Help on 150 optimax and 1850 sportfish?

[Dahitman44]

It looks like we are considering a new boat. The boys are getting bigger and now they want to tube and learn to ski. Can't do that behind the old fishing boat.

We are looking at a Crestliner 1850 sportfish with a 150 Merc optimax.

I am wondering if anyone has any experience with either the boat of the motor. Especially the motor.

A buddy of mine has the 04 1850 sportfish and he loves it but it has the Yahmaha 150 on it. I would like that engine but they will NOT put it on.

Any info on the 150 optimax or 1850 Sportfish?

Thanks

Hitman

[Ralph Wiggum]

Are you talking about a new one or a used one?

[Shorelunch]

I wouldn't lose any sleep with having an Opti on my transom. It's a proven motor and will move your Sportfish very well.

I'm pretty sure that if your dealer your is a Yamaha dealer, he can hang a Yamaha, or any of his motor brands, on your hull. Comapany's like Evinrude are offering dealers incentives to hang their motors. If your in the Cities, your working with Crystal Pierz - I believe they have a good relationship with the motor manufacturers and should be able to hang your motor of choice, but it would need to be ordered unrigged.

If you really want a Yammy, but CP/your dealer won't budge, take a look at a Ranger Reata 1850. Ranger isn't affiliated with any motor comapnies like Crestliner/Lund.

[tgff009]

Dahitman44 - I have an '02 1850 SF with a Yamaha 115. I love the boat - it works very well as an all around family boat/fishing boat. My only complaints are the rod storage and no butt seat pedistal for the bow.

The motor has been rock solid for me but it is under powered for this boat so a 150 is a minimum. If I could do it over again I would have most likely hung a 175 vmax on it (they didn't have the F150 back in 2002). However, I do love the benefits of the 4-stroke so who knows what I would really do if I could go back in time. It's too bad they won't put a yamaha on it anymore.

[DinkADunk]

I have a Lund 1800 Fisherman which is similar and it works fine with the 140HP Johnson (aka Suzuki) 4stk off the back for wake boarding and skiing. The hole shot is good (thanks to a decent SS prop) and only lacks in the top end which isn't a concern for tubing and skiing. The 150 Opti would should work fine although I would try to max out with a 175hp motor if possible.

[Eastwind]

Dahitman44,

Here is yet one more opinion to confuse you further. I have a 1998 Crestliner Tournament 1850 with a full walk-thru that I bought used in 2000. This is basically a Sportfish with a more fishing friendly interior. It came with a Merc 175 EFI and an older 9.9 H.P. Merc kicker. This combo was too heavy (back end sat low) and the 175 EFI drank gas. I replaced both motors with a 150 Optimax in 2004. After having run the 150 for three full seasons now, I am very pleased with it. The boat has a max speed of 52 to 54 MPH and cruises at a comfortable and efficient, 35 MPH/3500 RPM. My gas mileage went up by 30 to 40%. My prop is stainless but is just the stainless prop that I got the dealer to throw in with the package so it is nothing special. My opinion is that less than 135 HP is not enough but 150 is plenty. By the way, I think that the Yamaha is a better running motor ( based on limited experience) but for, for the money, the Optimax is better value.

[Dahitman44]

Ralf --

We are talking new hold over. 06 motor.

[gvt]

I have an Alumacraft TP 175 CS with an '05 150 Optimax. I really like the motor. It is a little loud at the mid-range rpms. It's not too loud at idle and above about 3000 rpm's it really quiets down. Fuel economy is better than I expected. Make certain you get a stainless prop. I have an aluminum prop and it sucks, literally. The aluminum prop cavitates way too easy.

[Dahitman44]

East --

How noisy is the 150 optimax? They tell me it is 4 DB louder than a 4-stroke, but can be quite a bit noisier when you are at full speed. That is not as big a deal as when you are at idel speeds.

Can you troll with your optimax with a drift sock and not scare the fish and be too noisy?

Thanx

Hit

[Shorelunch]

You definitley know Opti's are back there, as compared to a 4S. To some, that's the way they like it (to hear the rumble) and to others it's a turn off. Again, Opti's are nice motors, but they are not quiet. Actually, when you get most 4S and 2S running at around 5,000 RPM's there's no differences in loudness, just more-so at lower RPM's.

[Eastwind]

hitman,

I don't have a lot of experience riding in boats with other big blocks. Yamahas and Hondas sure sound a lot quieter from a distance but I believe there is a substantial difference in the price tag. When I am cruising, you know that there is a big block running back there but it isn't loud enough to be annoying. I fish Lake of the Woods and routinely run 10 to 20 miles out to fishing spots. I actually like the sound myself. It did run a little louder and smell more prior to when I started running synthetic oil. One person I fish with, on occassion, has a Merc 125 2+2 (not a very good motor, he's kinda cheap) and it is way too noisy for me.

Regarding trolling. I can troll crank baits for 'eyes with the 150 but more often jig using the electric. If I remember correctly, the low speed pulling cranks is between 2.5 and 3 MPH. I never drag a sock. I have also used the 150 downrigging out on Lake Michigan, trolling for hours and hours with no problems. Once again, there are better motors out there but I think the Optimax is a good value.

[Dahitman44]

EXCELLENT information guys. Thanks a lot.

If anyone else has comment please chime in. The more info I have the better choice I will make.

Thanks

[PierBridge]

At least your consistently bashing Mercs across the board.

The 2 plus 2 is actually a very good motor not great on gas but a very good motor especially for trolling.

So I'm wondering how you determined the Opti is not a very good motor and your expert opinion on what is a good or the best motor.

Thanks Pier.

[PerchJerker]

Couple things -

First, I agree with PierBridge. The Merc 2 plus 2's were/are excellent motors, today their technology is out of date (carbuerated) but in their day they were a top of the line motor. And to say the 150 Opti is "not a very good motor" is ridiculous - it's been rock solid ever since it hit the market.

Dahitman44 - I have a glass boat that is very similar to the Crestliner you're looking at, with a 175 Opti. Boat and motor are '06s that I got in '05. I was tempted to go with the 175 Verado but they weren't available yet and obviously had no track record, so I shied away. The 135-150-175 Optis have an awesome track record, are super-reliable, quick and fast, extremely fuel efficient, etc. They're not quiet motors, when I'm cruising with my wife and kids I sometimes wish I would have gone with the 175 Verado (or possibly the F150 yamaha, but I wanted to max the hp). When I'm fishing with the guys I have no complaints at all about my Opti. As others have noted, the Opti is loudest at the mid-range cruising speeds, much quieter at idle and not very different from 4-strokes at WOT.

Good luck.

[JDM]

I don't know if this helps, but I have a 115 Optimax and I have been happy with it after only one year of use. I admit I was hesitant on buying Mercury, but I did not experience any problems. I backtroll quite a bit to get down to the speeds I want, I just use a sock or two. Same with front trolling. I also re-propped it and that helped my cause. As far as noise, I really don't think it is that much louder than a 4 stroke, and it is really good on gas. It is certainly smaller and lighter than the 4 stroke equivalents. It was also very easy to winterize compared to a 4 stroke. I am now a fan of the DFI. I just hope it doesn't break down now because from what I hear, the DFI's can be very expensive to repair.

[TUMBLEWEED]

I have an 04 1850 SportFish with the 150 OptiMax. Being a

long-time "Merc Basher" I found myself in a bit of a

spot when the sales dude started down the Mercury options!!

I could have put on a 175 Yammy for the main, but the thing was absolutely enormous back there. After much reading of

boat mags and many, many testing reports, I settled in for

the OptiMax. I have since added a 9.9 Mercury Pro-Kicker

and feel I have the perfect run and gun solution. The Opti

starts easily (within one compression cycle) no matter the

temps or conditions.The price of the synthetic oil

is a little steep, but, after many big lake experiences,

both the MPG and oil consumption hasn't broke my working-

man's budget. A great hole shot comes with the Opti,

but I will tell you to get a Ski-Bar in your boat deal.

It is the one thing I wish I would Have gotten.

After my break-in period, and before I had my kicker, I did some trolling with the 150 Opti. It does idle down nicely.

I would play with the trim some, to get the speed down

lower yet. I didn't check my speed, but I would say it was

a medium Walter to a Pike speed. This was in forward,

so you could go slower yet in reverse. I have only run the

aluminum stock props so far. Your 1850 should have the 25 inch transom thing going, so let me warn you now!! The

OptiMAx they install on those boats has an even longer

shaft than you have experienced. One must take GREAT care

when nearing shore, or operating in unfamiliar waters!!

Also on the SportFish thing. The boat rigger installed

one of those swim ladder things on the back. I would suggest they install the platform part higher up if you do

any fishing. The problem will show itself when you have that

big rear livewell full. The weight of the water in it will have the platform dragging in the water, sending a refreshing spray of water, up and into the back of the boat.

Normally, this isn't that bad of a deal when it's July,

but its a little different story in April,May, or

September!!

[Eastwind]

From my first post

Quote:

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"After having run the 150 for three seasons, I am very pleased with it"

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Quote:

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" By the way, I think that the Yamaha is a better running motor (based on limited experience) but,for the money, the Optimax is better value"

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From my second post

Quote:

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I don't have a lot of experience riding in boats with other big blocks. Yamahas and Hondas sure sound a lot quieter from a distance but I believe there is a substantial difference in the price tag.'

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PierBridge,

Dial 'er back a notch. Did you even read my posts? I was promoting the Optimax, certainly not "Bashing" it. I was also very careful not to appear that I was trying to look or sound like I had any special expertise. I have owned an '85 25 H.P. Merc Tiller, a '93 60 H.P. Merc tiller. and the '98 175 H.P. and '79 9.9 Mercs that came with my current boat. All in addition to the 150 Optimax that I currently own. If I were to purchase a new boat tomorrow it would most likely be equiped with yet another Optimax, as, in my opinion, they are good value for what you pay for them, considering that people like me aren't running them every day. Yes, I did talk down the 125 2+2. The person that put it on his boat did this three years ago.For a little more money, he could have put on a 135 Opti and would have been a lot happier, by his own grudging admitance. When I have riden in his boat, that motor is loud and the gas slick that it leaves while trolling does not leave me with a good impression of the motor. If I was a guide and fished every day, I would most likely get a Yamaha or Honda.

Dahitman asked us for our opinions. That is all I shared. The whole idea of this forum is for all of us to share information in order to be helpful, not square off because we don't agree with someone else's opinion. It's like the age old Chevy/Ford, Lund/Crestliner, Ginger/Marian, etc. We all have opinions. Most are correct, in our own minds anyway.

[Rost]

The Merc Opti big blocks (200 and 225) did have a few "rough" years back in the late 90's, but the 150 has always been rock solid. My dad has a 2002 Opti 150 on his boat and it's never missed a beat. I'd definately consider an opti for my next boat.

[bubs]

the only problems that I ever had with mercs is that they all seem cold blooded, other than that I had one problem with one of the merc I owned, they crushed the main wiring connecter right from the factory. Right now I own A mariner which runs fine. I think it is more important to match horspower to boat. So if you can pick horsepower first than see what you can get put on, for the right price. don"t undersize or oversize the motor. A 150 sounds perfect for that size boat.

[marine_man]

I think you'll be in good shape with the Optimax, espeically if that's how they have the rig packaged if it's a non-current.

The optimax is a great motor.. while it is louder than a 4 stroke I like the throaty sound of a Merc Optimax going across the lake... it sounds like it's oozing horsepower...

marine_man