MERCURY 3.0

[Weisinger03]

i was at the lake last week and a man tried to buy the motor right off of my boat. he said that he had been looking for a mercury 200 3.0 for a while with no luck. he also claimed that it was the best motor merc ever turned out and that he preferred it to his optimax that he was running now. i know it meets all of my expectations but i figured saying it was the best was a big exageration, especially with all of the new optimax and verado motors. does anyone have an idea how my 3.0 would stand upo to a new optimax? it is on a 2005 P IV with a 27 tempest. just looking for some opinions.

[mocatt]

I have a 2004 PIII with a 2004 200 3.0 EFI and it is 10 tall and bullet proof as far as Im concerned. It is a little thirsty when it comes to gas mileage if you dont watch how you run it but, I can hit mid 70s GPS with me and a load and the hole shot is unbelievable. I dont have any good comparsion numbers but, I would feel safe to say that a 3.0 EFI would out perform a 3.0 Opti in all categories except for fuel mileage. On the flip side if you watch how you run a 3.0 EFI the fuel mileage isnt that bad. I wouldnt trade mine for a 200 opti. Glenn

[PhilAddison]

same power or a little better, but much worse on fuel. resale value suffers due to the fuel efficiency. thats how it stacks up!

[Weisinger03]

thanks for the help guys.

[mocatt]

So Phil do you feel that an Opti runs compatible with an EFI horse power and cubic displacement being equal?Last edited by mocatt on December 20th, 2007, 9:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Bass Cat Boats]

Depends on which engines youre comparing. In the 200 hp 3.0 blocks then the answer is yes. In 225s no. The 225 EFI in my opinion is/was one of the strongest ever and had a touch more power than the 225 Pro XS.

[Bass Cat Boats]

Not to differ with Phil, though both EFI series produce a tad more ponies than do their sisters of the Opti versions. BCB

[mocatt]

Thats was kinda my opinion. I have owned 250 Pro XB and 250 Pro XS, 200 Opti and 200 EFI, and about 16 different hulls eight of which were Basscats and yes the Optis do get better fuel mileage but, I always thought the EFIs had more get up and go. Thanks Glenn

[yellowjacket5]

MOCATT hit it on the head. The 3.0 is 10 tall and bullet proff. I ran a 2004 200efi 3.0 until late this summer, almost always at WOT, and never had a problem. That 200, on a 19 1/2 ft boat, was pushing me past almost all boats running 225s, and that was while fighting the limiter due to an undersized 27Tempest. I do miss that motor, but the good thing is that the recipient of that motor was able to finally part with his fuel efficient blue piece of junk which was fuel efficient because it was always in the shop.

[mocatt]

Yellowjacket5 I have always loved toys Harleys, Mopars, and fast boats, yes fuel mileage is becoming more important but, I owned a Cougar that had a 250 Pro XB on the back and since I sold that boat Ive always missed it. That boat was one of the fastest bass boats in the Ozarks running a solid 84 GPS. When I ran across this 2004 PIII with this 200 3.0 EFI on the back my eyes got big and my mouth watered and I just wrote the guy a check. I was going to order a new 2008 FTD and I just decided that this PIII would be fun for a awhile. I guess people may say Im a little stupid but, Ive worked hard for what Ive got and I buy what I want and Im not going to let a couple of miles per gallon come between me and my RUSH. Heck back in the mid 80s when I was running Skeeters I ran a Starfire 150 (1610″) boat with a 150 Mercury on the back of it and that boat would radar 68 mph and was a blast to drive.

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