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I Need A Man!! 1998 Mercury 200 hp CXL Offshore Outboard... no reverse!! LOL!

worrywart75

New member
I'm looking to purchase a 1986 Wellcraft Sportsman in pristine condition, powered by a 1998 Mercury 200 hp CXL Offshore Outboard engine with a new power head. The boat has been mostly unused (203 engine hours) but docked in a lake slip for three to five years. The boat is perfect for my daughter and I but I'm a bit worried about the engine. I'm wondering what numbers I want to see after a mechanic checks it out... compression, etc. Some Old Salt advice would be great!!
 
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Ok, so no men stepped up so you will have to be satisfied with my 2 cents :)

(my opinion) Wellcraft makes an exceptionally good hull, so if the boat was looked after, it is tough to go wrong with that choice.

The CXL part of the motor designation means that it is a counter-rotating motor - so normally seen in a pair. On this one the prop will spin counter-clockwise (normal motors spin clockwise). That does not change performance but there is sometimes less choice amongst propellers if you chose to replace or change the existing one - but not a big enough deal to really worry about.

The motor is 13ish years old and only has 203 hours - that may be a cause for concern - that equates to 15 hours use per year average. Motors that are not used much tend not to be maintained very well - people rarely spend money on service if the boat is rarely run. But the engine itself was decent when new and it was built well with no major problems through its model run - all in all a decent engine which I would own myself. However, with the low hours on it I would plan on having it completely serviced before you put it into full time use.

If it has been sitting then maintenance may entail - cleaning or rebuilding the carbs, new sparkplugs, waterpump service, new lower gear oil, decarb of the powerhead - that could run 1000 bucks (worst case scenario), but be prepared and factor that cost when trying to determine a fair price for the package.

The compression specs for this model are 110-135 psi with no more than 15 psi difference between cylinders.

Should have initially asked - why was the powerhead swapped? and how long ago??
 
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:D Aw Graham,I thought I would leave this to the young fellas:D Disregarding the fact I know nothing about the motor or boat.Please refer to user name:D.
 
Just occured to me, this may be a fuel injected model (no carbs) - the mechanic doing the "check" for you can confirm and advise.
 
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