Another Four Stroke Progression 22
Well, I guess it's time to let the cat out of the bag. After 28 years of loyal service, the time has finally come to re-power my 1992 Progression 22. The Mercury 2.5/200 - massaged by the fine folks at Diamond Marine - was an awesome motor and I will probably never have anything that sounds and runs that nasty again. But, parts were getting harder to find and when I could get them, they were getting stupid expensive. That and the 2.5 had let me down a few times in the last few years with what I can only call "minor problems typical of a 28 year old motor." Here's what the old girl looked like before we unbolted her.
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Knowing that I still drive the boat pretty hard - even though I'm way too old to be doing it - I decided to have somebody who really knew what they were doing do all of the work. Jason and Johnny Saris of Performance Marine in Bolton Landing, NY were my first choice. We discussed many different motor and hardware options before settling on the new package. Basically we've gone to a Mercury 250R with a 20" mid (the old motor was a 25"), Sea Star Pro hydraulic steering (the old motor had a Latham wing plate system) and a manual jack plate with 10" of set back (the old one had 8"). We're also converting the trim tabs over to Lenco actuators and doing a few other rigging changes. Here's what the boat looked like the other day when they hung the new motor.
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I know I'm probably going to take some ribbing on not going to a 300R (or even a 450R), but the price difference is staggering. Besides, mid-80's is fast enough for me and the wife these days. As for the steering, as much as I wanted to stay with a Latham wing plate system, apparently Mercury will not warranty a 250R with a wing plate. This, even though you can order a 300R with a wing plate from the factory.
As for props, we've got 28" and 30" Bblades Blasters sitting on the shelf waiting to test. Johnny gets to freeze his nuggies off doing the testing on Lake George. Other than a few quick blasts, realistically, I think testing and break in will have to wait till spring. Wish us luck!