Cutter 176 XLE

Up for sale is a 1997 Cutter 176 XLE. (17 6 boat) It has a Mercury Sport Jet 175XR2 engine (175 HP Jet boat)

The Mercury 175 engine has been fully rebuilt and has less than 20 hours on it. It had Boyesen Power Reeds. It also has a new shifting cable and MV-3 Series Side Mount Control from Seastar Solutions.

The Good: The boat runs great. The boat will pull a skier\tuber with 6 people in the boat. (max capacity is 7).If only one person is in the boat the boat gets up and moves.The engine alone sells for around $4,500 just for a rebuilt powerhead (block) and, the Sport Jet (think jet ski) parts are selling for $1,500 to $2,500 on classifieds board. So, the asking price is a great deal. It is almost as the boat is free and youre buying a rebuilt engine.

The Bad: The boats top is not in the best shape. The boat is missing it sounds proofing material in the engine compartment. Also it is missing one of the cup holders which allows more engine sound to come through. Both very easy fixes, it never bothered me or my guest. The gas cap just got broke off the last time out for the year. I am in the process of ordering a new one, but it has not been installed. Also when I installed the new shifting cable, (the cable that lowers the gate on the rear like a jet ski reverses) when I went to the lake for the fine tune adjustments, the boat creeps forward. The boat can easily be held in place at the dock with one hand. I have actually found this to be useful when others that arent so good at driving the boat are driving and trying to dock or get close enough to another boat for someone to switch boats, it is just enough creep to allow steering. Adjusting the cable is all it would take to fix it but I like it the way it is.

To save you some time researching:

The Mercury 175 HP engine has only one known common problem. The oil pump has a plastic gear that is attached to the crankshaft in the engine. This is a weak component, and it is known to fail. After reading many forums and articles, the comment that made me decide on the way I wanted to have my engine rebuilt was simple. Someone stated Do you loan your boat to friends and family? If the answer is yes, rebuild the engine with the oil pump. After all, it typically will last 10 years or more if the boat is not driven at 100% full throttle (I always backed off about 10% and never drove it at 100% throttle). However, if you lend the boat to a friend and they forget to premix the gas, then the engine will fail immediately. (yes, this engine is a 2 stroke and requires a gas fuel mix, however the fuel oil mix systems is already installed on the engine and the 2 cycle engine oil in the boat will last many tanks of gas before needed filled with oil again). So, after reading the forums, I decided to have the engine rebuilt with the oil pump vs removing it and having to premix the gas with every fill up. This is a full proof way your oil pump will never fail and cause engine trouble, but also is way more risky if you loan the boat out and time consuming mixing the fuel every time.

I always provide as much information as possible when I sell items. I do not deceive people and still believe people should live their lives with honor and integrity. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.