Posted by larrylegend on 10/25/17 - 7:55 AM
#1
Does anyone have this motor on their whaler and have any thoughts in regards to its reliabilty and dependability? Looking at a 22 Revenge and ready to buy if the motor is what they say? Please help Whaler family! its a 2003 di 225
Edited by larrylegend on 10/25/17 - 8:05 AM
Posted by Finnegan on 10/25/17 - 3:03 PM
#2
If that is the boat I think it is, about fourteen years ago I used to see it docked in Diversey Harbor in Chicago when it had just been restored. It has tan canvas and has been converted from the old OMC Sea Drive power. I don't know the quality of the conversion work.
I know it was sold to someone in Michigan, who sold it after not too many years of ownership, so that person must now be selling it again. So the boat has changed hands a lot, not a good sign.
From what I have heard, and from fairly recent experience of a friend with those Evinrude Ficht 225 engines, I personally would not want one. He had problems with them. So be careful. If you buy the boat, consider that you may have to either re-power in the future or put some serious money into the Ficht. I would consider the engine to be a gamble. Who knows, maybe it is perfect, but I have also heard parts are getting hard to find for those old Fichts. The engines do not have a great reputation, which is why BRP switched to the updated E-tec version of the technology as soon as they could get it on the market.
I would try to break down the price you are paying in terms of the boat itself, the engine and the trailer. I would not put a value on that engine of more than 3K. When I buy a Whaler with an engine I don't want, I first consider what the engine can be sold for, and maybe the trailer also, leaving me with what I am actually paying for the boat I want. Then I add back the cost of an engine and trailer that I want. With a boat, you should not "settle" for an engine you do not like, or will give you problems and future repair expense. Boating life, and time on the water is too short!
Disclosure: I have never owned a Ficht myself and would only own a Whaler with a Mercury, so I am not a fan of Evinrudes in general!
Posted by larrylegend on 10/25/17 - 4:18 PM
#3
That is the best feedback I have ever received on any forum! Unreal you knew the boat. Price is fair but your advice is better! Thx so much
Posted by tedious on 10/26/17 - 3:47 AM
#4
I have a friend who just went through a similar decision on another brand of boat, same motor. He ended up deciding that while the FICHT had a bad reputation, after 14 years on the water if it was going to blow up, it would have. He made a low offer based on the motor's bad rep, and the seller took it.
With any outboard with that number of years on it, you have to be prepared for a repower - older outboards don't have much value, whether they are FICHT, Mercury, or something else. So if you think the boat is otherwise good, and you can get it at a price that factors in the potential need to repower down the road, maybe it's worth it.
You should be able to tell from looking at it thoroughly whether the Sea Drive conversion was done properly - certainly the Armstrong bracket is one of the accepted ways to do that conversion.
Good luck!