The boat I ordered is a 28' Single 525 & will come w/ Marine Machine dual ram hydraulic steering ($approx $4500 opt). To upgrade to Mercruisers I.T.S. will cost me another $1900 (or total opt cost of $6400)

I went way over my original budget for a new boat back in Sept but have come across some spare change. Looking for the pros & cons of the I.T.S. for now is the time for me to decide.

I realize the look is cleaner & includes a 7" ext box. My boat builder only offers 2 "X" dimensions & they are between 17" - 17 1/2" so I'd only gain a 1/2". He guesstimates a 1-2 mph gain at best over a std XR drive.

Is it worth it?? Will I gain anything on resale??


Personally I'm afraid I may outgrow my boat after only one season which would mean either a blower for '05 or a bigger boat so I'm on the bubble about the additional $1900 that could go towards a blower or other goodies or even a bigger boat.

I think the price difference sounds high, so you should ask if the MM setup is "full hydraulic" with a helm or if it uses the cable. The full hydraulic helm setup is much better. The ITS requires a full hydraulic helm and could be part of the reason for the extra expense.

Gary

Ask Troutly what he thinks of the ITS. You might have better luck with an extension box, but that's also expensive. You would probably be better off putting the money in the motor ... you'll get more bang for the buck and not have the headaches of trying to work out rigging and handling problems, but that will void your warranty. If you are already thinking that you will be moving up in a year or two, I wouldn't spend the money. I'd save it for the down payment on the new one! I doubt ITS will increase the resale value of your boat ... it might even detract from it.

Falcon

You hit the nail on the head. MM has been quoted as full hydraulic but your right that the ITS requires a hydraulic helm unit & hoses back to the drive which aren't included by Merc, thus the pricing difference.

I believe I'm going to pass on the ITS for now based on Red Dogs & the advice of some local boaters. No guarantee of any performance gain & the money will probably be better spent elsewhere.

Thanks!

Tough call, a lot depends on your need/desire for aesthetics. I bought VB's 28 Pantera with a single 575 and ITS. It does make the engine compartment and transom much more sanitary. I don't think it would hurt resale but I'm not sure you'd get your $1,900 back either. Easier to clean the transom too- less stuff to clean and get around.

A Whipple system on your 525 or 500 for that matter would be sweet- I'd rather have that than the package I have now, but the overall picture was hard to pass up on Mike's used boat. If you decide to go Whipple, look me up- I'm a distributor.

If I remember, you were buying a Pantera- I think full hyd to helm is standard on their 28's.

Thanks Troutly,

I am considering the same thing.

What is ITS?

Integrated Transom System

The Stellings box does have the advantage of extra setback and extra drive height, but the setup also weighs more. The ITS adds just over 60# to the weight of a Bravo assembly. This is without steering on the standard Bravo. The Stellings standoff setup adds 100+# to a Bravo and still doesn't include steering. With an estimate of 40# of steering hardware on the boat (I'm not including the tiebar, they all need that) my estimate is that the Stellings setup weighs at least 120# more on a twin engine boat than the same boat with ITS's. So I guess it depends on if the extra standoff and rise (which could help dial the boat in for that last mph) helps more than the weight difference.

ITS ITS