Hi I am looking at a new boat. I found a 2002 magic xl that looks pristine. The specs on the engine are as follows:

2002 Magic 29' Wizard XL, beam 8', weight 4400lbs w/o rigging etc., fuel capacity 88gals, 540ci Merlin II tall deck 4340 4.25" stroke crankshaft internally balanced, H-Beam rods 6.535" length, JE pistons, Gil 10qrt oil pan, Merlin heads ported w/ bronze liners, Ferrea valves (Inconel exhaust), Hyd. Roller cam, billet timing chain, crane roller rockers, crane stud girdle, IMCO Power Flow Plus exhaust manifolds, MSD Marine ignition, HP6 oil filter adapter, chrome oil cooler with brackets, 722HP @ 5,500rpms & 745ft/lbs of torque @ 4,500rpms, all fluids & filters changed regularly, Max Machine Worx built XR drive, IMCO dual hyd. ram steering, K-Planes, dual blue top Optima batteries with Perko switch, ONLY 164hrs

My question is: For a young boater, is this custom carbed engine going to be a money pit? I would love to buy something fast, but I also want something reliable.

I also have a 2001 baja outlaw 29 with 454 mags with 300 hours.


My question is, which is the better boat?

Not to answer a question with a question, but what do you intend to use the boat for? If - as your screen name suggests, you intend to use it for wakeboarding, you're looking at the wrong boat. It sounds like the previous owner spent a lot of time and money on a fairly wild engine and drive combination. Although that's a great ticket for speed, it's not the hot setup for reliable, turn key boating. Just my two cents.

its really going to come down to who built and what can be verified about their work. It certainly sounds like a nice build with plenty of good parts. I would see what you can find out about the builder, at 164hrs if it can be verified it could be said that any bugs would have worked themselves out by now but it is also approaching mid life and you'll need to start looking at things like valve springs pretty soon.

A buddy of mine has that same hull with twins, its a great running boat in rough water for a 29

I have retired from wakeboarding and will be using it for pleasure boating only. I am a bar hopper and like to raft up. The magic is almost pristine. It is on powerboat swap shop on facebook if anybody wants to look at it. Unfortunately, I do not have much mechanical experience (although my dad does) and would like to have something reliable. On the flip side, I would love to have a boat that is fast.

RUle #1 - you'll see this almost daily around here.

Fast. Reliable. Cheap.

Pick 2. Count on one.

Define what is fast to you? Also, being young myself and having started early, I would recommend looking at all areas of what the cost of ownership really is. A fast boat, high horsepower, and being young will ding you when it comes to the cost of insurance. More so, which I'd recommend to anyone, you'll likely be required to take a boating safety course. And no the online courses don't count.

I love boating. I enjoy wrenching. But to me the two do not go together. I invested in a factory powered boat because the only thing I want to worry about is routine maintenance.

I have a nagging high horsepower car that gives me enough wrench time.

When looking at a safety course I'd go for Tres' course hands down. I took it with my first 28' single step and again when I purchased by 32' twin step.

I was skeptical about buying a used built carb'd motor but in all reality one that is built with good internals and well maintained can be as reliable or even more so than a stock Mercruiser offering. Big downside is fuel consumption and high octane fuel costs. If you look closely and see that the Wizard was well maintained, that may be indicative that the previous owner was a stickler for preventative maintenance and did take care of the engine/drive in kind. I'd give your question a toss up but my only suggestion is take the Wizard for a sea trial before buying.

Fast to me is a 70mph boat. I am coming from a keywest cc that only did 37mph on a good day. I had alot of fun on that boat but I am looking to get something alittle faster.

My dad is very mechanical but he's at a point in his life where he'd rather stay away from motors and just enjoy himself.

The owners of the Magic swear they have over maintained the boat. What kind of maintenance am I looking at for a motor of this sort? Another issue I am having is the Magic is 1500 miles away vs the Baja which is 90 mins away.

If this is the boat you are looking at http://www.powerboatlistings.com/view/31696 from the pictures it looks to be a very nice and very well kept boat.

yup thats it.

Can someone give me some insight on maintenance? Will that engine have to be maintained like a blue motor or more?