1800 sr3 - engine size

[swilson]

I am looking at purchasing a 2005 1800 SR3 with the 190hp engine. Does anyone have experience with this engine and will it provide enough power to pull skiers and possibly wakeboarders? The deal is 17,900, with the trailer and lots of other stuff, this seems like a good deal. suggestions?

[racer2c]

Hi,

I have a 2006 1800SR3. I put 56 hours on it last season (bought it in June so missed some of our season).
I love this boat (as does my wife and daughter and our friends and family).

I have the 190hp carbed 4.3 V6. I've had seven people on this boat many times and it's primary use is for wakeboarding and tubing. I've had six in the boat and pulling a wakeboarder with no problem whatso ever and that is with the stock 23 pitch prop!!!!!!

Just this week I've ordered a Big Air wakeboard tower and the High 5 19" prop which everyone tells me will make me think I bought a new boat. I can't wait!

Complaints? The 18' is not great in rough water. It gets tossed around quite a bit. I'm going to order some good quality trim tabs to see if that helps. I've heard it makes a world of difference.

the 4.3 is a tried and true little engine that will last years with proper maintenance. I do have a 'run on' (diesling) problem with mine on hot days which is a trait of this engine and a big pain in my ass, but I like the fact that it is just slightly down in horsepower than the carbed V8 but weighs less and gets better milelage. It's a good performer for this size boat. I do wish I had the knowledge to buy the fuel injected at the time however. My next boat will be fuel injected.

With the 23 pitch prop I easily do 50mph. Easily. It's funny because I can do 50 with six people on board but by myself I can only pull 55. That will come down once I move to a 19 pitch but like I said we use this primarily as a budget wakeboarding boat.

Check out picture gallery for some pics of my boat. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a small run about that is easly towable.

17,5K sounds about right. I paid $22,5K for mine last summer. Is this 2005 fully optioned? Mine came with the two stereo remotes, snap in carpet, captains chair, depth finder, upgraded stereo, bimini, full snap on cover, graphics, chromed hull bumper, galvanized trailer with swing arm, swim deck, recessed cleats all of which are upgrade options.

Good luck. How many hours are on it? Does it have maintanance records for the past year?

Let us know how it goes. Maxums are fine boats. Not the best, but not the worst!

[swilson]

Thanks for the information.

Given your experience I should satisfied with the 190.

This boat is new, never been used. Options inlcude Bow and cockpit cover, carpet runners, bimini top, bow filler cushion, Helm bucket seat exchange, color kingplank, Premium option package, stainless rugrail.

It doesn't have the hidden cleats or the remotes for the stereo which would be nice optons.

The best price I could get on a new 2006 with similar optons was 20,900.

There is also debate among friends whether to get a jet boat or this I/O. which has proven to be interesting. The Jet boats seem to come with bigger engines, but, they must not pull as well. Looking for a boat has certainly been fun.

I think I am going to do this deal with the SR3!

[racer2c]

You won't be disappointed! Good luck and come back and post some pictures!!

[seapuppy]

IF your having a dieseling problem..then there are a few things to check...timing...carb adjustment...gas...and finally if none of those are out of whack...then just let the boat idle for a few minutes in neutral to cool down some before shut off....dieseling is the engine trying to run backwards and will ingest water back into the engine causing serious damage....so...if you can avoid dieseling...do so at all costs.....dieseling in a car won't hurt much..but a boat is another story....get those checked before the next season...... :wink:

[racer2c]

yeah. The diesling issue is a frustrating one with the 4.3. Especially since it is (was) a new engine. I did talk with the dealer I bought it from and they checked it out and said they couldn't duplicate it. They also said the correct thermostat has been installed in the 4.3 since the mid-'90's.

It's hard when the wife is yelling at me to shut the engine off when a boarder is down and swimming back to the boat. As the skipper, I quickly evaluate the boat traffic and tell the person in the water to hang tight and relax while the engine ideals for a few minutes. There have been a few times in the name of safety where I needed to put the person in the water before the boat and I just kept my fingers crossed that I wouldn't wreck the thing.

Damn you carb!!!!

Although, I do run hard when pulling wakeboarders which is a contributor in the heat of the Summer.

[Franco_2100SC]

I saw where you intend on installing tabs.


You will need to be careful on their placement because they will really impact how you turn when pulling wakeboarders/skiiers..

They made a tremendous difference on my 2100SC for settling the ride in a chop, but they impact the roll in a turn even when fully retracted. I don't have enough experience to tell you exactly what's best, but I do know it is going to make your turning radius much greater.

KKKKFL

[racer2c]

Thanks Franco. That is something I hadn't thought about.

I do think the benefit in rough water is worth the hit in turn radius. I try to stay very straight when pulling a wakeboarder. The only time I realy need the turn is when the boarder is down and I'm guessing that I could still yank that puppy around pretty tight with tabs.

[Franco_2100SC]

At least on my 2100SC, and with the tabs fully up, I cannot turn like I used to. What happens is that the boat will not drop the inside rear AT ALL. Since it stays flat the motor starts to cavitate and I had to stop completely, then turn to retreive the skii'er. The sound from the engine scared me enough that I didn't try the turn-around again. If you can live with chopping throttle down to idle and doing your turn, you'll be ok. The difference in a chop was nothing short of fantastic. Instead of returning with my fillings loose, the boat cleaved through the waves without the usual porposeing and since tubing/skiing is only a 2% thing for us the tabs are a great addition.

I would wait til the season opens before you actually purchase tabs, and you have an open invitation to go out for some "Start of Season" check out rides once I Unwrap Sempre Veloce.. to experience what I am talking about. I'm guessing its gonna be 2nd week in April this year.

KKKKFL

[Flying_Maxum]

My last boat had 4.3 (1992 Chaparral 1800), and in the 3 1/2 years I owned it, I never experienced any diesleing/run on. Was a great running engine with good power. Strange to see that it might have been somewhat common. The only problem my boat had, was the sterndrive was a Yamaha unit, had to get rid of a good boat, just to avoid unavailable parts.