2002 255 CONQUEST 300-HP

[Johnwjmw]

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I’m very close to closing a deal on a 2002 255 Conquest with a Yamaha 300-HP HDPI single.

Any commentary on that particular package would be greatly appreciated.

[jimh]

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Registration for the forum is open to anyone who wants to participate in this collection and discussion of Boston Whaler boat information. Thanks for registering and participating.

...commentary on [a 2002 255 CONQUEST with 300-HP HPDI] would be greatly appreciated.

Yamaha dropped their HPDI engines. I would not own one unless there was a local Yamaha dealer with a trained service technician who had expert knowledge of the HPDI engine and particularly the big 300-HP model. And that's not specific to Yamaha or the HPDI--I want a local expert mechanic for any brand and model engine I am going to rely on for my boating, But expert Yamaha-trained HPDI technicians are not likely to be found in every dealer selling Yamaha today.

I would also require an on-the-water test before buying the Yamaha 300-HP HPDI engine. This is an obsolete engine. I would be worried about factory support in the future. A new 300-HP engine could cost $25,000, a factor to be considered in your purchase of this older engine.

A 25-foot cabin boat is probably at the limit for single-engine power. Depending on your intended use, a single 300-HP engine may be fine.

I would not have any worry about a 2002 Boston Whaler hull, as long as the boat has been properly cared for, has no hull damage, has all original components, and has not been extensively modified or equipped with unusual accessories.

[Johnwjmw]

Thanks for your reply Jim— I’m very fortunate to have a certified Yamaha technician living directly behind my house and I’ve been friendly with him for years.He did a complete evaluation of the motor and found it to be very well cared for-with all the compressions in the cylinders being very high.The lower unit also was holding good pressure and the fuel filters all were very clean and obviously maintained.

I will be the third owner of this boat and as it turns out— the boat was always stored in a high and dry set- up until 2009 and had not been bottom painted prior to then.The guy I’m buying it from had it barrier coated and the first coat of paint put on in 2010 so there isn’t a hugh amount of bottom paint hiding anything.it all looks very Smooth and very evenly applied,no chunky divots or voids as is common when it’s been painted 20 times over the years.

When we Sea tested it- it was the first run since being winterized and the engine ran very smoothly despite it having to burn off the fogging oil from being winterized.It jumped up on plane pretty effortlessly and was able to reach 5800 rpms when trimmed out properly.

The owner said the boat come from the factory with a 225 hp Mercury engine and was re-powered in 2006 because the original owner felt it was very under powered.That makes pretty good sense considering how much boat this is to move...It’s also very good to know all the history is still available and all the previous owners passed it along to each other— all of which seemed to care and do the right thing with it along the way.

I’m taking ownership of it on 5-20-19 and I feel pretty comfortable with the purchase...I guess as comfortable as I’m going to be until I’ve had it for a while and I see what it’s like to own a Boston Whaler for the first time...again Thanks for your reply Jim— appreciate the time you took to do that!