I'm looking to maybe purchase a 2006 Tracker Targa 175 with a Merc 90HP Optimax on it. I don't need a lot of overall speed, but I would like the boat to plane out like it should. It the 90HP enough? It appears to have a whale tail on it already. I'm guessing it's needed. Also, are the Optimax motors pretty solid? I've had Merc's before but never an Opti.
Thanks in advance!
I used to own a 2004 Targa 17WT. Bought it new and had numerous upgrades done predelivery, including the motor from the stock Merc 60 to a 115 Optimax. After break in I switched from the BlackMax 19 prop it came with (No idea why that rig didn't come with a SS prop) to a Merc Trophy Plus 17. Then I had the TP17 tweaked at a prop shop & it became a rocket ship! Holeshot as in the 3-4sec range to plane, would stay on plane at slow/moderate speed, and didn't suffer blowouts in turns. Top speed on GPS was about 42-44 mph. One time coming out of a no wake zone I "cracked the whip" & punched around a slowpoke, cut over his wake & literally had the Targa launch totally out of the water. Wife & puppy were not happy.. LOL! In my opinion, the 90 would be ok with a tail on it , just not great. The 90 should put you in the 75% range of max HP for the hull, mine was 125 max. A 4 blade Trophy Plus prop probably would show a big increase in performance. As far as the Optimax goes, it was quiet, responsive, sipped fuel, easy to winterize (no fogging for an EFI motor), and overall a great motor. Only reason I don't still own that rig is physical disabilities made it difficult to launch/reload when solo fishing. Really miss that boat!
