lookinforwalleye Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 Well the new boat is ready to go and I know when I started the exercise of looking for a new ride I said I was going to look at a tiller but in the end I ended up with a 2008 Stratos 176XT with a 2008 Opti Max 75 HP which is the max for this boat. I always wanted a Bass boat so what the heck I went and got one, eighty percent of the fishing I do is for bass anyways. I liked the smaller boats it has the swingaway tongue and it fits very nicely in the garage and it tows very well I think the Dodge will get about 15-20 better MPG than towing the old boat so that`s a nice bonus. Incredible amount of storage in these baby bass boats and a nice big casting platform up front. I would appreciate any member feedback on the Opti. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 good looking boat I miss my bass boat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUSTER Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 Very nice ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
young_one Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 For a new OptiMax, the first year it uses more engine oil, always have spare engine oil ready. In the beginning when you are using the engine, you are suppose to keep it under a certain RPM for a number of miles, not sure the exact number for a 75HP Simple facts you'll probably already know: * engine trim for best performance * steel prop for higher speed, but more damage to the engine if you hit something * have the safety lanyard attach to yourself when driving solo * you MUST go to Mercury authorized engine shops for winterization to take advantage of the 3 Year Factory Warranty * I recommend to purchase the additional years of warranty after the 3 years have expired * Speak to your insurance company, set more of the coverage on your engine and reduce coverage on boat and trailer. Majority of the damage and repair are usually with the engine. Enjoy your new boat, and keep us posted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squid Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 Nice Boat!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 Nice Ride!! And nothing like you were looking for! LMAO you MUST go to Mercury authorized engine shops for winterization to take advantage of the 3 Year Factory Warranty Says who young_one ??? I'm taking my chances now that my three years is up on my Verado.. $1775 A YEAR to extend no thanks.. I'll find a rock first ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
young_one Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 irishfield, to my understanding it is in the fine print in your Mercury 3-Year Warranty. As I'm not a technician, I can not tell you the part name and the specific information. It was a personal experience, I took my Mercury Optimax 150 and Mercury 9.9 Trolling motor to a non-authorized Merc dealer, for the small engine they missed one step of the winterization process, the coming spring, the small engine had problems. To have it fixed, I figured it should not cost me anything if I had the warranty, so I took it to an authorized shop, they diagnosed the problem and asked me if the winterization was done by an authorized shop. In the end I had to pay extra to get it fixed. I strongly believe within the years of your Mercury Warranty, it is best to take it to the Authorized Mercury Engine Shops, these guys have specific Mercury training and with years of experience. With all the money you invested with your boat and engine, why not pay a little extra to make sure they are well taken care of? It is obviously the best option for 'lookingforwalleye' to contact Mercury and find out Warranty related information, as I am just offering my experience with the product and things I've learnt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroutnMuskieHunter Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 Nice looking ride....congrats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumma Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 (edited) Thats great nice shiny NONTILLER boat congratulations... It sounds like you got hit for improper winterization that damaged it so if it is done to factory specs then it should be warranteed.I personally have not taken it to the dealer for that service but I also haven't had an issue with my Merc. While extended warrantees appear to be good keep in mind the price per year divided by the price of a new motor is usually equal to 1 in 10 motors needing replacement that is 10% and that is not a very good investment. Most insurance policies do not cover strike damage or owner ignorance so the percentages go down even further. In my world I put aside a few hundred a year and then it gains interest and is available to repair/replace as needed. Art Edited April 25, 2010 by aplumma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassman Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 Nice ride. That's a weird looking tiller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted April 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 Nice ride. That's a weird looking tiller Hi Ari have you had the Alumacraft out yet? Yes what I ended up buying was about as far away from a tiller as one could get!LOL When I looked at the kind of fishing that I was going to be doing the BB made sense, I will mainly be fishing Dalrymple,Balsam,Canal,Couch and Simcoe on good days and I can still rip jig the weeds and drift for Walleye from a BB. I spent a lot of time searching but there was not alot available and the real good deals went quick, and there was alot of nice boats available but for the most part they were under powered and overpriced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted April 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 Nice Ride!! And nothing like you were looking for! LMAO Says who young_one ??? I'm taking my chances now that my three years is up on my Verado.. $1775 A YEAR to extend no thanks.. I'll find a rock first ! LOL ya I was looking for a tiller/4 stroke!LoL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted April 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 irishfield, to my understanding it is in the fine print in your Mercury 3-Year Warranty. As I'm not a technician, I can not tell you the part name and the specific information. It was a personal experience, I took my Mercury Optimax 150 and Mercury 9.9 Trolling motor to a non-authorized Merc dealer, for the small engine they missed one step of the winterization process, the coming spring, the small engine had problems. To have it fixed, I figured it should not cost me anything if I had the warranty, so I took it to an authorized shop, they diagnosed the problem and asked me if the winterization was done by an authorized shop. In the end I had to pay extra to get it fixed. I strongly believe within the years of your Mercury Warranty, it is best to take it to the Authorized Mercury Engine Shops, these guys have specific Mercury training and with years of experience. With all the money you invested with your boat and engine, why not pay a little extra to make sure they are well taken care of? It is obviously the best option for 'lookingforwalleye' to contact Mercury and find out Warranty related information, as I am just offering my experience with the product and things I've learnt. Thanks for the advice, I have always been one to try and do my own general maintenance. This motor was put into service in May 2008 so there should be one summer of warranty left and the motor was dealer serviced last fall so it should be good to go. The general maintenance for the Opti looks pretty straight forward perhaps the one lower plug might be tough to get at though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassman Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 The boat insurance kicks in tomorrow. I'll have the Alumacraft out on the water this week. I've quickly realized that BOAT is an acronym for Bring Out Another Thousand. Enjoy the new ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rizzo Posted April 26, 2010 Report Share Posted April 26, 2010 If you went in looking for a tiller and walked out with that you are a salesman's dream come true. Very nice boat! pm me if you are interested in some Florida real estate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aniceguy Posted April 26, 2010 Report Share Posted April 26, 2010 congrarts you l love fishing off a bass boat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PERCHER Posted April 26, 2010 Report Share Posted April 26, 2010 The Opti's rock.You will love the performance and fuel economy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted April 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2010 If you went in looking for a tiller and walked out with that you are a salesman's dream come true. Very nice boat! pm me if you are interested in some Florida real estate It`s hard to buy a boat from a dealer,they have no stock!! What`s wrong with Florida real estate? I hear it cheap!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archie_james_c Posted April 26, 2010 Report Share Posted April 26, 2010 A BASS BOAT?!?!?! SINNER!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhawk Posted April 26, 2010 Report Share Posted April 26, 2010 Have an older 150 Optimax (2000) Have had minor problems with blown gas pump gaskets especially the low speed one and major probs with the injectors. However, my extended warranty did cover these to the surprise of the mercury dealership. Mercury seems to stand behind its product. Spark plugs for the motor are quite expensive at $22 USD each and God only knows what the cost is in Can. funds. Having said all of this, if I had a choice I would seriously consider the 4 strokes especially the Yamaha. I have noticed more and more of these being used in Florida and the north. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesn Posted April 26, 2010 Report Share Posted April 26, 2010 Congrats! Welcome to the club of bass boat owners. Sweet little rig and you will enjoy fishing out of it. For fishing the inland lakes for bass, there really is not another fishing platform that can compare to a well laid out bass boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinnerbaitking Posted April 27, 2010 Report Share Posted April 27, 2010 Nice looking Ride Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_fishburn Posted April 27, 2010 Report Share Posted April 27, 2010 Nice boat. now next year your gonna want a bigger one. haha. On extended warrany, you have till the end of you maufacture warranty to decide if you want extended warranty. But if you wait till man warranty expires and then ask for extended they will say sorry no can do. Thats what they did to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted April 27, 2010 Report Share Posted April 27, 2010 Congrats on the new ride your going to love it. Another angler to the Bass side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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