Recently purchased a boat with a 2006 Mercury 200 hp, max rpm I�m getting is 4900-5000... mph only 52. Boat is 18.8 feet and should be running 62-68... any ideas what the issue could be? Recently had new powerhead installed and full tune up. Thanks

I take it back to the ones that did the work,...ask them.

I didnt put the powerhead on, I just purchased he boat from Atlanta and drove it back here. Has A 25p fury prop. I am emailing the place the guy said the new powerhead was put on to try and get info. I�ve got a bad feeling I�ve been scammed... and out 18k on boat that really doesn�t have a new powerhead on it. I say this based off some other issues I�m having with Boat and the seller. So I�m trying to narrow down some other possible reasons, so please no more smart remarks. Thanks... something helpful would be appreciated.

You need to be specific on what you�ve got.
And new powerheads are easy to spot.

2006 champion 188 w/200 HP Mercury Optimax 2006 medel. 25p Fury 3 blade prop. Boat has a 10 inch jack plate. Max throttle it�s getting 4900-5000 rpm. Running smooth though. Thanks

The exact right setup on that rig is a 25 tempest
Set close to 3 1/2� prop shaft under pad will run right at 5,700 rpms and 70 mph.

You�re not there. Find a merc tech and spend some money to verify what you were sold. A thousand possible issues could cause your problems but diagnosis over the internet won�t get it done.

Thank yoi

Your PM box is full.

If you're interested in a Tempest Plus 25, I have one that I want to swap for a 23. I realize that is not what you have so I would sell mine and get a 23 somewhere if you're interested.

when you took it out an tested before the purchase did it run up to the correct rpms an speed ?

Unfortunately I drove to Atlanta to purchase and did not take it on the lake. Hooked it up to the hose to make sure all worked and so on. I also failed to crawl under boat, and found out the hard way once back in Fort Worth, the seller failed to disclose fiberglass damage that needed repair! This has turned into a expensive nightmare., and a lesson learned. Guy is supposedly a guide in Atlanta Georgia area, but when I look him up I see nothing about guide service. Seller tried telling me I did the damage to the hull (was on inside of bunker, can�t see from the side), which I am 100 percent sure I did not. He got me good, but now I�m stuck with it so it has to be fixed. I�m in contact with the business owner where he said he got the remanufactured powerhead, he�s gonna contact me tomorrow and said he will assist any way he can. I know, I�m a [censored].

Are you a member on BBC? If not, join and go the the Merc page and check out the hotfoot setup section. Could be possibly part of the problem, not achieving WOT due to not being adjusted properly.

Have you done a compression test? Gauge is cheap and it�s easy to do, just make sure you do it properly.


And don�t feel bad, I got bamboozled too buying a used boat. It�s lessons in life that teach us for next time.

Don�t beat yourself up on this, it�s happened to a lot of us, including me. When buying used boats, it�s sometimes impossible to catch every single issue. I bought my first boat years ago, and the motor ran perfect on the hose and the compression was a perfect 125psi on all holes, thought I had me a decent boat. Next thing I know my number 6 piston shatters to pieces due to a water jacket problem. The seller obviously didn�t mention anything about this, and who knows, maybe he didn�t know about it either. Anyway, I hope your motor is an easy fix, it does sound like it could be something simple like a throttle cable adjustment. Best of luck to ya.

Well the fiberglass repair is estimated at 800 to fix, not as bad as I thought... but enough to still [censored] me off. Haha Taking the motor to Ronnie Patterson next week after the fiberglass is repaired. I�ve heard nothing but good things about his abilities with Mercury motors. Thank you!

BIG difference between "new" and "re-manufactured"
I sure as hope he didn't have some sleaze like Blackbird do that.

When you took the cowling off did it look clean or did you see orange gasket sealant everywhere?

And by all means you need to out this dude, this is not a large circle we walk in, and nothing I despise more than someone being taken advantage of, especially because of a lack of knowledge.

Sellers name was David Keith Sansbury... out of Atlanta,Ga and previously Satsuma, FL. He says he�s a guide, but I can�t find anything in relation to him being a guide and says he gets the Power Poles for his new boat at guide discount price. Pissed me off when he tried saying I was a scammer after I had already paid the man 18k. I�m a police officer and would never scam anyone, and I should have been more smart about the situation and had it all checked out and crawled under the boat. Was a long drive and I was in a hurry to get back on the road to Texas. We had texted multiple times and I let my gaurd down. Lesson learned for sure!