So... this might be long...

Last year I bought a 1992 Classic 22. It is in 8/10 cosmetic condition, and had a freshly rebuilt Jasper 454 engine. It had a King Cobra outdrive. The lower unit started going bad right away, so I found an unused lower unit online and bought it. It was running pretty good. The guy was asking $20,000 for the boat and I ended up working him down to $13,000 at the end of the summer. So I think I got it for a good price.

This Memorial Day weekend, I was heading back across the bay and the engine shut off and wouldn't start back up. I eventually got towed in. The mechanic took the engine out and determined that the oil hose came unplugged, the engine wasn't getting any oil, and now it's toast. Metal filings were all in the upper unit, so that's done too.

I have cash in this boat, so I'm a bit restricted on my options. A 40th Anniversary caught my eye, but it's $35,000. I would need to sell my current one at a big loss, just to put SOME money to counter the $35,000 40th Anniversary. I would have a beautiful 40th Anniversary Donzi... but it would still have an 11 year old engine. I could lose that engine any day and I would take ANOTHER hit.

A new Mercruiser 502 is like $25,000... and I would still need to get an outdrive and I don't want to stay with King Cobra. I'm looking at forking up some serious cash... like $30,000. I can't do that.

After spending weeks looking around, and talking to dealers around the country, I found something that might work.

A dealer down in Florida says he can give me a New Mercruiser Scorpion 377 with a 3 Year Manufacturer Warranty, a new Bravo 1 outdrive, a prop, a harness, and any needed re-glassing of the transom for $19,500 including install.

I'm 30 years old, this is my first "real" boat, and I just can't justify doing much more financially. That package for $19,500 sounds like a deal. The current hull is in excellent shape and overall the boat is 8/10 cosmetically. Now I would have a brand new engine and outdrive.

The Scorpion is pushing 350HP at the prop. I know it's not the most HP, but it's a small block and weighs about 400lbs less than a big block... PLUS I am riding this boat in the Chesapeake Bay. A calm day in the Bay is still 1 foot chop, and its often more with white caps. I think that Scorpion will get me to a top speed of around 65mph, and that's really all I want/need in those conditions. I was hitting 60 with the old engine, and it's all I wanted... even trimmed out, the boat was jumping and getting a bit squirrely. Sure, it would be nice to crank her up to 70-75mph on the RARE extra calm day, but the $$$$ difference is too much for me. Furthermore, the Scorpion is great on gas and burns regular gas.

I'd love to have that 40th Anniversary Edition... The Yellow is SO SWEET and she looks SO clean. It would actually be cheaper than getting the setup down in Florida BUT BUT BUT I would have a boat with an 11 year old engine.

Should I go with the Scorpion package and call it a day? I'm really liking the idea of a brand new engine and outdrive... I'm tempted by the 40th Anniversary, but I think the smart thing to do is go with the new engine and drive.

Thanks for reading and any help!