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Guys need your input in the process of of buying a 23 Outrage during the sea trial the broker left the drain plug out of the sump area which holds the porta potty when I arrived at the boat there was a foot of water in the sump area should I be concerned about this entering other parts of the hull and degrading it?

Also the 225 Optimax was only able to pull to around 5k RPM with a speed of 35 mph

Thanks

Steve

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I would say until the engine RPM and speed issue is resolved don't commit to the purchase.

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Did the water drain out? Is the boat normally stored on a trailer or other dry storage?

If the water drains completely with the garboard drain open I would not be concerned about damage.

The engine RPM and boat speed would be a deal killer to me unless resolved or unless the price is so low that major engine work could be done without wallet pain.

Having said all the above the speed/RPM issue is probably resolvable by installing the right propeller and/or adjusting the engine mounting height to the optimum position.

I recommend that any offer you make be subject to a survey and an engine inspection including a compression check and ECU/ECM report done by a Mercury Marine Certified Technician.

You didn't mention the year the engine was manufactured and the number of hours the engine has been operated.

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My 2004 Outrage 240 only hits 37mph with a 225 MERC 4 STROKE on it, so you are not too far off. You may need a different prop.

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As a comparision. My 23 conquest with twin 135's which is the same hull I believe just heavier on a single motor I can get to 29mph.

Hopefully just a prop issue. I know many guys that change out props so they can get their idle trolling speeds correct to save on fuel when trolling or to slow down but I would have them get the right prop on it before buying.

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No, all the bilges, compartments et al are finished gel coated. No permanent damage.

As for engine performance, it is probably due to the incorrect prop. It is fixable.

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Gentlemen,

Thanks for all your replies I have performed another sea trial with a calibrated GPS and the max speed at 5000 RPM is 40 MPH so the boats instrumentation is a low.

Ran up to 5000 RPM this time would not pull past that RPM and starting cutting out until we reduced throttle we also saw a reduce throttle message on the gauges I have not been able to determine what might trigger this?

The broker is going to plug the engine in and determine what error codes are there and fix the engine and we will schedule another sea trial hoping we are successful this time!

Little history on the boat its a 2001 BW Outrage with a 225 Optimax the motor only has 28 hrs on it the boat was used several times in Florida before the owner was transferred to Montana where it sat from 2005 which is the last year it was used or registered.

The owner has spent around $4k replacing all the fuel injectors, pumps etc and I have a report showing the compression etc around 110 to 115 psi on all cylinders

The marine survey on the hull came back almost perfect infact the surveryer stated the boat looked much better than its 15 year old age.

Steve

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Any engine that sits for long periods will need to be gone through by a certified mechanic. In your case, a certified Mercury mechanic who knows Opti's.

Bringing it back to life is not the same as the spring routine of blowing out the foggin' oil and gettin' her splashed.

The broker/seller is not going to want to spend much on the motor when they are trying to sell.

It could need $1000 in parts and labor.

Be careful.

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Max RPM for an Optimax 225 HP should be in the range of 5750 rpms.
As others stated, it could be the prop and also this motor likes to be "trimmed out" vice "tucked in" on the transom. The cuddy adds a lot of weight up forward.

I have a Conquest 21 and the ability for water to slosh forward into the cabin occurs from time to time. Need to caulk the starboard aft bulkhead seams. There is also a garboard plug under the step in the bottom of the cabin.