215 DC information

[johnnylisa]

Hello, everyone,
        I just purchased a 1998 Aquasport 215DC with an Evinrude 200 OceanPro.  The boat seems to be in very good condition overall - mostly just cosmetic blemishes to tend to.  I would like to ask if anyone can direct me to any sources of reference information about this model - owner's manuals, brochures, photos, schematics, etc.  :study:    
        Also any advice on known problems particular to this model would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
John
ntraining@cox.net

[RickK]

Welcome aboard johnnylisa  :!:  :!:
We happen to have the man that built your boat as a member.  He'll pipe in here soon although he just said his pc puked and has to borrow his wife's which might explain why he's been MIA for a while....

[captben31]

First and foremost, just keep an eye on that fuel tank. A large majority of Aquasports are prone to tank failure. The moment you smell fumes that don't disappear after fueling, get it checked out. Besides that, you should have the boat for a long time.

Your biggest worry will be taking care of that 200 Ocean Pro and not the boat itself. The oil injectors/pump are prone to failure which will destroy the engine. Don't cheap out on the oil and use the good Johnson/Evinrude oil as well as Sea Foam fuel additive every tank or every other tank. Do your scheduled maintenace on the engines religously, check those lower unit seals once a year, and keep an eye on the engine temperature. Any signs of trouble, bring her in immediately and get it checked out before you end up ceasing the motor.

I'm not trying to scare you or to be negative. Just be aware of the issues that may arrise so that if anything does come up, you're ready to deal with it and troubleshoot properly....if you do, you will have the boat for another 20 years or until you're ready to move up.

Safe boating and good luck!  

[Capt. Bob]

First and foremost, just keep an eye on that fuel tank. A large majority of Aquasports are prone to tank failure. The moment you smell fumes that don't disappear after fueling, get it checked out. Besides that, you should have the boat for a long time.

Your biggest worry will be taking care of that 200 Ocean Pro and not the boat itself. The oil injectors/pump are prone to failure which will destroy the engine. Don't cheap out on the oil and use the good Johnson/Evinrude oil as well as Sea Foam fuel additive every tank or every other tank. Do your scheduled maintenace on the engines religously, check those lower unit seals once a year, and keep an eye on the engine temperature. Any signs of trouble, bring her in immediately and get it checked out before you end up ceasing the motor.

I'm not trying to scare you or to be negative. Just be aware of the issues that may arrise so that if anything does come up, you're ready to deal with it and troubleshoot properly....if you do, you will have the boat for another 20 years or until you're ready to move up.

Safe boating and good luck!  

First JL,
Welcome aboard.
Next, if Seabob comes on board, he can tell you all about your Aqua, just as Rick said.

As far as the tank goes, you probably have a poly not alum but SB can tell you for sure.

The Hialeah hulls with the aluminum tanks are the ones that have had corrosion problems. We older owners can attest to that but I can't remember too many reports about the Genmar built boats suffering that disease.

As far as the 200 OP goes,  (it's not the Ficht?) the Sea foam is good advice or any Evinrude fuel additive when you don't use the motor that often. The XD-30 will work fine in your motor the XD-50 is a little better but cost more and the XD-100 is a waste of your money with a carb engine. Run the thirty and use Evinrude de-carb in it once a year and you'll be fine.

Don't sweat the VRO pump. It is a very simple device and your model engine has the newer version of the pump. You should have the "System Check" on that motor either as a separate gauge or contained in the tachometer. A lot of horror stories before that system was installed but it's fairly bullet proof now. Qualified mechanics find it works well on the older carb motors. Some replace them but I've had good luck with mine.

The thermostats do have a finite life and will cause you more problems running than the VRO pump will but they're an easy service item. Ditto for stators and rectifiers. They either last or fail on these old "loopers".
Those old carb motors are pretty tough (but are thirsty suckers) if, as Captben stated, you keep up with the maintenance.

Good luck and as always, your post is useless with out pics so show us the porn (Aqua that is)

[seabob4]

Rick,
Thanks for the compliment! 8)   Yeah, I've been MIA for awhile, but this is still the best place.  

Ahh, the 215 DC.  I shall comment later, hopefully it will be of some help.  Give me a few.

Bob C

[seabob4]

Johnnylisa,

You have bought one of my favorite boats that I built.  Simple, lots of room, and not a "shared" Wellcraft clone in that era.  I have known 215 owners to have Hardtops fabbed for that boat (although not a factory option), and they love them.

As far as the boat goes, no real issues to speak of.  As Rick and Capt. Bob stated, you have a roto-molded polyethylene tank, which should give you no problems.  Tabs can be added, which will help out your planing speeds a great deal at minimal cost.  The 200 OMC OceanPro/Ocean Runner was easily the most popular motor mounted on this boat in that era.  225 HP would be nice but it's not necessary.  150 would be way too light, so you have the right combination.

The helm wiring (which I used to do, as well as the motor) can be accessed if your semi agile.  you can get at the control box from there as well as going forward to the running lights.

If you have any questions, feel free.  She is an excellent boat, as I said, one of my favorites. I probably even rub-railed your boat!

Bob C

[johnnylisa]

Thank you all for your kind welcome and replies   .  

      Between work and other demands, we've only been out in the boat twice, but have really enjoyed it.  It is cleaning up nicely, but still has a little ways to go.  I'll be happy to post photos when I get more done in a couple of weeks (and figure out how to post them).

      I've been able to spend a little "quality time" with the bilge area and figured out the pump and hose arrangements.  At least one of the pumps is shot (livewell & washdown) - haven't been able to check the fishbox pump yet.  Only one hose is disconnected, but it will be a pill to get to - my arms seem to be about a foot too short to reach it comfortably.  It's the "T" connector for the fishbox drain line back near the transom.

      This 215DC is not equipped with a faucet or transom shower.  I wouldn't mind adding one or both, but don't know where Aquasport installed the 8 gallon freshwater tanks in them.  If anyone is familiar with these and can tell me where they were installed, I'd like to see if I can retrofit it with a tank without too much surgery.

Thanks again for having me aboard, and as always, any help is very much appreciated,
John
ntraining@cox.net