CeBe-
I had a '97 225hp Mariner efi on my 23SC when I bought it, and it was a real bad experience. I bought it with 850hrs on it, so maybe it was my own fault, but, man... whenever I see someone post about a 97 Mariner I get the chills.
If you want my experiences, I will be glad to tell you about them. The guys know here i have done my fair share of crying on this site already so I won't bore anyone with the grim details again! Drop me an email at
gordon.gibbons@comcast.net and I will tell you all about it. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
The rest of the rig sounds good tho, and the price is right too. I ended up putting a '03 Evinrude 225 on it and it has been a great move.
-Hooper