200s Engine Options

[NautiGirl]

I'm looking at ordering a '19 200s. This is getting to be towards the top of the budget so I can't just "check every box". Do you guys thing the Merc 4.5L/200hp is going to be underpowered? We're on a 640 acre lake (40MPH limit) where usually the worst wake is from wakeboard boats. 2/4 adults normally, at most 4 adults, 4 kids and kneeboarding, tubing. The dealers seem to be defaulting to the VP/240hp. Thanks for any input.

I want to make sure I keep International Relations on Cobalt Chat strong - and that means picking on anyone that tries to buy an under powered boat not just our friendly Canadian BobRay.

Your lake may have a speed limit, but the majority don't. We boat on a lake where it's not unusual to see Turbine Powered Boats running in the triple digits so I may be a bit biased, but a lake speed limit seems almost Un-American.

My point is you may be ok /w the 200hp 4.5 but the next owner of the boat may not be. I know you are buying the boat you want and not the boat someone else will want when you are ready to sell, but resale price is still a consideration I would think about. All things the same buyers will chose a boat with upgraded power over the base engine all the time.

I get the budget thing is a balancing act, but engine is not a place to go small. To stay under budget skip something that you can easily add later but an engine is pretty difficult to swap out.

The Volvo 280hp DuoProp is only a $5,900 upgrade - and that is MSRP. Do it.

[NautiGirl]

This is my opinion only. Cobalt and merc had a fight.

Cobalt was tired of giving money to a competitor. Why send money to Brunswick Group when you don't have to?

Also - and I know you won't admit this - but VP is making better products right now.

[jhnmdahl]

Speed limits are uncommon to be sure, but the lake we mostly run on with the 40 mph limit is in the city, and despite being over 22 square miles, gets pretty heavy traffic. Lake Minnetonka isn't so well known outside of MN, but is the lake behind Minnetonka Moccasins, Tonka trucks, and the baptism scene in Prince's Purple Rain movie.

[Big Block Power]

This is my opinion only. Cobalt and merc had a fight.

Cobalt was tired of giving money to a competitor. Why send money to Brunswick Group when you don't have to?

Also - and I know you won't admit this - but VP is making better products right now.

I won't admit it. Volvo in sterndrives is way ahead but but 502bb everyday.

[cmattj]

This is my opinion only. Cobalt and merc had a fight.

Cobalt was tired of giving money to a competitor. Why send money to Brunswick Group when you don't have to?

Also - and I know you won't admit this - but VP is making better products right now.

I won't admit it. Volvo in sterndrives is way ahead but but 502bb everyday.

Cmon admit it... Have you glanced at your Volvo outdrive reservoir lately? Oh wait

[cmattj]

The Volvo 280hp DuoProp is only a $5,900 upgrade - and that is MSRP. Do it.

You’ll actually make money upgrading. Your trade value could take a 10k hit due to it being difficult to resell.

Your driving experience with the improved take off power will be amazing. Besides a majority of most boat owners cruise under 40 mph.

Enjoy yourself.

[akorcovelos]

This is my opinion only. Cobalt and merc had a fight.

Cobalt was tired of giving money to a competitor. Why send money to Brunswick Group when you don't have to?

Also - and I know you won't admit this - but VP is making better products right now.

I won't admit it. Volvo in sterndrives is way ahead but but 502bb everyday.

x billions and billions and billions and...

[Stagdad]

Thanks for the welcome and the input. Your responses invoke another question...VP seems to be the engine of choice with Cobalts. I've always had Mercs. Any reason for one over the other, especially in the 200s?
I have always had MercCruiser products. This time I chose the Volvo because (1) it is a GM engine, they build /have built millions of these 5.3 litres over the years. It has proven reliable and powerful. (2) Ease of winterization/ closed cooling system. (3) saved a few pounds with and aluminum engine over cast iron. Merc is not doing anything revolutionary, just continuing on with what GM would have done if they were still building cast iron engines.If I had gotten a deal with a black engine, it would not have deterred me, both good products.

[MnLakeBum]

Lakes with speed limits?

Believe on the lakes around the Twin Cities metro such as Lake Minnetonka, they need speed limits with how crowded the weekends get. There are over 3.6 million people in the metro area and a lot of them are boaters. In fact, Minnesota has the most boaters per capita and with only about a 5 month season they tend to put more hours on there boats than those in other states. 150 hours per summer is common. I’m guessing there are only about 20 lakes in the state out of over 12,000 that have a boating speed limit and ours it not one of them.

[tgrace98]

Thanks for the welcome and the input. Your responses invoke another question...VP seems to be the engine of choice with Cobalts. I've always had Mercs. Any reason for one over the other, especially in the 200s?
I have always had MercCruiser products. This time I chose the Volvo because (1) it is a GM engine, they build /have built millions of these 5.3 litres over the years. It has proven reliable and powerful. (2) Ease of winterization/ closed cooling system. (3) saved a few pounds with and aluminum engine over cast iron. Merc is not doing anything revolutionary, just continuing on with what GM would have done if they were still building cast iron engines.If I had gotten a deal with a black engine, it would not have deterred me, both good products.

It’s pretty simple. Volvo is still investing in i/o stern drive technologies and the new forward drive. While mercury has shifted their focus to outboard motors. Back in the early 2000’s it was about a 50/50 split on cobalt boats between mercury and VP. Now it’s about 85/15. With most of cobalt’s sales being I/o. The VP motors have taken over.

Plus like what someone else has said. Brunswick owns mercury and they own a variety of boat builders as well. So putting a black motor in a cobalt is giving money to a competitor

[akorcovelos]

Lakes with speed limits?

Believe on the lakes around the Twin Cities metro such as Lake Minnetonka, they need speed limits with how crowded the weekends get. There are over 3.6 million people in the metro area and a lot of them are boaters. In fact, Minnesota has the most boaters per capita and with only about a 5 month season they tend to put more hours on there boats than those in other states. 150 hours per summer is common. I’m guessing there are only about 20 lakes in the state out of over 12,000 that have a boating speed limit and ours it not one of them.

I boat on the busiest inland waterway in the world, no speed limits. To me this only makes sense on very small lakes, like with 10hp limits.

[Ytmsn]

Thanks for the welcome and the input. Your responses invoke another question...VP seems to be the engine of choice with Cobalts. I've always had Mercs. Any reason for one over the other, especially in the 200s?
I have always had MercCruiser products. This time I chose the Volvo because (1) it is a GM engine, they build /have built millions of these 5.3 litres over the years. It has proven reliable and powerful. (2) Ease of winterization/ closed cooling system. (3) saved a few pounds with and aluminum engine over cast iron. Merc is not doing anything revolutionary, just continuing on with what GM would have done if they were still building cast iron engines.If I had gotten a deal with a black engine, it would not have deterred me, both good products.

Stag a quick story how tough and reliable that GM 5.3 is.
A few years ago I traded for a little GM Blazer with that motor. I had nothing in the trade and was going to put it up for sale, but while banging around in it a small rod knock developed. I figured I could put another motor in and sell it at cost, or just sell it cheap to someone with the knock.

I ended up selling it to a guy for cheap that said he was going to rebuild the motor himself. And two years later I ran into him. He was still driving it, and it still had the knock! He said he wasn't going to do anything until he had to, and he had been driving it every day back and forth to work! He said it didn't smoke or use oil, it just knocked. It was more than likely a spun main bearing, but it just kept on ticking..

That motor is a good one. Just like the 350, the 235 six cylinder, and many others they have produced over the years.

[MnLakeBum]

Lakes with speed limits?

Believe on the lakes around the Twin Cities metro such as Lake Minnetonka, they need speed limits with how crowded the weekends get. There are over 3.6 million people in the metro area and a lot of them are boaters. In fact, Minnesota has the most boaters per capita and with only about a 5 month season they tend to put more hours on there boats than those in other states. 150 hours per summer is common. I’m guessing there are only about 20 lakes in the state out of over 12,000 that have a boating speed limit and ours it not one of them.

I boat on the busiest inland waterway in the world, no speed limits. To me this only makes sense on very small lakes, like with 10hp limits.

Busiest and highest boat density are two different things. I grew up on one of the 5 busiest inland waterways in the U.S. and there was no need for a speed limit. I did a little checking and could only find 5 major Twin Cities metro lakes that have a speed limit, normally 40mph. If you boated out on Lake Minnetonka on 4th of July weekend you would understand why. The lake has many bays with blind corners that could be dangerous at 60 mph in a boat or jet ski. Below is a typical summer weekend at Big Island on Lake Minnetonka.

[akorcovelos]

yeah, similar to us for sure. I try to avoid weekend boating these days, but I've been known to tie up at some of the raft ups in my younger years.

[tgrace98]

This is my opinion only. Cobalt and merc had a fight.

Cobalt was tired of giving money to a competitor. Why send money to Brunswick Group when you don't have to?

Also - and I know you won't admit this - but VP is making better products right now.

I won't admit it. Volvo in sterndrives is way ahead but but 502bb everyday.

Eh, HP is HP. I don't care how it gets there as long as its there. Small block or big block