OUTLAW EAGLE MANUFACTURING

[dutchie]

boat is 16 ft tomcat ,

motor
opinions
200 merc sportjet , 1 year warranty ,


or the 4.3 chevy 220HP , 3 year warranty

what would you go with

anyone got a tomcat with that 4.3 motor , heard good things about both

pro's - 4.3 is no oil mix , better gas milage, easy to work on & change plugs and small maintance , not as loud as the sportjet , it's slower out of the hole but better top end speed i'm told

looking for some advice on what those who have had these boats would go with , and maybe reasons why

i'v been trying to do some searching on the net on that 4.3 and it seems to be pretty much all good , motor has been around

[riverboater]

The fuel injected Kodiak is a much stronger engine than the Carb unit. better on fuel and generally has better manners. My little boat started out with a Marine power carbureted 4.3 in front of a two stage Hamilton. Turned a 17 and 19 Scott blades at about 4600 rpm with a 96 nozzle. The Kodiak fuel injected turns a 21 and 22 set of blades with a 92 nozzle at the same rpm.
The down side, The dam things are almost the same LBS as a 350. 2 less cylinders but a counter balance shaft and a bunch of casting in the block to hold it and you have a heavy engine.
My next change over on this boat will be to a LS aluminum engine, even the 5.3 would be a much better choice than the v-6. much smother Idle, Smother power delivery, and a bunch less weight. (all aluminum block and heads.)
If you are stuck on a v-6 I see Cascade marine In Chilliwack has one listed as a low hour take out for a reasonable buck.
riverboater

[rustyzipper]

4.3 of course. plus pump maintenance and repairs much easier than the SJ pump headaches. I have a carbed 4.3 in my 19' custom weld and people are impressed...it's not as snappy a v8 or SJ tho.

[fx87]

I had marine power 4.3 went 6 liter my boat is twice as afishent.19 ft spirt

[blen]

Doesn't make sense to me to take a nice light boat like that and stick a extra 400 lbs in it with no performance gain. If your going to consider a V6 you might as well stick a V8 in it. I think the Opti would beat it at every turn, bttm end top end , and fuel economy . And having had both I think it is much easier to work on.Starter alternator belt, all right on top. You can drop the pump and motor in a hour and a half. I don't think a V6 should be considered for any Jet boat , if it's a consideration go V8.

[Rivernut]

I would go V-8 Chevy also.

The Sportjet 200 weighs 367 pounds according to Mercury
http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines/jets/optimax-sport-jet/

The 5.7 Chevy engine weighs 432 pounds according to Marine power
http://www.marinepowerusa.com/pdfs/MarinePowerUSA_GM_Specs_2009_5700_MarineBase.pdf

The Chevy weight appears to not include exhaust risers (another 50 pounds). The jet drive probably adds another 100 pounds. The Engine on the Marine power website is only listed at 292 HP. Mine is a carbed 320 HP stock. I was told the carb engines make more peak HP and are simpler and less expensive. The valves on a chevy are more prone to burning up with a bad tank of gas or improper timing.

There is a large issue looming though that is a deal breaker for me on the Sportjets. They have a horrible reputation for clogging up and overheating with weeds, leaves, etc. if you boat in areas with weeds and leaves you will have issues. The V-8 pumps are less likely to clog and the all-iron chevy is more likely to survive overheating from sucking crap up (assuming raw water cooling for each). During a fall Bassmaster Magazine boat test the sportjet equipped Tracker couldn't even be tested and had to be towed back because it overheated from just leaves on the surface of a lake. The local Tracker dealer here doesn't sell them anymore because they had too many come back with blown power heads from overheating. A friend of mine lost out on $5,000 in a bass tounament when his boat jammed with eel grass kept overheating his Sportjet and he couldn't get back with the would-be winning fish. The V-8 pumps have a simple hand-hole clean out, but usually just act like a giant salad shooter when on plane in weedy areas. I can run on plane through thick milfoil, lilly pads and water chestnuts when bass fishing. I'm talking about places you cant even see water because the weeds are matted so thick. The Sportjet intake looks like a toy compared the the larger American Turbine SD-309 pump or the Kodiak pumps. Stomp grates help, but still don't prevent clogs. Who wants to go swimming under their boat in 40 degree water or get stranded above a rapid with jammed pebbles? The Sportjet is better in a world without weeds and debris. Chevy parts and performance upgrades are cheaper and more availalable. I bought my current engine for $300! One more thing...Chicks dig popping the hood with the blingy small block Chevy:)