http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o57251-en.html

Its been for sale for ever.

3x2.5 would be my first guess.

3 gallons a mile in that setup.


Decent looking ride tho. Prob sell of the 2 strokes to the racers and rerig nicely.

3 motors on cats is a bit of a PITA to get dialed in correctly.
Sometimes the center motor is shorter. Sometimes the center motor is longer.
(Both differences will affect water pressure and operating temperature.)
It's always running a different RPM than the outer motors, sometimes even with a different prop.

In a word: finicky(2) (And 2 = squared)

2.5L ROS are finicky to begin with.
Then having 3 of them on such a boat just takes that out to another power.
Buy it; take the middle one off and stick in the corner for a spare, and you will probably be a happy owner/boater.

Agree totally with other posts. 2.5s are a total PITA for a recreational boater and it would cost over 50K to repower with new 300XS.

Why 2.5l such a PITA? The few hrs I have on running the LIGHTWEIGHT 225x has me believing that they are one of the best outboards mercury has put out, as they run flawless. Maybe its just the electronics they have used for this particular model as well as a couple other differences?

The Promax and 225X are great motors and virtually bulletproof.

And no, a well built 260 or 280 are really not a pain in the a$$...The pain comes when it's time to rebuild. Unlike your 225X, the 260/280's are coated (nicasil) cylinders rather than steel sleeves. If you only need rings and gaskets, not so bad...However, if they're due for pistons and a recoat, you're talking $4000+ in parts and machine work (per powerhead), and that's if they're not hurt.

Plus, the rebuild window is much shorter than compared to a steel sleeve motor...100-150 on a hipo 2.5, whereas a steel sleeve 225 can go easily over 500.

Also, can bit a bit tiresome mixing 100+ gallons worth of fuel since the 2.5 hi-po's are pre-mix.

Can't get any better then ziemer's explanation. I'll add, most boats that run 2.5 280hp's will also start them in gear which can be a handful in close quarters maneuvering.

2.5s are legendary for anyone without a vagina.

Or anyone with a vagina.

Not sure where your going with that but my 22 Talon with 300 Pro Max ran 100mph and I never squatted to piss.