Repower or new boat.....THE ULTIMATE DECISION!

[Brendanpd28]

Hello fellow aquasporters!

     Been absent for quite some time......fishing, boating, and my wedding were top priorities this summer!  Hope everyone is doing well.  I am at a crossroads and looking for a little guidance.  I have enjoyed my 1976 for a couple seasons now.  Made some additional upgrades as well (new 27 gallon fuel tank, simrad GO7, NMEA2K setup with fluid level sensor for fuel level through the simrad, waterpump + tstats and fuel pump on the 88 spl, and some other misc. add ons.) I am looking into either repoweering with a 90hp Etech DPI (only motor light enough for the boat), or selling and upgrading to a more recent vessel with more recent power.  Got a quote for a brand new motor....$10,000 installed! Serious investment for such an old girl.  Also looked into preowned....ive alwats been weary about buying a preowned motor with unknown hours, owners, no warranty, etc....  Plus it is a stretch to find a used 90hp Etech lol.  Option 2 is sell her and invest into a slightly larger boat with newER power.  Long post I know.....but the advice from all of you is invaluable!! THANKS

[wingtime]

I'd do some shopping around on the Etec.  With year end you might be able to do better.  I know members that have bought larger HP motors for 10K installed.

[Brendanpd28]

Thanks Wingtime.  will do.  Im just worried about a re power being a bad investment. I would never expect to get my money back on ANY boat investment but I feel you shouldn't repower unless you plan to keep the boat for at least another 5 years otherwise thats a HUGE hit.  A lot to think about.   

[dirtwheelsfl]

Try ARG in Riviera

[boatnamesue]

Thanks Wingtime.  will do.  Im just worried about a re power being a bad investment. I would never expect to get my money back on ANY boat investment but I feel you shouldn't repower unless you plan to keep the boat for at least another 5 years otherwise thats a HUGE hit.  A lot to think about.

I agree with you here ^^^.  If you hang a new outboard and sell your rig anytime in the future, you will not recoup your investment.   I do not, however, agree with your statement that a 90 etec is the only motor light enough for your boat.  I have a 2 stroke Yam 115hp hanging on my '76 170.  Its dry weight is 376lbs.  You could go up as high as a 130hp before jumping up 100lbs.  So you do have more options than you've listed here. 

As far as comfort buying a used outboard, buying a good one is entirely contingent upon how it runs under load.  You can perform all the diagnostic tests you want on land...compression, leak down, etc.   But none of these will ultimately provide you with 100% confidence that your buying a winner.  Then the question becomes, how to find a used motor for sale that your able to test under load.  That in its self becomes more difficult than buying a new outboard.  But you never know until you start looking.  Many owners with rigs for sale are willing to sell motor separate from boat, thereby allowing you the opportunity to test motor under load. You just have to ask. 

[mshugg]

I think this decision hinges on one question:  are you totally happy with your current ride or is there something out there you like better?  Are you considering something bigger?  Something more specialized?  Is there something you want to do that your AS doesn’t do?  Do you want something newer?

If you love your current ride then the repower can be worth it.  Note I said worth it, but I don’t mean in an investment sense.  Maybe there are some people who make money on boats, but that’s never been me.  Maybe it’s the buy high, sell low thing.  A repower is kind of like getting married.  It’s a commitment that can work out fine, but not if you still feel like dateing.

[Brendanpd28]

All very sound points and much appreciated. Boatnamesue....the reason for the Etech comment was because my current motor weighs 296 lbs. and my scuppers are at the waterline. An etec is about 320 and the lightest 2 stroke out there (at least for the brands im interested in)Not sure I wanna risk putting the scuppers completely under water! Honestly I absolutely LOVE my 170 but I would like something a little bigger with some new power. I will be listing her soon to see if any reasonable offers come in. Thanks again!

[boatnamesue]

All very sound points and much appreciated. Boatnamesue....the reason for the Etech comment was because my current motor weighs 296 lbs. and my scuppers are at the waterline. An etec is about 320 and the lightest 2 stroke out there (at least for the brands im interested in)Not sure I wanna risk putting the scuppers completely under water! Honestly I absolutely LOVE my 170 but I would like something a little bigger with some new power. I will be listing her soon to see if any reasonable offers come in. Thanks again!

I probably should have noted in my previous that yes, scuppers will not remain above water level with a >115hp engine as the boat pitches and rolls.  However, in my case I keep the scuppers plugged while boat is submerged.  After throwing the cast net (grass flats) and washing down deck with buckets of water, only then will I utilize the "self-bailing" feature by unplugging scuppers and throttling up to suck out the water...immediately followed by re-plugging scuppers. 

If you're intention is to keep scuppers open full time, then yeah you'll want to go with a lighter weight outboard.  But frankly, IMO, unless a 170 has a 75hp or less and the operator is a light weight person, as soon as you walk aft of console the scuppers will dip below the water level, thereby flooding the rear deck.  Personally I don't like that...water coming in and out.  I prefer a dry deck.

I intend on outfitting my 170 with a half tower (quarter tower, really), adding trim tabs, and moving above-deck baitwell to centerline and aft of tower.  Hoping to have this all done by summer of next year.  Keep the boat another year or so.  But I'm with ya on stepping up to a bigger hull.  I'm impartial at the moment on whether to specifically target a 22-2 flatback, or go with the osprey style 12º 22-2.  I'm more of a shallow water fisherman, rarely getting offshore, so I'm leaning towards the flatback (if I can find one worth restoring) with tower.

[racin118]

Repowered my 175 with an etec 90 this year and couldn’t be happier. Join the aquasport boat club fb page and search Josh Gilliam for the info including the running numbers.

Might be worth a trip down here to get the long warranty they only offer for florida.  I did 8 year non declining warranty