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Johnson 200 on a V-King Hi Randy, I just
picked up a V-King (V-bottom) that I plan to work on over the winter
(rigging & interior), but it is without motor and I would like
your advice on motors. I have found a 1995 Johnson 200 (20"
shaft) at a local Marina that my family has been dealing with since the
early 1960s, and their plan is to re-build it this winter and sell it
in the spring for about CDN $5k. I talked to the owner of the marina
and he is happy to substitute performance parts in the re-build if I pay
the difference in cost for the parts themselves (and leave a deposit of
course). What I am
wondering is this: is it worthwhile to have this Johnson built up or
should I hold out for a Merc? I don't want to upset anyone with
brand loyalty issues, but my pocket book is a very specific size at the
moment, so I have to keep my mind open to all possibilities. I
understand that Mercs are the preferred motor for these boats, but I have
also heard that the later model OMCs are pretty good too. Any
advice? Is the shape of these lower units less than optimal with the
V-King hull? A nose cone and L.W.P. will be necessary, I'm
sure. Will I be able to get good props without too much
trouble? What kind of offset will I need? Can this
Johnson's performance be on par with a Merc 200 of the same vintage without
spending thousands to get it there? If so, what performance parts
should I consider? I hope you see what I'm getting at. I
really appreciate your input, and thanks!
Forbes, A
good friend of mine had a 200 looper on a V-king about 8 years ago. Those
motors run good and his boat did too. Ran easily in the mid eighties. We
found that about 4 1/2" of set back was all it could stand. Those
motors are pretty heavy. So here's the story. We went boating and Mike was
making passes back and forth. After about 10 good passes I went to shore
and watched. During one run he slowed as usual to turn around and go the
other way. I kid you not, at 15 to 20 mph the gearcase blewout and the
boat spun. Then the heavy jacked up powerhead took over and the boat
capsized. Nothing was damaged as the boat was going so slow. After we
rolled it back over Mike was pretty shook up. Several weeks later he had
me install a 2.4 bridgeport carb motor. We put it right on the transom and
just raised it as high as the holes would allow. Had a stock CLE gearcase
and we put on a 26 small hub laser 2 prop. First pass it went over 90 and
over 7000 rpm. The reason I say over is the gauges only went that high. My
point in all this: The boat was soooo much better. The lighter motor was
just the answer. The OMC can be made into a great rig; just the Merc, with
its lightness, was way better on this particular hull. If you have not
started the work on the OMC consider a 200 Merc or even an older Yamaha if
one is around. The new Yammy's have a way heavy cowl. Hope
the story helps your project. Randy
Please submit whatever questions you have to IHRTechTalk@yahoo.com. All questions and answers selected will be displayed on this page as they come in. Note: though all boaters are welcome, priority may be given to I.H.R. members. Randy can not be held responsible for any advice given. Though his information and expertise is second to none, he has no control over what you do with your boat. It is up to you to boat safely and act responsibly, and his advice is only to be used as a guidance for your high performance boat/motor of which you are the one responsible for the risks involved. Thanks,
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