2018 Tahoe 215 Deck Boat User Manual
The best in US manufactured pontoon boats, Tahoe Pontoons combines the latest in style and. Affordable pontoon boat to suit all your needs. 2018 Catalog Videos. Started by magicman1223, June 4th, 2018, 12:27 PM. First time boat owner here - 2008 Q5i. Tough lessons to learn already.
Pro = ability to tilt the motor out of the water if you plan to slip the boat in salt water. Not such a big deal if you trailer. Con = Price (outboards usually cost more for the same power) Weight distribution (I/O has more weight towards the middle of the boat) Access (deckboats are primarily watersports oriented. Haveing a big motor back there means no large swim platform to get in and out of the water). Most 21' sport boats have a 5.0 as the smallest engine available. If you plan on skiing or wakeboarding at all that is the engine you want, preferably with a dual prop.
Lastly, Tahoe is not the best brand and if you have to buy it from a box store rather than a real boat dealer you may not like the service department much. Take a look up close at some other brands. Look under the rubrail to see how well the top of the boat is fastened to the hull section as well as the fit, finish and quality of hardware. If you plan to do any fishing, spring for the snap-in carpet so you don't ruin it with fish blood. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, avoid buying a boat at a store that sells tents, backpacks and hiking boots.
Would you buy a car at Home Depot if you knew you would have to go there for service/warranty? To add to Prober's comments which are right on. Depends on how you intend to use it.
Tahoe web-site says the I/O version weighs 3450#. Also passenger capacity is 12. My Glastron (4000 lb brochure weight) has a 5.7/280 and 13 people capacity-which we use sometimes, half kids/teens. I think 220 I/O is too small unless you are not going to load it up. Having said that, my preference would be an e-tec outboard. Costs more initially but I/O maintenance costs are high unless you can do it yourself-lower unit removal and plug changes (some take a contortionist) If you follow the owner's manual schedule it will cost a grand for annual service by a dealer.
Someday, a boat builder will figure out a way to move an outboard far enough forward to allow a decent swim platform and a safer place for swimmers. I'm nowhere near saltwater, so that won't be an issue. I have the ability to service and repair myself, but I like pulling the cowl off of an outboard much better than standing on my head in the bilge of an I/O. What's my best bet for fuel economy? I currently have a 1987 Bayliner 2250 Cobra with a 5.7 OMC sterndrive and a 1997 Skeeter ZX-185C with a Yamaha 150 Pro V-Max TRP. The Cobra gets very good fuel economy, but I don't have a good feel for the outboard's fuel efficiency because I don't use it a lot and when I do, I usually motor to fishing hole and use the trolling motor to move around.
I've never had an outboard-powered ski boat, so that's really the source of my question. I like this Tahoe because it's roomy and appears to be adequate enough in the fishing department to justify selling both of my current boats and having just this one. This particular boat is a new 07 and I think I can get it for close to half of the MSRP. I'm paying cash, so simply selecting a different boat is probably not going to happen because I don't want to spend more than what I'm expecting to pay for this one.
Besides, I've looked at a ton of boats and I like the design of this one the best. If your motor is a little underpowered for the boat you will use more fuel. If you want to mostly fish and occasionally pull a tuber that boat may work out for you. If you want to pull skiers the outboard is going to drown them before you get them out of the water.
Tahoe 195 Deck Boat
For outboard power that boat should have a 200 minimum. If that is not an option then get the 5.0 I/O For comparison, Bayliner sells the 204 fish and ski which weighs 4000# with a 220 HP 5.0 as standard and a 260 HP MPI 5.0 as an option. And that's a Bayliner, possibly the lightest hull out there. By the way, If it was me I would definately get MPI no matter what boat I bought. If you are set on brand new it should not be useing a fuel system that was obsolete 20 years ago, just my opinion. Besides, you will make the money back on resale. If your motor is a little underpowered for the boat you will use more fuel.
If you want to mostly fish and occasionally pull a tuber that boat may work out for you. If you want to pull skiers the outboard is going to drown them before you get them out of the water. For outboard power that boat should have a 200 minimum. If that is not an option then get the 5.0 I/O For comparison, Bayliner sells the 204 fish and ski which weighs 4000# with a 220 HP 5.0 as standard and a 260 HP MPI 5.0 as an option. And that's a Bayliner, possibly the lightest hull out there.Thanks for your replies and input. I'll try not to wear you out with my questions.
I found some gph figures on boattest.com and it appears that the outboard (200 hp test motor) is less fuel efficient than the standard 4.3 (190 hp) that was tested. At 33 mph, the outboard was turning 4000 rpm and using 9.6 gph, while the 4.3 was turning 3500 rpm and using 7.8 gph. I like the idea of the outboard, mainly for the ease of winterizing. Mazda 323 lx service manual. I'm in Arkansas, so in the spring and fall seasons varies greatly. For instance, we might have freezing weather in October, but a 75 degree day in November. I just don't want to end up with an underpowered gas hog.
As far as usage, I'll probably use the boat more for water sports than fishing, but we don't ski much. My 13yo son and his friends mostly like to tube, but this Tahoe has a wakeboard tower and I suspect they will eventually migrate to wakeboards.
The Bayliner 204 you mention weighs 4000# with the trailer, according to the website. Without the trailer, it weighs a little over 3000#. I can't seem to find a comparable weight for the Tahoe. The website lists the 'package weight' as 4000#, but is that with a trailer?
I can't imagine the Tahoe being 1000# heavier than the Bayliner, as it's only 9 inches longer and 4 inches wider. If the Bayliner is 3000# with the sterndrive, can we assume that, with a 500# outboard, the Tahoe would weigh 3000# or less (the website incidates a 2200# hull weight)?
Would the 225 Optimax be sufficient for that boat weight? Could I assume that it would get a little better fuel economy with a more powerful motor pushing the same boat? What is the general opinion on the Mercury Optimax engines? I've read that they used to have problems. Would a 2007 model have those problems? Thanks again.
Yes a 225 would be fine for that hull. And the trailer is generally around 800# for a single axle, 1200 for a tandem. As far as the motor goes, there are many more familiar with the optis than I but in general you pay a little more for an outboard because there is a lot of engineering needed to put the motor, trans and outdrive all in the same package. They also are not much fun to work on. Sure, you are not in an engine compartment but you will have to remove a lot of stuff to get to simple things like spark plugs and oil filters.
They are really tight inside.