21 Daytona

[Riverhound]

I looked at a 21 Daytona with a 200 Pro Max on it that was for sale. I have never owned or had any experiance with an outboard. I have owned several jets and one v-drive. How different are these to drive docking, cruising, WOT. How reliable are these motors? What kind of maintance schedule do they require and how much $$$ to perform? What sort of performance should be expected with this set-up?
Like I said I have no experiance with these so any and all info would be appreciated.
River

[HavasuDreamin']

Riverhound: I own a 19' Eliminator Daytona with a 2.4L Mercury Bridgeport. As far as driving/docking, Outboards are much easier than V-Drives or Jets. They are extremely maneuverable and user friendly. At WOT, outboard tunnels will vary. A mirage with a 2.5 HI-PO is going to be a handful, but then again that boat will run 110MPH give or take. The 21' Elim Tunnel will be very stable and easy to drive well into the 90 MPH range.
As far as performance goes, if the motor is truly a 200 Pro Max and not a 225 Pro Max, it is my opinion that the boat is under powered. Even with a 225, the boat is under powered, but the 225 is easy to hop up. I believe the 21' hull needs the hi performance 260hp outboard or better yet, the newer 280hp 2.5 or 300 Pro Max. With 200hp, you can expect speeds of roughly 70mph - 75mph.
Reliability . . . all of the Merc's are reliable . . that is my experience. I have a mildly built bridgeport that puts out about 250hp and I have had ZERO problems. As far as regular maintenance . . annually, replace the water/fuel separater filter, lube in the gearcase, water impeller, spark plugs, and every once in a while, you may want to decarbon the motor. Other than that, there isn't much to do.
A few things to keep in mind from my 10+ years of experience in hot rod outboard tunnels. The closer to the surface you run your prop, the more strain you put on your gearcase. Outboard Tunnels operate best with the prop at the surface, therefore make sure your gearcase is stout or else you will end up losing a bearing, propshaft, etc. and it could cost anywhere up to $3,500 - $4,000 for a new one. You need a high perf. bearing carrier, and I would run a one piece shaft. Bob's machine shop out of Florida does excellent work. I run one of thier nosecones/low water pickup and bearing carrier as well as a Merc. one piece shaft.
If you run a jack plate, make sure to have a low water pickup and a water pressure gauge. I have been told to never run the water pressure below 10lbs. I run mine at 10 - 12 lbs. I have had no problems. At 5 lbs, I fried a motor. If you are going to run hard quite a bit, look into removing the thermostats from your motor and replacing with stainless washers. This will allow more water flow and a cooler running motor.
Last but not least, frequently check all the bolts that connect the motor bracket to the boat, and the motor to the bracket. With all the vibration, these tend to wiggle loose over time. Also run a transom saver while towing. This mounts to the trailer and runs to your motor providing support while on the road.
My $.02 would be to find a 21' with a 2.5 EFI 260hp or 280hp. I think you will kick yourself if buy one with less power. With 280 hp you should see 90+mph.
Good Luck! http://free.***boat.net/ubb/cool.gif

[snappertapper]

yes the boat is most defintely under powered but that dosent matter all that matters is that outboard are extremely easy to work on
any questions you have please email me at bigfish1229@aol.com

[Boatmaster]

Riverhound the 21 daytona is a great boat.
How much and what year is the hull. A 200 Pro
Max is a very user friendly motor, but is
under powered for a 21. I own a 95 21 with
twin 260 EFI and love it. Depending on year
that boat should sell for 20 to 30 g if in
great shape! Just for kicks look at the 95 with a 260 on it on Trader on line.
Good Luck

[Riverhound]

Thanks for the input guys I appreciate it. The boat is a 97 and is absolutly imaculant and only has 65 hrs of use according to the hour meter. He is asking mid 20's and is negotable. One thing I failed to mention is the bottom half of the motor I'm assuming thats the gear case was aluminum. The guy said that it's a upgrade? He did say the boat ran legit 75 mph with two people and around 65 loaded. I am a little concerned now about it being underpowered. Is this motor a good base for some speed goodies and still be reliable or should I be looking for something with a 2.5 or 300 on it?
Thanks,
River

[snappertapper]

yea this is a good motor to do some mods on but on the other hand you could prolly sell that motor for a desient price and buy a 300x

[Boatmaster]

I'f that boat is a 97 for mid 20s and you like the way it looks, Buy it now. At that price you can't loose. I could not agree more on the idea of selling the 200 to get a 300X. That would be user friendly 85-90 mph boat.
Drew
P.S. I own a shop and could sell that
200 no problem?

[HavasuDreamin']

Riverhound: I disagree with the guys depending on where you are located and how much you want to spend. I think mid-20's is expensive for an under powered tunnel (even if it is an Eliminator). Somewhere on another thread guys are talking about how difficult it is to sell under powered tunnels because everyone who buys a tunnel wants 85+ MPH (I believe it is one of the HTM threads).
If you are in the So. Cal area, there will be plenty of 21' Daytona's up for sale this spring between $25K and $35K. I keep an eye on the So. Cal. Boat Trader and you should be able to pick up a 1995 or newer 21' Daytona with a 2.5 EFI HI-PO or 300 Pro Max on it with out a problem. Obviously, the 300 Pro Max will go for the upper end of the scale.
My $.02 . . . unless you live really far from So. Cal., why buy a boat with the idea of changing out the motor right away when you can pick up a turn key boat for less. I look at it this way. Say you pay $25K for the boat, sell the motor for an optimistic $7K and buy a new 2.5EFI for 15K, your in it for $33K plus rigging the new motor etc. I think you could save $5K and pick up one already rigged with a 2.5EFI.
If you do decide to make an offer on the current boat, I would offer low 20's and sit on it explaining to the guy that your going to change out the motor because it is under powered. My hunch is that he will call you back within a week or two and take it (depending on how long he has had it for sale). Don't forget it is a buyers market out there! I would call Eliminator and see what is on their lot, they take back boats all the time on trade. If they don't have what you want now, call back every 4-6 weeks. Good Luck!

[snappertapper]

the 200 is worth about $8000 give or take plus that boat for the low 20's is a great deal i would buy it and then repower it because if you wait then u will end up spending 35 or more for that price you can have this one now plus a new motor for the same price with fresh power rather than wait on some one to sell you a used boat and a wore out motor

[HavasuDreamin']

Yeah, if you can get it for low 20's and get $8K out of the motor, it would be a good deal. Say $22K - $8K + $15K = $29K. Throw in an extra $1,000 for misc., and for $30K you have a '97 Daytona with 2002 power. I would personally buy the 280hp motor, just my $.02 (although not having to fool around with mixing oil is appealing to me). Good Luck!