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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | My 1985 Skeeter SF150's 1989 Johnson 150GT lost a rod on our trip to Cedar Lake Ontario last week. Trying to figure out my options - new boat is not in the equation yet! I really love the boat. The rod let go with the motor idling at the dock.
What to do? I really also loved the performance of that 2-stroke motor, idle all day trolling, & run like a bandit when needed. Gas bill's were not pretty for it though. Trolling w/ my Humminbird 997SI is how I explore new lakes & find my honey pot spots. I also find myself trolling more in between spot's. The need for speed is to get off the water fast when the weather gets nasty. A friend already suggested a Yamaha 150HP 4-stroke. The boat is rated up to 150HP. I've heard there's a appreciable weight increase, but don't have a clue as to what the old Johnson weigh's. I really don't want the bow pointing at the sun!
I assume a rebuild at the local Johnson/Evinrude Marina is not going to be cheap. I'm an old 1960's gear head & I can probably rebuild it myself, but at my age and with my day job/family etc, its not something I really want to do, although it'd be interesting.
Rebuild or re-power w/ new 2 or 4-stroke - manufacturer's? Any advice is welcome!
Thanks,
Al
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | Al ... i made the choice to re-power this year against many logical notions and have found it was the best thing i could have done from a pure satisfaction standpoint. if i were to choose another "boat", i can bring my power with me. in my case i love the boat/hull too so it's a long-term winning proposition.
the size/weight/output of today's motors should put you in a positive place vs. what you have hanging now. on the 150 you get a wide assortment of newer power that is proven, plus you get the warranty, reliability and fuel performance of today's motors.
i say re-power!!
when i did (my boat max is 175) i wanted that yami but didn't want to under-power, so i put the merc pro-xs on. i'm lovin' it!!!
between the yami 4-stroke 150 and a merc 150 pro-xs either one you choose will be a smart and fun choice. you're old enough, live a little!!!! you deserve it. | |
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Posts: 326
Location: Plainfield IL | If you plan to keep the rig a while, I would go with the re-power as well. The VRO systems in the late 80's Johnsons were fickle. Find a nice 4 stroke 150. U will save at the pump and 2 stroke oil. You will be being able to troll all day long and not sniff the fumes of that 2 stroke. I had a 86 GT 150 on a Procraft years ago. | |
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Posts: 5874
| My vote would be for the Merc 150 Opti. Awesome motor, bullet proof, and very easy on fuel and oil. There isn't any oil smoke from the Opti's that you can notice, so that is not an issue. I'd almost always go with the direct injected 2 stoke over a similar HP 4 stroke, because they just outperform the 4 strokes top to bottom, except they are louder. | |
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Posts: 383
| Repowered the 115 Faststrike on my 681 with a 115 Etec a few weeks ago. I didn't want to put down big bucks on a new motor, but I love the boat and plan on keeping it a long time and the ol' Johnson was so cantankerous and unreliable that I didn't have much choice. The last straw was when I towed it across two states for a family vacation and the motor wouldn't start despite every trick in the book...spent the whole week with just a trolling motor. Just got back from Vermilion and it was pretty apparent that the repower was the right move. The reliability and just overall improved performance was amazing (and a far corner of Vermilion is not a fun place to have motor issues). Its so nice to have confidence in your rig making it back to the dock. I say, if you love your boat and truly intend to keep it, repower is the way to go.
Edited by hooked 8/3/2012 6:07 PM
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Rebuild or Re-power?