Thoughts on a 97 Stratos

[grassguysc]

The boat is a 21 walkaround with a 97 200 Ocean Pro the ad says there are only 168 hours on the motor. That is so low it might be a bad thing. I know these engines have a good rep, but what about the hull? Is there wood in it? If so has it given trouble? I would appriciate any advice. I am a little leary of this whole thing because I am coming from a late model boat with all kinds of warranties, but the kids keep getting sunburned. That don't make Mama happy, and if Mama ain't happy ain't nobody happy.

[lugger]

i have a 22 ft stratos and its a very heavy hull . and very seaworthy i have found
and my 22 ft stratos has more room than a 26 ft brand new striper at the boat show

there are some stratos that look like a older grady with a stratos sticker , mine is totaly different than that style ,

mine had the ocean pro great engine . i just repowered with a 250 pro xs opti , i have yet to find a new boat thats under 28 ft that i would trade mine for .
it rides better than my buddies whaler and my friends 25ft grady . they cruse faster because they have twin engines

i think there are a few different hulls for stratos . mine has the 2 ugly shark eye windows in front port and starbord sides
mine has glass tall enough so you never look through plastic when standing and has a out board bracket , some have a open transome
i have never been on that style

I have not seen anything that I would replace it with for less than 125 k witch i cant afford anyway and with new trailer lots of new stuff and new opti im in around 50k
i have redone alot of things but its turned out awsome i got 4k for the ocean pro when i repowered
if its the same hull as mine i would highley recomend it , but i know nothing about the other style of hulls they had post a pic and some one shold know good luck and any questions pm me would be glad to help if i can

[richinct]

I have a '95 25' wa...as was said by the other poster, it is a very heavy boat. I have been all over mine and the construction is top notch I would put it up against any brand. Everything is thru bolted with lock nuts etc. I have a couple of gelcote cracks here and there, that is all I can find wrong with it. When BRP took over OMC I think they decided to drop the Stratos salt water line (they still make bass boats) in favor of concentrating on Hydro-Sport. If you have any specfic questions post them or PM me. I would not hesitate to jump on it if it is in good shape and the price is right.

[TRAVELLER]

I have a 1995 Stratos 2250 CC with a 200 Johnson Ocenrunner. For eleven years, the boat was seemingly bullet-proof. The 12th year has been a nightmare. The transom is made of wood, and according to the guy working on it, OMC did not even use marine grade plywood in the transom. I am having a new transom put on the boat. After cutting out the old transom, they discovered that the first bulkhead (between the transom and the gas tank) was cracked, black coloring was showing through the glass, and water was seeping out of the crack. That bulkhead is being replaced now, too.

I realize my boat is older and a different model than you are looking at, but it is a Stratos built by OMC. I'd really suggest having somebody look at the transom real well before you buy it.

[grassguysc]

Thanks for the replies. It looks less and less practical anyway. The price is good, they want 13K for it. But its 150 miles from me and it doesn't have a trailer. If I put another three k in the trailer, I wouldn't be able to swing a repower in the next couple of years. Thats something I think I should have room for when I'm looking at a ten year old motor. Besides Its a gas guzzler.

[lugger]

I have a friend that can afford a fleet of any brand he wants of boats , he bought the twin to mine when it was new and he wont part with it ever , his is the olny other one i heve seen like mine . i have seen 2 open transome ones and 2 25 footers like richinct , i got real lucky and found mine in a corn patch ,
my wife wold let me sell any thing or all toys we own but not the boat .