mercury 150 optimax

[aprowl]

anybody have a 150 optimax,looking at going with a crestliner 1850 sportfish with either a 140 johnson 4 stroke or the 150 optimax need help comparing.also one place says u need hydraulic steering othter place say's anti feedback steering is what u want..and what about galvanized trails plus and minus....first boat any help would be appreiciated...thank

[yar 32]

I have owned a 150 opti max for 4 years and have had nothing but good luck with this motor outstanding fuel milage and it does'nt use much oil. They did have some trouble with these motors early on but i think they have the bugs worked out now.

[yar 32]

I have owned a 150 opti max for 4 years and have had nothing but good luck with this motor outstanding fuel milage and it does'nt use much oil. They did have some trouble with these motors early on but i think they have the bugs worked out now.
I have the anti-feedback steering but not the hydraulic and have no trouble with the steering.

[hawkeye43]

yar32 dont you feel the pull, it must be the full moon.

[TUMBLEWEED]

I have had zero problems with my 150
OptiMax (only has ten hours on it)!!
I also have a 2004 SportFish 1850
It will give you a hole shot like no
four stroke will touch. It will troll
down to 1.7 mph and excellent fuel
mileage to boot. Top end is over 50mph
as well.

The only down side is that there is
a little bit more maintenence to
the OptiMax. From a yearly service on the
water seperater in the fuel system, to
a replacement of the water pump and impeller
system after so many hours.

Mercury also has a three year warranty, and my dealer offered an addittional 2 years.
The Cresliner SportFish has lifetime
hull and decking warranties, plus
a 3 year, stem to stern warranty.

[Fishbitten]

I have also had a 150 opti for 5 years and love it to death. Had some problems early on with a throttle position sensor(which turns out I used my old control box with the high rpm lever which was causing the alarm to go off) as far as the fuel h20 seperator it is just a spin on filter. For steering all manufactures say you should have atleast dual cable steering anything beyond that is maybe a welcome upgrade. An indepent magazine article publish fuel economy results between a 130 Honda four stroke and a 150 opti and the opti was better in over all across the board average per Bass and Walleye Proformace Boat Magazine. As long as your fishing you'll be happy either way.

[marine_man]

I've seen plenty 150 optimax's go down the road with single cable steering... will it work? sure... would I upgrade to hydraulic? In a heartbeat. I realize it costs more money... but your arms will thank you if you make long runs... the steering torque at high RPM's starts to get to a guy after a while...

Here's another way to look at it... I realize it's more money... but if you're financing the boat (like most of us) the upgrade to hydraulic will only cost you a couple bucks more a month.... like I said.. I'd do it...

marine_man