Mercury 175 Sportjet
Maui Surfer
system? What are your oppinions on it? Thanks for the input.
Rick
I don't have a 175 Sportjet but I do have a 200 Optimax powered Sea
Doo Utopia that runs very good. (I've only put 15 hrs on it so far.)
The only thing I don't like is the vibration amount I get right in the
drivers seating area, fairly heavy from 2500 to 3500 rpm. Nice 4000
rpm cruise.
Good mileage IMHO, excellent pulling power for skiing, I weigh 210 and
that boat had no problems yanking me out.
Leroy Pluard
am loving it!
It now has 46 hours on it, and has not given me a bit of trouble. Gets up on
plane in a hurry and tops the boat out at close to 50 MPH. Remember the 175
is the jet HP, the powerhead itself is a 210 HP power plant.
I was skeptical of the sportjet until I took the demo ride at the North
River dealer. I put a deposit down on the boat that day, and it was
delivered 5 months later. I have been completely happy with the boat
since....
For more info on the boat, follow the link below...
--
http://members.home.net/leroyp302/index.htm
Rick Suter
wrote:
>I own a 2000 19' North River Jet Boat with a Sportjet 175 on it and so far I
>am loving it!
>
>It now has 46 hours on it, and has not given me a bit of trouble. Gets up on
>plane in a hurry and tops the boat out at close to 50 MPH. Remember the 175
>is the jet HP, the powerhead itself is a 210 HP power plant.
>
>I was skeptical of the sportjet until I took the demo ride at the North
>River dealer. I put a deposit down on the boat that day, and it was
>delivered 5 months later. I have been completely happy with the boat
>since....
Compare that to a heavier 4 stroke 5.7L MPI 325hp with a Hamilton 212
pump in a heavier 20' NorthRiver Ranger (.25" hull). I think you
clearly get the performance advantage. You have a lighter hull/motor
that probably runs a bit shallower and are getting a higher top speed.
I've seen a maximum of 43 mph on the GPS. I'll bet you can plane with
less draft at a lower speed than I can which is very nice for visually
picking your way up and down rocky rapids. The sportjet also takes up
less space in the boat.
I was very tempted by the sportjet but chose the 4 stroke for its
perceived long term durability. The only problem I've actually read
about here had something to do with the oil injection pump being
driven by a plastic gear off the crankshaft and that could have been a
bit of paranoia. If Larry(ham-call-sign?) were still around he could
fill you in. A search of deja-news -> google might turn it up.
-rick-
Maui Surfer
I believed. I am now in the process of ordering a Marathon Marine 19
footer with the 175 Sportjet.
Leroy Pluard
chose the sportjet, it self drains when you pull it out of the water....
> I was very tempted by the sportjet but chose the 4 stroke for its
> perceived long term durability. The only problem I've actually read
> about here had something to do with the oil injection pump being
> driven by a plastic gear off the crankshaft and that could have been a
> bit of paranoia.
I remember hearing about the oil pump, but the recalls and corrections were
made before I bought my boat, (I made sure of it :-). In fact a buddy of
mine was in a friends boat with a sportjet that he just bought used, and the
engine seized. Sounded very much like the oil pump quit or they ran it dry.
He says they got a series of four beeps. According to my manual that means
"low oil in engine reservoir". Could be that he just ran the oil out. They
heard a grinding noise but kept running the engine, even with the noise and
the beeping going on and even though they had a kicker. Sounds costly...
> I'll bet you can plane with
> less draft at a lower speed than I can which is very nice for visually
> picking your way up and down rocky rapids. The sportjet also takes up
> less space in the boat.
I ran up the mouth of the Sandy last thursday to Lewis and Clark Park, and
it was a snap with the North River, even with the river flow just above 1000
CFS. And I am a complete beginner with jetboats. The boat handles like a
racecar! Being able to dodge some good sized rocks was a big plus! I believe
you could do this in the ranger you mentioned though.
-rick-
wrote:
>Do you have to drain your block in inclement weather? Thats another reason I
>chose the sportjet, it self drains when you pull it out of the water....
>
With the closed fresh water cooling no draining is required. The raw
water portion self drains and the closed portion is 50/50 anti-freeze.
>I remember hearing about the oil pump, but the recalls and corrections were
>made before I bought my boat, (I made sure of it :-). In fact a buddy of
>mine was in a friends boat with a sportjet that he just bought used, and the
>engine seized. Sounded very much like the oil pump quit or they ran it dry.
>He says they got a series of four beeps. According to my manual that means
>"low oil in engine reservoir". Could be that he just ran the oil out. They
>heard a grinding noise but kept running the engine, even with the noise and
>the beeping going on and even though they had a kicker. Sounds costly...
Sorry about the old hearsay info. I didn't know they recalled and
fixed it.
>I ran up the mouth of the Sandy last thursday to Lewis and Clark Park, and
>it was a snap with the North River, even with the river flow just above 1000
>CFS. And I am a complete beginner with jetboats. The boat handles like a
>racecar! Being able to dodge some good sized rocks was a big plus! I believe
>you could do this in the ranger you mentioned though.
Sounds good. (Did you you get any fish?) I haven't run the lower
Sandy but have spent some time on the lower Deschutes. So far I've
had one rock 'bonk' in the new boat coming down Gordon Ridge rapids.
It felt really minor but cracked the weld between the pump intake and
hull and required repair. My old 16' sled would have slid over it
without damage I'll bet. That's one of the disadvantages of the
heavier boat, more inertia. I got the .25" hull for strength but the
extra weight can also be a disadvantage.
-rick-
Leroy Pluard
> With the closed fresh water cooling no draining is required. The raw
> water portion self drains and the closed portion is 50/50 anti-freeze.
Excellent!
> Sounds good. (Did you you get any fish?) I haven't run the lower
> Sandy but have spent some time on the lower Deschutes.
We went just to run it, we had been sturgeon fishing by the Washougal Power
Lines and it was slow, so we went for a boat ride. In three previous outings
however, we put four fish in the boat.
We were drifting in a buddies drift boat when we did it however....
> I got the .25" hull for strength but the
> extra weight can also be a disadvantage.
I thought mine was a .25, but I now recall it being a .190.