OK, I already have an enclosed bow, 18' Chris Craft Scorpion 169
V-hull. It's a nice little boat w/ mercruiser 140 4-cyl chevy and
alpha 1. The Interior could be better but it's not ratted out. I ahd
the head worked over this summer and Pertronix ign installed. I've
enjoyed it. even before I put $300.00 worth of head and ignition parts
on it, I gave $1500.00 for it and I thought it was worth every bit of
it. I would say a totall of a rounded off $2000.00 would cover total
expense minus fuel and oil.

So here we go. I've been offered a open bow, 1973 19' Signa trihull,
with a very nice interior and bimini top. The Fiberglass is good, and
this boat has been well taken care of. Total? less than $2000.00.

It is an outboard 1990 Evinrude 140vro with about 350 fresh water hrs
on the clock. Also, this engine has power trim, which a lot of
Evinrudes didn't have. good compression and runs great.

I've heard that the 2-strokes are really bad about fuel consumption,
but the VRO's are better than the older v4's.

I go boating on a large S. Illinois lake. Lake Carlisle. When it's calm
the ride is smooth, but when a bit breezy, the Chris Craft gets really
jarred around in choppy or even swlled water. PLUS, it's a bit cramped
even for the wife, Daughter and myself.

I figure the larger tri-hull would be an advantage for more interior
comfort as well as being open bow, one can move around a bit better.
Also, would the torque factor be an advantage with the 140 vro? The
Chris Craft is a bit weak in pulling up a 175 lb. ski'r with three
people on board.

I'm familiar with Mercruiser but have never owned an outboard. What
would or should I expect whith outboard ownership, and would there be a
big difference in reliability and maintianence costs? What are some of
the griefs and glories?

OH, one last thing. I'm not too far from the Wabash river and in the
springtime it's always nice to take a river cruise. When the river is
up, you can cruise from Vincennes IN all the way up past Terre Haute.
I've dont it in years past, but I'd like to do it again, but the fear
of hitting something with a solid alpha 1 outdrive isn't too appealing.
Won't the outboard swing up and give if hitting an obstruction?

Thats about it. All replies are appreciated.

THANKS!
Tim