2002 Whaler 270 Outrage
2002 Whaler 270 Outrage
I [may purchase a 2002] Outrage 270 with twin Mercury 225 OptiMax engines with 280-hours. [Peak cylinder pressure] is 115 [PSI] on all cylinders. This boat--for its age--looks to be great shape and comes with a 2014 trailer. [Seeks] any input on this boat.
Re: 2002 Whaler 270 Outrage
There is a general problem in the used boat market for larger outboard hulls, like this 27-foot Boston Whaler: they need twin engines. What we have here is a nice boat with twin engines that are 14-years-old. The engines are a very important factor in the value of this boat. Replacing twin 225-HP engines with new, modern engines could be very expensive. You could easily spend $30,000 on a re-power of this boat. This future cost looms over all the older twin-engine boats on the market, and I think it tends to drag down their value. I have seen some larger boats sell at prices that I thought were very attractive values, but only if the twin engines on the boats can still be counted on for good service and performance.
In the case of this specific boat, a 2002 270 OUTRAGE, the big concern is for the engines. Are they in good condition? Will they run for another five years? Are they reliable? The Mercury OptiMax engines have gone through some hard times. I suggest careful investigation into the engines. I can offer a bit of history about the OptiMax. There is a generational division in the OptiMax engine line that occurred in c.2006. About that time Mercury re-introduced the OptiMax as OptiMax The Next Generation or often called OptiMax G2. There were a few minor changes to the OptiMax, but the biggest change seemed to be better reliability. Here is a good summary of what changed in c.2006 when OptiMax The Next Generation was introduced:
OTNG--OptiMax The Next Generation
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/011847.html
Also at that same time, Mercury was able to finish in first place in the J. D. Powers survey of customer satisfaction with outboard engines. The engine that won was not the new, completely designed from scratch, state-of-the-art VERADO, not the new OptiMax The Next Generation, but the old, original OptiMax. I believe that this was the first-ever J.D. Powers award for customer satisfaction to Mercury, and, as I recall, I don't think they've won one since.
For OptiMax engines of c.2002 generation, they may have been manufactured just after a big debacle. In c.2001 Mercury actually ceased production of the OptiMax for a while because the engines they were making were just not reliable. Customers were so upset there were class-action lawsuits against Mercury. Here is a good thread from that era:
Optimax 225 "Stories"
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/003093.html
A Boston Whaler boat from c.2002 is from an era when Boston Whaler was in the early days of ownership by Brunswick. The sale of boats with pre-installed engines from the factory was just beginning. Because at that time Mercury was still two years away from having their own high-horsepower four-stroke-power-cycle engines, many of the larger boats were set up with OptiMax engines. After the VERADO was introduced in c.2004, Boston Whaler customers shifted their buying preference to four-stroke-power-cycle engines, and the number of boats delivered from Boston Whaler with an OptiMax declined significantly. Buyer preference was overwhelmingly for the VERADO. At some point, perhaps c.2007, Whaler no longer offered the option of getting an OptiMax engine, particularly in the more than 200-HP range.
If I were considering this boat, I would give the engines very close scrutiny. This applies to any c.2002 boat with 2002 twin engines, but, in the case of c.2002 OptiMax engines and because of the circumstances of the OptiMax from that era, extra scrutiny is prudent. Unfortunately, there is no way to be certain. You can buy a 14-year-old outboard engine and it might run like new for the next ten years with no problems. Or it might require a lot of expensive care and feeding to keep running. This is really the big uncertainty with the boat under discussion. I have no qualms about a 14-year-old Boston Whaler hull. I own a 26-year-old Boston Whaler hull and there is nothing about it that gives me any worry.
In the case of this specific boat, a 2002 270 OUTRAGE, the big concern is for the engines. Are they in good condition? Will they run for another five years? Are they reliable? The Mercury OptiMax engines have gone through some hard times. I suggest careful investigation into the engines. I can offer a bit of history about the OptiMax. There is a generational division in the OptiMax engine line that occurred in c.2006. About that time Mercury re-introduced the OptiMax as OptiMax The Next Generation or often called OptiMax G2. There were a few minor changes to the OptiMax, but the biggest change seemed to be better reliability. Here is a good summary of what changed in c.2006 when OptiMax The Next Generation was introduced:
OTNG--OptiMax The Next Generation
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/011847.html
Also at that same time, Mercury was able to finish in first place in the J. D. Powers survey of customer satisfaction with outboard engines. The engine that won was not the new, completely designed from scratch, state-of-the-art VERADO, not the new OptiMax The Next Generation, but the old, original OptiMax. I believe that this was the first-ever J.D. Powers award for customer satisfaction to Mercury, and, as I recall, I don't think they've won one since.
For OptiMax engines of c.2002 generation, they may have been manufactured just after a big debacle. In c.2001 Mercury actually ceased production of the OptiMax for a while because the engines they were making were just not reliable. Customers were so upset there were class-action lawsuits against Mercury. Here is a good thread from that era:
Optimax 225 "Stories"
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/003093.html
A Boston Whaler boat from c.2002 is from an era when Boston Whaler was in the early days of ownership by Brunswick. The sale of boats with pre-installed engines from the factory was just beginning. Because at that time Mercury was still two years away from having their own high-horsepower four-stroke-power-cycle engines, many of the larger boats were set up with OptiMax engines. After the VERADO was introduced in c.2004, Boston Whaler customers shifted their buying preference to four-stroke-power-cycle engines, and the number of boats delivered from Boston Whaler with an OptiMax declined significantly. Buyer preference was overwhelmingly for the VERADO. At some point, perhaps c.2007, Whaler no longer offered the option of getting an OptiMax engine, particularly in the more than 200-HP range.
If I were considering this boat, I would give the engines very close scrutiny. This applies to any c.2002 boat with 2002 twin engines, but, in the case of c.2002 OptiMax engines and because of the circumstances of the OptiMax from that era, extra scrutiny is prudent. Unfortunately, there is no way to be certain. You can buy a 14-year-old outboard engine and it might run like new for the next ten years with no problems. Or it might require a lot of expensive care and feeding to keep running. This is really the big uncertainty with the boat under discussion. I have no qualms about a 14-year-old Boston Whaler hull. I own a 26-year-old Boston Whaler hull and there is nothing about it that gives me any worry.
Re: 2002 Whaler 270 Outrage
One way to ensure an informed decision is to pay a Mercury certified mech to inspect the motors.
1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003
Re: 2002 Whaler 270 Outrage
I had Fishermans Group a Mercury and Whaler dealer in Miami check the engines and boat. They gave me a good report but recommended a service and injector cleaning.