considering a 1975 sceptre

camelot1 · #1 06-10-2007, 10:31 AM

I came accross a 1975 sceptre 23 for sale that I may consider. twin 6 cyl I/Os. Can anyone tell me how much wood is in this boat or anything else I should look for if I go look at it? What sort of performance could I expect?

peterb · #2 06-10-2007, 10:51 AM

Check out the shape of the transom and deck (for soft spots). It would be ideal if you had a moisture reader.
In the original setup I believe that there is wood in both places.

Twin I/O's? I will let one of our I/O eperts anser that one.

Fr. Frank · #3 06-10-2007, 06:34 PM

Twin inline-6 Mercruisers? Or twin OMC V6 motors?

The twin inline-6 Mercruisers were generally 250 ci 165 hp models. (Mercruiser actually produced a 250/250 hp version for a couple of years, I think '69 & '70) At any rate, with twin 165's you should cruise around 28-30 and top out around 42-45. They are very reliable engines when maintained properly.

If you have the twin OMC V6 sterndrives, plan on changing them as soon as possible. They were the "stringer drive" models, the old Buick 225ci V6 block, and available as 165, 175, and 185 hp models. Their weakness was the big rubber boot around the sterndive. If that gets torn in any substantial way, the boat can sink in less than 5 minutes. Been there, done that.

Performance-wise, the OMC is less than the Merc. The 185 hp OMC model will provide less thrust than the 165 Mercruisers.
That's why the old OMC sterndive earned the nickname "Slow MC"

camelot1 · #4 06-11-2007, 05:40 PM

It looks like they are the Mercruiser type. I take it the rubber boots are not an issue with the Mercruiser. thanks for the help, going to try to look at the boat this week.