Looking into buying a used Sportfish 1850 with Mercury 115 Optimax on it. Anybody have any expirence on how the Merc will perform on this boat? Will it be under powered? Boat will be used for fishing and tubing.
i would think you would be ok sould have plenty of power i would think whats it rated for ??
a 150 I think… 115 maybe a little on the underpowered side, but probalay ok, They seem to move pretty nice with a 150
My 1850 has a 150 Yamaha and is rated for 175hp. Runs about 42mph with 3/4 throtle. I feel very comfortable on the lake with it. (Oahe)
Is the Opti a 2+2 type or strait four. Had a 100hp 2+2 and it gave me trouble in waves as the change over rpm caused a power problem. Other than that I had no problem with the motor. Was sweet on fuel.
stonecutter
2009 model with 115 ELXPT Optimax
Are you buying the rig new?
What size sportfish?
The 115 will get you by just fine, but it wont be a speed daemon (1850 is rated for 175hp). I have a 115 Yami 4 strk on my 1850 Sportfish and consistently do 38 mph (gps) with a full tank and a couple passengers, but have never seen 39mph. I am able to pull up skiers without much of an issue, and that is with a full tank and 4 guys in the boat. A 150 would be nice and I would like to upgrade at some point, but it is not required. It would be nice to have that additional speed, holeshot, and run less RPM’s at higher speeds.
I would strongly recommend getting a SS prop, and taking the time to test a few to get the right one if need be. that will help with the lower HP engine.
Speaking from experiance the 115 optimax is a powerhouse as far as mid sized motors go.
I have an older 1750 with a 110 Evy. It is rated for 120. It is not a peformance machine by any means, but does exactly what I want. I would imagine the 1850 with a 115 would be underpowered.
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