM, as the old one was not salvageable. Motor runs excellent on the hose. It's so quiet! I plan to take her out for a sea-trial tomorrow. I can't wait!

Will post results.

In he meantime, I'm going to clean and fog the 225 and put it in the shed in case of disaster. Hopefully, I'll never need it!

-Tony