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  1. #1
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    87 Sleekcraft semi-restoration by a rookie... What should I do folks??

    Hello all...

    My weekend floater boat that I bought about three seasons ago has finally gotten tired of being rode hard and put away wet. I picked it up from a guy that "needed the money" and haven't done a thing to it as I haven't had the time nor the inclination, I just wanted to get on the water and enjoy all that goes along with it.

    Last season during a run from the beach to the ramp it suddenly lost power and the died on me. No warning buzzer, no temp spike just sudden drop of in power then died. After letting it sit for a few minutes I got it started again and was able to make it to the ramp. It has since been under the cover and pretty much put on the back burner as other hobbies, pastimes and of course work have taken too much of my time. As I travel 280-300 days a year, I don't have a ton of time to split up between domestic duties and play time, so unfortunately I have to pick and choose the things I get to do during my limited stints at home. This means I spend most of my time playing with my toys and not nearly enough time maintaining and updating them. As a result, the boat has suffered and is showing it's age and lack of maintenance.

    I just can't go another season without getting on the water so my plan is to get her fixed up enough for a few outings this season and then a much more thorough upgrade over the following winter. I would like to do as much of the work as I can myself both to save money and just for my own personal satisfaction. I spent many years as a custom stereo installer so I am relatively competent working with wood, fiberglass, electrical and such. Where I fall very short in knowledge is motors. I'm comfortable doing the work and have most of the tools and space needed, what I don't have is the experience and knowledge about what the best parts, upgrades, and just general direction I should go with the motor fix.

    What I hope to do is document the process here so that everyone can chime in with there opinions, suggestions, advice, and just general support. My goal at the end is to end up with a great, what I would call "turn and burn" boat that hopefully turns heads and sparks conversations. At then end of the day being able to smoke some of the big guys on the lake during the occasional speed run wouldn't hurt either.

    Budget is kind of a medium concern. I am single, with no kids, and make a decent living. So as long as I don't blow all my toy funds on other distractions, I would like to do this the "right way". With good quality (albeit not over the top race type stuff) parts and accessories that will work well, look good, but most importantly result in a reliable boat that I don't have to worry blowing up every time I turn the key.

    My first and most pressing issue is the motor. Engine is a 1988 Mercury 200hp serial# 0B242589. Other than that I don't know any more specifics about it. I gather from other threads that i have read, the first thing to test is compression but have yet had the opportunity to do so. I will post results and better motor pics when the weather here in Denver warms up. I'm hoping to get recommendations from "all y'all" experts on where I should go from there. Replace power head? Rebuild power head?? Replace entire motor??? What about a jack plate? It seems like a logical thing to add a bit of speed and if I'm going to have the motor off, shouldn't I add it now rather than later? Never mind the fact that they just look darn cool...

    I'm looking forward to the project, hearing everyone's advice and opinions, and sharing it with the forum...

    Thanks folks!!

    Pete...







    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 87 Sleekcraft restoration 3.jpg   87 Sleekcraft restoration 2.jpg   87 Sleekcraft restoration 1.jpg   87 Sleekcraft restoration 4.jpg  
    Last edited by Bigpete; 04-01-2013 at 01:16 PM.

  2. #2
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    welcome to the site! If it were me, I'd upgrade with new power, more reliable, fuel efficient, less headaches!! Nice Sleek, but needs new power!!
    why ask me ?


  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by stokernick View Post
    welcome to the site! If it were me, I'd upgrade with new power, more reliable, fuel efficient, less headaches!! Nice Sleek, but needs new power!!

    Thanks for the recommendation!

    Although I am leaning that direction, unfortunately I can't afford "brand new" power as much as I would like. What do you recommend for "newer" Merc power and possibly where to look?

    I've checked out the section here and there are what look to be a few good options... Anywhere else I should be looking?

    Pete...
    Last edited by Bigpete; 04-01-2013 at 01:10 PM.

  4. #4
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    I love the lines on that hull, I would suggest looking at wet sanding the gel cote to restore the shine to it. Google is your friend to find info on how to go about doing so.
    I concur with Strokernick, upgrade the power.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by hometown45 View Post
    I love the lines on that hull, I would suggest looking at wet sanding the gel cote to restore the shine to it. Google is your friend to find info on how to go about doing so.
    I concur with Strokernick, upgrade the power.
    Thanks hometown...

    I admittedly did not seek out this sleekcraft specifically when I was looking for a boat. I just kind of ran across it in a craigslist add... It was red, had an open bow and was the right size and price. I have since fallen in love with it. In Colorado, it's a unique boat and even in her current condition gets compliments every time she's on the water. I did some work with rubbing compound and wax last year that lasted a bit but I realize now that I need to take it a step further to recoup the original shine. I have a friend that keeps telling me to spray a clear coat on it but I'm not sure that is the thing to do with gelcoat??

    About power, what short of a brand new motor what would a guy on a bit of a medium budget do to re-power a boat like this? There seems to be so many different models of motors I don't know what the best direction to go is...

  6. #6
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    Look up a guy sleekster on here he had basically the same boat. His was heavy and he ran that boat for years and might still own it. welcome

  7. #7
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    don't know what you want to spend but checkout the buy and sell forum here and you might get lucky!!
    why ask me ?


  8. #8
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    So the immediate consensus seems to be to re-power. I tend to concur as the though of a full rebuild on this motor doesn't really make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. That and I don't think that I could get it completed in time to be on the water this year. Swapping a complete motor should be possible in a relatively short period of time. That being said, can/should I increase the HP I am currently running? I'm at over a mile in elevation and every little bit of power helps up here in the thin air. Will my transom handle the extra HP? What about weight? Is there a point of diminishing return as far as size/weight of motor vs. HP? Fuel injection is definitely a "want" but assuming I can afford it will it give me an appreciable benefit over a well tuned carb setup? How new should I go? Some of the 99-01 and up 225 Xri motors seem to be close to what I can afford but are they new enough to justify the extra expense over just rebuilding?

    If I make the assumption that I am going with a new motor the next question I have for everyone is to "jack" or not to "jack". From the reading that I have done on this forum and other places on the web a jack plate is a very useful tool in gaining a few mph in top speed and apparently a bit of fuel economy as well. Whether the latter is true or not doesn't really concern me to be honest as I don't make long river runs like it seems many of you folks do. However, a few extra mile an hour and maybe access to shallower water would be very nice indeed.

    I have my eye on the Bob's Machine Shop Action series jack plates. They seem to be relatively straight forward to install and I like that fact that I don't have to run additional hydraulic lines from inside to outside the hull. Not that I'm lazy, I just like the idea of a very clean looking transom, less is more in my book. The real question is setback... How do I determine the proper setback of the jack plate? Does this require experimentation or is there a good compromise that will keep me from having to swap out jack plates or spacers to get to the correct setup?

    Anxious to hear you opinions!

  9. #9
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    Let me see if I can get this started again...

    After a long summer of work/travel, I've got a few updates ands ton of questions. But I will keep it short this time.

    I managed the time to do a compression check and low and behold (and probably to no ones surprise I'm sure) one cylinder was way low. So I tore the motor down and well, look for yourself...

    So it's definitely new motor time. Other than a brand new motor 20+k that I don't have or am willing to spend... What is going to get me the best bang for my buck motor? As is the case with most of us I would like to run as fast as I can without breaking the bank and/or dealing with crazy maintenance issues.

    I've been looking around and seeing all kinds of stuff available I'm open to anything Merc... Soooo.. Suggestions?

    EFI?

    XRi??

    Promax???

    ????

    I'm all ears and open to suggestions in addition to the for sale forum here as to where I might find a good used motor from a trustworthy source...


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    Last edited by Bigpete; 11-09-2013 at 03:05 PM.

  10. #10
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    You could always just get a newer 2.5 200hp efi power head or whole motor and be back in running pretty quick. Or if the budget allows maybe a promax 225

  11. #11
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    225 Promax! You can pick one up complete for around 6500. Great, dependable engine!

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by superboattwin250 View Post
    You could always just get a newer 2.5 200hp efi power head or whole motor and be back in running pretty quick. Or if the budget allows maybe a promax 225
    Super, I was thinking the same thing...

    Ideally I would like a new motor hopefully something with a nicer lower on it "nose coned"?? I believe is the term?? Plus I would like to add a jack plate if possible.

    In the case I can't find a good deal on a new motor a power head would be my next choice for sure. That being said I would need some help determining what power head would be compatible with my mid/lower. What kind of information/specs do I need on the existing lower to determine the proper power head to purchase?

    Pete...

    FYI... folks I know I am probably throwing around a bunch of terms incorrectly and sounding like an idiot in the process... Please excuse my ignorance. While I am quite mechanically inclined and ready to dig in and "learn" my way through this process. I just don't have all the lingo for this type of stuff down just yet and am learning as I go... Feel free to correct me if I'm referring to something incorrectly...

    Thanks again folks...

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by rkmirage View Post
    225 Promax! You can pick one up complete for around 6500. Great, dependable engine!
    Hmmm...

    Sounds like 225 Promax is the way to go....

    Now I just need to find one!

    any ideas?!?

  14. #14
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    The 2.4 and 2.5 have the same bolt pattern so It will bolt on but there different adapter plates to make the cooling and exhaust ports correct

  15. #15
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    Don't feel bad about not knowing the lingo, we all started out the same way! Sometimes I go back to my original screen name just to look at my old posts and realize how little I knew back then. It's definatly a learning curve, stick with it, it's becomes an addiction!

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