After 18 months of planning and thinking about it, I think I'm closer to pulling the trigger on my first (used) glass boat, hopefully a 19 or 20 footer w/ a 200 to 225 powerplant. Wife is on board (no pun) with it and everything, all I have to do is sell a car and I think I can start shopping.

But the more research I do online, the more problems I keep seeing w/ the Merc direct injection 2 strokes from 7 or 8 years ago. Unfortunately, most of the used boats I see in my price range are from that time period and they all have an Optimax hanging off the back.

Should I steer clear of the 2000 and 2001 Optimax and try to get a Yammeehaw HPDI or an E-Tek?

I've already made the decision to stick w/ a 2 stroke so I don't want to start a 2 vs 4 stroke discussion. I'm just not outboard savvy yet and I was wondering if I could get some opinions here.

Thx!

For a long time the Optimax's had the nickname Opti-Pops

The Evinrude ficht's and early Rams also had bad reputations.

I have a friend in California that sells Evinrudes and Yamaha's and he hated the HPDI's.

I don't think many of the first of the big four strokes faired much better. I know of a number of Verado's that went to a few powerheads their first couple of years.

The problem is, they could only have a 5% failure rate but with the internet the way it is now, 1% of those 5% get on here and complain, and it starts snowballing. 100 people complain and two million read about or heard about what a piece of junk they are and start using those complaints as a bases for all of them to be bad.

Yes, with new technology you're gonna have startup problems, the early ficht was considered junk by many (even though I luv mine) and yet the E-tec is considered one of the best motors on the market. Basiscally, it's still the same motor with the bugs worked out and some redesigned internals.

I would try to stay away from the first few production years of any of them, they were rushed to market with what I call consumer testing. We bought, ran it till it broke and when enough of the same problems occured, they fixed that problem in later production models. We just paid the bill for their product testing.

Oh, and don't think when problems were identified, they are going to do recalls or fix those problems.  If it's not a serious safety item, they are going to play like your's is the only one that ever had that problem.  Even though, the new parts you have to pay for are going to have a different part number and you may have to buy a whole, high dollar modification kit to make the new part fit because the old, original style part is no longer available.

For a long time the Optimax's had the nickname Opti-Pops

The Evinrude ficht's and early Rams also had bad reputations.

I have a friend in California that sells Evinrudes and Yamaha's and he hated the HPDI's.

I don't think many of the first of the big four strokes faired much better. I know of a number of Verado's that went to a few powerheads their first couple of years.

The problem is, they could only have a 5% failure rate but with the internet the way it is now, 1% of those 5% get on here and complain, and it starts snowballing. 100 people complain and two million read about or heard about what a piece of junk they are and start using those complaints as a bases for all of them to be bad.

Yes, with new technology you're gonna have startup problems, the early ficht was considered junk by many (even though I luv mine) and yet the E-tec is considered one of the best motors on the market. Basiscally, it's still the same motor with the bugs worked out and some redesigned internals.

I would try to stay away from the first few production years of any of them, they were rushed to market with what I call consumer testing. We bought, ran it till it broke and when enough of the same problems occured, they fixed that problem in later production models. We just paid the bill for their product testing.

Oh, and don't think when problems were identified, they are going to do recalls or fix those problems. If it's not a serious safety item, they are going to play like your's is the only one that ever had that problem. Even though, the new parts you have to pay for are going to have a different part number and you may have to buy a whole, high dollar modification kit to make the new part fit because the old, original style part is no longer available.

Thanks for the response.

In a word - Yikes.

So what to do? At what model year do I begin to feel comfortable w/ any of these motors? Is an 03 Optimax light years ahead of a 2000 or 2001 in terms of eliminating all the bugs, etc? I believe the Optimax first made its appearance in what, 1998? When did the Yamaha HPDI motors first appear?

In short, how the heck do I find a used boat / 2-stroke DI motor in my price range that I can feel comfortable about? Especially with this being my first outboard experience?

I think if its gone this long without having a problem, you aren't likely to encounter the problems those original ones had. You are more likely to encounter the kind of problems any 8 or 9 year old motor may have. In other words, how well its been taken care of is probably more important than if it was an early production run Opti. If the motor has been well maintained and is in good running order then you should be fine. The important thing is having any motor you plan on buying checked out thoroughly by a trained mechanic. They will perform a leak down test and so forth to help point out any potential problems with the motor. They will also lookup the serial # and see if there have been any service bullteins issued for the motor and they can make sure that those have been performed. A person who has their yearly maintenence done on their engine will be up to date with that stuff. Buying any used motor comes with some risk, but taking the time to find one that's well maintained, has good service records, and getting it checked out by a mechanic will go a long way in preventing you from buying a lemon.

I agree with Ellesar. Most design flaws pop up in the early years of a motor and if its been serviced regularly and has a 'normal' number of hours on it for the age of the motor I wouldn't be too concerned. I would be slightly concerned if the motor only had a few hours on it which would mean it may not have been used enough for a any sign of a problem to pop up. Like was said, get it to a qualified mechanic and have it checked out.

the info that they gave you was GREAT! I have been a Opti owner on all my boats from the start and never had a problem with any of them. they are great engines that will get you where you need to go and back safely and quick! but if I was you I would try to find a rig that you really like with a Mercury 200-225EFI they are built proof and Optis arent that much better on fuel anyhow and the EFI sound SO SO SO SO GOOD!!!! I would still to this day run Merc EFI's the reason I dont is because Optis are IMHO a smoother running engine.. not because of fuel savings ECT ECT. but the optis are much smoother and when running a high speed boat a smoother running power plant is safer because vibrations cause you to drift when running fast if there is any play what so ever in your steering system. All in all I believe Merc EFI are the best out boards you can run if you arent running them on a 90+MPH boat... you will not notice drift on a 70-80MPH bass boat from vibrations.. however one a 90-100+MPH boat you will and its causes you to have to work the wheel more to keep the boat running right and also causes much more chance of chine walking.. anyhow If you can find you a EFI powered boat it will be cheaper to buy and cheaper to fix!!! you will love the sound and you wont really notice the fuel savings the Opti will give you anyhow... But the Opti is a GREAT engine and always was if you found the right boat for you and its Opti powered dont be scared to jump on it if the boat was taken care of it will take care of you.... early model Optis was the best engine then as it is the best engine now....

the info that they gave you was GREAT! I have been a Opti owner on all my boats from the start and never had a problem with any of them. they are great engines that will get you where you need to go and back safely and quick! but if I was you I would try to find a rig that you really like with a Mercury 200-225EFI they are built proof and Optis arent that much better on fuel anyhow and the EFI sound SO SO SO SO GOOD!!!! I would still to this day run Merc EFI's the reason I dont is because Optis are IMHO a smoother running engine.. not because of fuel savings ECT ECT. but the optis are much smoother and when running a high speed boat a smoother running power plant is safer because vibrations cause you to drift when running fast if there is any play what so ever in your steering system. All in all I believe Merc EFI are the best out boards you can run if you arent running them on a 90+MPH boat... you will not notice drift on a 70-80MPH bass boat from vibrations.. however one a 90-100+MPH boat you will and its causes you to have to work the wheel more to keep the boat running right and also causes much more chance of chine walking.. anyhow If you can find you a EFI powered boat it will be cheaper to buy and cheaper to fix!!! you will love the sound and you wont really notice the fuel savings the Opti will give you anyhow... But the Opti is a GREAT engine and always was if you found the right boat for you and its Opti powered dont be scared to jump on it if the boat was taken care of it will take care of you.... early model Optis was the best engine then as it is the best engine now....

I'm new to outboards in general, and really have no reference points that I can draw from. I'm just not sure which manufacturer to consider at this point. Some swear by Yamahas, some are diehard to Mercs. I just don't know how to approach it. One thing I am clear on is the compression test and leak down test, run the serial numbers for the motor history, etc.

Maybe I should consider what mechanics are available in my area and what they are licensed to service, maybe that's the way to start this process.

the info that they gave you was GREAT! I have been a Opti owner on all my boats from the start and never had a problem with any of them. they are great engines that will get you where you need to go and back safely and quick! but if I was you I would try to find a rig that you really like with a Mercury 200-225EFI they are built proof and Optis arent that much better on fuel anyhow and the EFI sound SO SO SO SO GOOD!!!! I would still to this day run Merc EFI's the reason I dont is because Optis are IMHO a smoother running engine.. not because of fuel savings ECT ECT. but the optis are much smoother and when running a high speed boat a smoother running power plant is safer because vibrations cause you to drift when running fast if there is any play what so ever in your steering system. All in all I believe Merc EFI are the best out boards you can run if you arent running them on a 90+MPH boat... you will not notice drift on a 70-80MPH bass boat from vibrations.. however one a 90-100+MPH boat you will and its causes you to have to work the wheel more to keep the boat running right and also causes much more chance of chine walking.. anyhow If you can find you a EFI powered boat it will be cheaper to buy and cheaper to fix!!! you will love the sound and you wont really notice the fuel savings the Opti will give you anyhow... But the Opti is a GREAT engine and always was if you found the right boat for you and its Opti powered dont be scared to jump on it if the boat was taken care of it will take care of you.... early model Optis was the best engine then as it is the best engine now....

does anyone have a bass boat that hits these speeds? has to be an unsafe ride.

With one of my modified (over 325 hp) motors, mine will do 81.7 gps with two people and gear. My motor on a friends Bullet would push his 94.3 gps.

The are a number of boats, Bullet's and Allison's with modified motors that will run in the 90's and a few with highly modified (race engines) that will run in the 100's. Paul Nichols, Bullet test driver using an Engine from Jay Smith Racing Engines making close to 400 hp and turning over 10,000 rpm did 117 in a 20' Bullet.

With a stock 225, I know of none of them that will run in the 90's and doubt you could get there with a stock 250.

However, "SAFE", not exactly! My old, heavy Javelin R20 is a handfull at 80 mph, those bass boat, hyro-rockets that weigh less than 1,000 pounds are not for you average, everyday boat driver.

With one of my modified (over 325 hp) motors, mine will do 81.7 gps with two people and gear. My motor on a friends Bullet would push his 94.3 gps.

The are a number of boats, Bullet's and Allison's with modified motors that will run in the 90's and a few with highly modified (race engines) that will run in the 100's. Paul Nichols, Bullet test driver using an Engine from Jay Smith Racing Engines making close to 400 hp and turning over 10,000 rpm did 117 in a 20' Bullet.

With a stock 225, I know of none of them that will run in the 90's and doubt you could get there with a stock 250.

However, "SAFE", not exactly! My old, heavy Javelin R20 is a handfull at 80 mph, those bass boat, hyro-rockets that weigh less than 1,000 pounds are not for you average, everyday boat driver.

Yeah, definitely not my cup of tea.