Repower question

S

searay1k

Member
Nov 14, 2015
31
Easton MD
Boat Info
1995 searay laguna 21 center console.
Engines
1995 Mercury 2.5L 200
I have a Sea Ray Laguna 21 in really great shape clean boat. My question is how do you know if a boat is worth repowering. The value of the Laguna's aren't very high I planned on keeping her for a long time. The Black Max 200 that is on there now runs well but is a gas hog and loud I usually take the family on long rides. I was going to repower with a Suzuki df200. What are your thoughts.
 
searay1k said:
I have a Sea Ray Laguna 21 in really great shape clean boat. My question is how do you know if a boat is worth repowering. The value of the Laguna's aren't very high I planned on keeping her for a long time. The Black Max 200 that is on there now runs well but is a gas hog and loud I usually take the family on long rides. I was going to repower with a Suzuki df200. What are your thoughts.
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That 21 Laguna is a really nice boat. If yours is in good shape and you can commit to owning it a long time then it is worth repowering.

If it isn’t in such great shape and/or you are not committed to keeping it a long time then run that old motor until it dies and then sell the boat “as is” at a “no motor” price.

There is a guy on my canal that repowered his 21 Laguna A couple of summers ago. He’s been trying to sell it for 2 years and can’t get anyone to consider paying anywhere near what he wants for it. After repowering it he decided he wants something bigger. Big mistake. He’s trying to recoup the cost of his new motor and it ain’t happening for him.

There is a market for solid boats that need repower though.

My son has two more years of college. He’s got a little 18’ Bowrider now. It runs great but he has outgrown it. The long range plan is to sell that boat and find something similar to your boat, but a bit newer, in good shape that needs a new motor.
We’ll put the new motor on it and he’ll keep it for years.
Two young guys (brothers) across the canal from me have done exactly that over the last two summers. They both bought Whalers that needed motors and put brand new 200 Suzuki’s on them.
BTW: They’re both very happy with the Suzuki’s.
 
I'm looking for a boat to repower in that size. Not easy to find in the cape coral area
 
I will echo the other opinions and support that if the boat meets your long term wants/needs and is in great shape, repower is clearly the best choice.

My old 1989 boat still floats and looks great after 31 years. Your boat will last forever if taken care of. Whether you want it forever....well, that’s the question??
 
I really appreciate guys I'm so on the fence right now I really have to decide by Tuesday cause that's when the sale ends. But I can get a df200ap with digital controls digital Suzuki gauge rigged and everything for $14800 that's 3k off original price. On the other hand I was looking at possibly getting a newer used center console with open bow which is hard to find I really don't want bow seating my opinion its kind of pointless on rough days bean bags are way more comfortable. If I was to buy another boat I would like to find a hull without wood but then the problem is the price of the newer boat usually within my budget its like a 2000-07 with the motors having hundreds of hours on them I asked myself when is it going to need to be repowered I know you can get thousands of hours out of an engine depending how the previous owner took care of it. I just wish it was more support out there for a Sea Ray Laguna because they are really a great boats I get so many compliments about my boat and some hate. I've been boating for about eight years now and I find it incredible how people rely more on to the brand name than anything. For example a buddy of mine found a 1977 mako Hull and told me I should repower that and sell my Laguna just because it's a Sea Ray.
 
Good price for the Suzuki. Tough choice though. You’re going to have to commit to keeping the Laguna a really long time if you put 15k in to it.
I suspect there will always be another sale.
Still worth considering. Laguna is a nice boat.
If you do decide to sell it I wouldn’t be so quick to put that money in to the Mako hull your buddy found either.
That would be a much older boat you’d have to live with for many years to make it worthwhile.
Unless you’re in a real rush to drop 15k, I think I would keep running your Laguna with your current motor until that motor dies.
 
JVM225 said:
Good price for the Suzuki. Tough choice though. You’re going to have to commit to keeping the Laguna a really long time if you put 15k in to it.
I suspect there will always be another sale.
Still worth considering. Laguna is a nice boat.
If you do decide to sell it I wouldn’t be so quick to put that money in to the Mako hull your buddy found either.
That would be a much older boat you’d have to live with for many years to make it worthwhile.
Unless you’re in a real rush to drop 15k, I think I would keep running your Laguna with your current motor until that motor dies.
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Yeah hell no I wouldn't want that mako I love my boat I was just saying with the lack of people's knowledge about the Laguna. For example if you go on like NADA for the boat value prices you can find like older hulls that's been repowered and it gives you an ideal but if you bring up a Laguna it's nothing about it that what's makes the decision so hard I would love to be able to repower run the boat run it for like another 7 to 10 years and be able to at least sell it for what I paid for the repower but that's kind of wishful thinking they don't really sell that high.
 
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My take is... if your Black Max is running good why repower?

Yes it burns more gas. Yes it’s louder. But putting $15k-$20k to swap a working engine seems illogical to me.

I’d run it like you stole it and only if it blows then repower. Save up in meantime.

Problem is those old Merc outboards last a long long time and love to be run like a rented mule.
 
El Capitan said:
My take is... if your Black Max is running good why repower?

Yes it burns more gas. Yes it’s louder. But putting $15k-$20k to swap a working engine seems illogical to me.

I’d run it like you stole it and only if it blows then repower. Save up in meantime.

Problem is those old Merc outboards last a long long time and love to be run like a rented mule.
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I’m with you.
 
searay1k said:
Yeah hell no I wouldn't want that mako I love my boat I was just saying with the lack of people's knowledge about the Laguna. For example if you go on like NADA for the boat value prices you can find like older hulls that's been repowered and it gives you an ideal but if you bring up a Laguna it's nothing about it that what's makes the decision so hard I would love to be able to repower run the boat run it for like another 7 to 10 years and be able to at least sell it for what I paid for the repower but that's kind of wishful thinking they don't really sell that high.
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He really wants something newer, but if a boat was in really good shape, the sale didn’t include the current 25 year old motor, it was priced accordingly and the timing was right someone like my son might be interested in something like your boat.
I think there will always be some kind of market for a nice Laguna.
If you really wish things about your Laguna were different though, your best bet might be to keep running it the way it is, keep it in nice shape and sell it when you find what you really want.
Sinking 15k in to a boat that you wish was different is going to make owning it for many years to come very tough.
 
After reading more of your postings, I really recommend you make a firm decision to do nothing this year.

Your indecision means you will likely regret whatever you do.

There is no harm in running another summer until your choice becomes more clear. This would be a good time to start evaluating other boats while you are out in yours. If you go a whole summer and see nothing you like better, keep yours and catch and “end-of-season” sale. If see lots of other boats you like better, sell your boat as is and shop for another next year.

Keep your money. We’re in the middle of a pandemic, man!!!
 
Can you post pics?

Years ago I water tested a brand new Laguna at a dealer in Miami off 79st Causeway. At that time I was into sailfish and deep sea and I the only thing I didn’t like about that boat was when backing down water would come in pretty good. The one I tested had twin 135 Mercs. Loved that boat. Was getting ready to put a contract when that Monday I lost my job!

since that time I’ve owned a 21ft Mako, great fishing rig but not too family friendly. I recall coming in from Elliot Key it was rough and I was pounding her good such that my vhf antenna flew off the T-top.

As we were pounding about 200 yards on my port side a 17 ft Dusky blew by us. We were all speechless. We figure he was on calmer waters but since then I became a fan of Dusky.

Next boat was a 1982 Sea Ray SRV240 Cuddy w a 454 BII. Great rig. Been a SR fan since.

Shoot us some pics of your Laguna please.
 
I guess I put my foot in my mouth talk too much and lost the point of the whole thread or my question. I really like my boat I saw a couple pictures of a Laguna on thehulltruth without the pulpit and I thought it looked even better my last thread about the pulpit I decided not to do. My main question about the repower was not enough information out there about Laguna's how do you know if it's worth it? I could easily say it's worth it to me because it's my boat but I also don't want to make a mistake just because I own it. If you go on nada about repowering any other boat mako, bluewater, grady white, seapro etc it gives you a set value of the boat then add-ons with a motor selection and everything with the Laguna it doesn't. I planned on keeping my boat for at least seven years I thought the hull was nice enough to repower but I just didn't want to lose my ass that's why I was asking you guys the question about repowering.
 
El Capitan said:
Can you post pics?

Years ago I water tested a brand new Laguna at a dealer in Miami off 79st Causeway. At that time I was into sailfish and deep sea and I the only thing I didn’t like about that boat was when backing down water would come in pretty good. The one I tested had twin 135 Mercs. Loved that boat. Was getting ready to put a contract when that Monday I lost my job!

since that time I’ve owned a 21ft Mako, great fishing rig but not too family friendly. I recall coming in from Elliot Key it was rough and I was pounding her good such that my vhf antenna flew off the T-top.

As we were pounding about 200 yards on my port side a 17 ft Dusky blew by us. We were all speechless. We figure he was on calmer waters but since then I became a fan of Dusky.

Next boat was a 1982 Sea Ray SRV240 Cuddy w a 454 BII. Great rig. Been a SR fan since.

Shoot us some pics of your Laguna please.
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IMG_20151024_140806203.jpg
 
I had it completely buffed out the inside picture we put down I forget what it's called but it's like a wax sealant for the non-skid.
 
That boat is a keeper. When the Max gives up the ghost I would definitely repower her but only after. Like the truck too...Silverado?

Just to clarify my earlier post about my water testing a Laguna. It was the 24 Laguna walk around which had a low open euro transom. Maybe the center console does not get wet when backing down.
 
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Yeah. I'd keep it. You're not going to do better. Re-power when the time is right. But $15,000 over 10 years is only $1500 per year. That cheap fun in boating terms.
 
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