18 replies to this topic

[MexTex]

I know its not a Malibu.... My buddy is looking at a 2006 Sanger with a Mercury Black Scorpion engine. I am not very familiar with these boats as I own a Malibu, does anyone have any opinions on these boats. Any opinions on the Mercruiser Scorpion engine? The boat looks basically new, the current owner purchased the boat and maybe used it 4 times a year. It only has about 58 hours on the engine - would this low number of hours worry any of you. The boat seems to start up just fine. Appreciate any help!!!

Edited by MexTex, June 30, 2010 - 02:35 PM.

[LS-One]

Rock Solid boat and engine.

[2006Maliblue]

Sanger makes a good boat at least from the ones i've seen. The scorpion motor is in alot of boats and is fine as well. In fact i'm working on an 06 centurion avalanche with that same motor right now! Motor is fine but its a pain to get to the impeller been working on it for about 3 hours and just getting ready to drop it back in. Had a complete failure of the impeller so i've been picking pieces out for awhile from everywhere but that has nothing to do with the boat just the lack of maintance my buddy has done on his boat! lol The low hours wouldn't scare me but then again 800 hours doesn't scare me either. Its all on how it was maintained. tell him to take it to a repatuble shop and have them look it over!

[MalibuNation]

Great boat ... great value.

[msuwaterski]

My cousin has owned a Sanger with that engine in it for several years and it has always been a reliable boat. The slalom wake behind his DD Sanger is not as good as our DD Bu, but it is still a nice boat.

[mlange]

I've got a Black Scorpion in my RLXi. Solid engine and while getting to the impeller is more difficult than an Indmar it's really not that bad. I can swap it out in 30 mins or so. Winterization is a breeze with a series of "multi-drain ports" they put throughout the system. They do make two Black Scorpions - a 5.7 and a stroked 6.2 IIRC so you may want him to ask which one it is. When I was re-propping the boat I spoke with someone at the factory and they said that engine is closer to the Hammerhead than the Monsoon from a performance perspective. I'm not sure I'd agree with that (I had a Monsoon before), but I would certainly never have any concerns with a Merc, Indmar or PCM.

Mike

[BlastRlxi]

Does Sanger still use wood in their boats? I seem to remember that they were the last to go to all fiberglass construction.

[jetskipro550]

They're ok boats

http://www.sangerboa...ftsmanship.html

[bretski75]

I have the regular Scorpion, not the 6.2. Its been rock solid for 12 years. Plenty of power.

[ColinP]

Sangers are quality boats! They are not extremely fancy, but are super solid and built to a high standard. Their boats are soundly engineered and hold up well over the years. Sangers are not as common as Malibu's and are mostly found on the West Coast. Sanger uses wood in their design as they have for the past 50 years and it has never been a problem! In fact, boats have been made with wood since the beginning of time so I don't see what the issue is.

[85 Barefoot]

Sangers are quality boats! They are not extremely fancy, but are super solid and built to a high standard. Their boats are soundly engineered and hold up well over the years. Sangers are not as common as Malibu's and are mostly found on the West Coast. Sanger uses wood in their design as they have for the past 50 years and it has never been a problem! In fact, boats have been made with wood since the beginning of time so I don't see what the issue is.

It is a problem when you have to start replacing it.

The issue is that fiberglass doesn't rot, wood does, boats are in wet environments....do the math. This is coming from someone who has a boat with wood in it.

[jetskipro550]

The 'wood' in Sangers have a lifetime warranty and they will replace it and no cost to you. Unless the company were to go out of business, I'm not worried about it.

Also, I have been told that the wood they use is more is so treated and laced with other materials that it's more of a composite then wood. I read it once on-line so it must be true lol.

Our boat has had a few problems that normally a dealer would fix, but our dealer was pulled from selling them and was absolutely terrible after the sale so we have just fixed them ourselves.

1. The screw holding the gas shock that lifts the observers seat stripped out. Still need to fix this problem.
2. The RPM gauge stopped working (loose ground wire) but was easily fixed.
3. One of the exhaust manifolds had bad gasket after just an hour or two. We had our local mechanic fix it for less then the cost of gas to drive to the hour to the dealer.

I really like the way the boat handles rough water and rollers. It feels very solid cruising across the lake. The interior is very comfortable and roomy, but it does lack in 'bling' and a few other creature comforts...but we bought it knowing that and knowing we could add anything we wanted. Size and price were important to us when we purchased the boat. The only one thing that really bugs me is that the boat wants to chine lock when turning to the port side. Does it more often when weighted and turning fast, but can do it other times as well. Makes me apprehensive to let others drive it on our narrow river ways.

[85 Barefoot]

The 'wood' in Sangers have a lifetime warranty and they will replace it and no cost to you. Unless the company were to go out of business, I'm not worried about it.

Also, I have been told that the wood they use is more is so treated and laced with other materials that it's more of a composite then wood. I read it once on-line so it must be true lol.

May be true, but I didn't find anything saying that on their website. But I'm not knocking Sanger, at least they will still put a big boy motor in a DD ski (barefoot) boat.

[RanchDweller]

JETSKIPRO550

What is chine lock?

The 'wood' in Sangers have a lifetime warranty and they will replace it and no cost to you. Unless the company were to go out of business, I'm not worried about it.

Also, I have been told that the wood they use is more is so treated and laced with other materials that it's more of a composite then wood. I read it once on-line so it must be true lol.

Our boat has had a few problems that normally a dealer would fix, but our dealer was pulled from selling them and was absolutely terrible after the sale so we have just fixed them ourselves.

1. The screw holding the gas shock that lifts the observers seat stripped out. Still need to fix this problem.
2. The RPM gauge stopped working (loose ground wire) but was easily fixed.
3. One of the exhaust manifolds had bad gasket after just an hour or two. We had our local mechanic fix it for less then the cost of gas to drive to the hour to the dealer.

I really like the way the boat handles rough water and rollers. It feels very solid cruising across the lake. The interior is very comfortable and roomy, but it does lack in 'bling' and a few other creature comforts...but we bought it knowing that and knowing we could add anything we wanted. Size and price were important to us when we purchased the boat. The only one thing that really bugs me is that the boat wants to chine lock when turning to the port side. Does it more often when weighted and turning fast, but can do it other times as well. Makes me apprehensive to let others drive it on our narrow river ways.

[yellowair]

I had Mercury Black Scorpion in another boat and loved it. They are very easy to drain and every thing was easy change.

[jetskipro550]

Someone can explain it better then me, but basically it's when you turn sharp and the boat starts riding on the side/bottom instead of the V on the bottom of the hull. That's my grade school level explanation

[Bill_AirJunky]

The only experience I have with Sangers is online. Their fan club is very vocal about how great a boat they are. Realistically they are a California boat with very few dealers outside of that state & a couple around it. Yes, it's a Merc engine so you can get support for it, but it can be a hassle as we all know, some dealers don't like to work on their own boats.
I have asked a few people about them, including some guys who own a Sanger. They told me that the boat is on par with boats made by Calabria & Centurion. In my book neither of those companies make a boat of the same quality as the big 3.

One thing that always kinda irked me was the engine cover being bowed upward. Lets face it, the engine cover on a v-drive is a giant sundeck intended for the lounging of scantily clad women. And if their not comfortable, then there is a MAJOR design flaw.

[tvano]

sanger: imho there isn't a nicer looking boat on the water.

[jetskipro550]

The only experience I have with Sangers is online. Their fan club is very vocal about how great a boat they are. Realistically they are a California boat with very few dealers outside of that state & a couple around it. Yes, it's a Merc engine so you can get support for it, but it can be a hassle as we all know, some dealers don't like to work on their own boats.
I have asked a few people about them, including some guys who own a Sanger. They told me that the boat is on par with boats made by Calabria & Centurion. In my book neither of those companies make a boat of the same quality as the big 3.

One thing that always kinda irked me was the engine cover being bowed upward. Lets face it, the engine cover on a v-drive is a giant sundeck intended for the lounging of scantily clad women. And if their not comfortable, then there is a MAJOR design flaw.

That was/is only on the v210 and I also think it was a terrible design flaw! Just plain stupid! The 215, 230, and 237 all look normal in the rear and make great places for the scantily clad women...if only I could find them