78 Sceptre 23, Mercury 200EFI OB, $12K

[whistler]

PayPal Transaction ID 38G332151K207940U

78 Sceptre 23 (Titled as a '79) with a 2000 Mercury 200 EFI outboard.

Summary: Boat is 100% functional and is ready to be used right now. Everything works and all systems are updated. $12K OBO. Located in Arley AL, 35541.

I am the 2nd owner of this very well preserved, very well cared for, and largely original boat. I bought this boat in the summer of 2015 from the original owner in Clearwater FL. At the time of the purchase, the original owners were in their early 80's. The boat has never been wet slipped and has never had bottom paint. The original owners kept in on a covered lift behind their house, and it has lived inside a garage on a trailer since then. In 2001, the boat was re-powered with the current outboard and underwent a cosmetic restoration (I believe at Wildfire Marine in Stuart). The hull gelcoat was resprayed and all the teak work was replaced with Starboard. The wiring was redone, and the fuel tank was pulled/inspected - deemed good and re-installed with new fill/vent hoses. During the refit, the factory livewell (in the motor well) was sealed off and decommissioned.

The whole boat is solid and very sea-worthy. The transom has zero flex and does not have any stress cracks or other signs of deterioration. The hull has never had any damage or repair work. There are no penetrations below the water line - no through hulls to fail. The only "hole" below the waterline is the thru-hull transducer. The fuel tank hatches are a little soft, but serviceable.
Overall the boat shows really well and performs excellent.

The boat has been continually upgraded during my ownership and has mostly new wiring (in the last 2 years), new electronics, new fuel lines, bilge pumps, etc. The engine has low hours and has a bunch of new parts and all the maintenance service imaginable.

Boat is equipped with:
- Bennett electric trim tabs.
- Seastar hydraulic helm
- Achor with chain and 225' of rode
- Standard Horizon VHF radio with DSC, GPS, and AIS; mounted in the
cuddy with a remote mic at the helm.
- Galaxy 5252-XT 8 foot VHF antenna
- Garmin 741sx with B75H chirp thru-hull transducer
- Garmin Echomap 94SV Plus with GT15 in-hull transducer
- Garmin GFS10 fuel flow sensor for fuel flow/fuel gauge measurements.
Essentially, the boat has 2 fully redundant chartplotters and fishfinders plus
a GPS enables VHF. All the electronics are networked via NMEA2000
- In the bilge, there are 2 1500GPH bilge pumps with dedicated discharge
hoses/through hulls, controlled with very nice Ultra float switches (there
are the best I found - not the junk that fails every season).
- 2 Batteries that are almost new, and very recently replaced battery cables
and battery switch (all from 2019/2020).
- The boat has all the required navigation lights (all working), as well as red
led night lights under the gunnels.
- There is a transom mounted boarding platform with SS ladder.

The motor, a 2000 Mercury 200EFI has low hours and runs great. Excellent compression (all cyl right around 125psi). For a long time, I was chasing an intermittent stalling problem at idle - and performed a bunch of service and replaced a bunch of parts trying to fix it. In the end, the problem turned out to be the stator (which is now new). The entire fuel system was cleaned/serviced recently (injectors cleaned/balanced, pulse pump rebuild, fuel lines and bulb replaced). The motor also has fiber reeds. The motor gets yearly lower unit service that includes fresh oil and water pump impeller, as well as a new fuel filter. There is an additional in line Racor filter/water separator in the motor well. As far as I know, the boat has never had any ethanol fuel in the tank...ever.

Performance is very respectable with plenty of power to quickly get on plane even with a full load of people and gear. Top end is around 40mph. The boat cruises easily in the low 30s. With the tabs down, the boat stays on plane down to 12-13mph. Fuel consumption is respectable considering the 2stroke motor, and I routinely see around 2mi/gal during mixed use (run out to the fishing spot, do some trolling, idle around, run back). When I raised the motor 2 holes and installed a Mercury Rev4 prop - overall performance and feel improved considerably, and I feel that the boat is now really well dialed in.

During my ownership, I have really focused on making sure that the boat is seaworthy and safe - as i often go out with my wife and 2 kids. Several years ago, I took the boat to the Bahamas (Bimini). I also go fishing in the GOM 3-4 times a year. However, most of its recent use has been in freshwater on Lewis Smith Lake in Alabama.

The boat comes with an older Quickload Aluminum trailer that won't win any beauty contests but has brand new radial tires, new bearings, new led lights and wiring, new guide posts, new center bunks, new carpet on main bunks, new jack, and new winch! It fits the boat well and is ready to roll anywhere. The trailer has drum surge brakes on one axle, but the brakes require service . Please note that some of the pictures show a Owen and Sons trailer that I am keeping for my recently purchased Seacraft CC (the reason for this sale).

The boat is located in Arley AL (35541) and is ready to be viewed or sea trialed. Price with trailer is $12K OBO.

[whistler]

Typical weekend fishing trip numbers...

[whistler]

Bilge pumps, battaries, and fuel filter/separator

[Vezo, Part II]

Wow! Beautiful boat. Best of luck with sale!

Vezo.

[whistler]

Thank you for the compliment. This boat very well taken care of by both me and the previous owner - and it shows.

[kmoose]

I really can't believe this is not sold. Many here know how much just the rigging, electronics and trailer cost and the this hull is about as cherry as you will find.

Just for perspective, I have more than double the asking price of expense in my last rebuild not including trailer and power. In the current market of 23-25' offshore capable boats starting $100k.... this is a gift. Damn fine example of a well kept classic that can go fish tomorrow.

[strick]

I agree with Moose this is a great deal on a well kept boat, The Sceptre will keep you nice and dry...if your holding out for a CC bring your rain gear if the wind is blowing...good luck with the sale.

strick

[DonV]

I'm with ya guys, this is a really, really clean boat at that price!! Shoot new power at $20K and it's a boat good for at least ten years!! And......if you had bought the nice top for sale a few weeks ago you would be way ahead of the game.

[flyingfrizzle]

Originally Posted by DonV

I'm with ya guys, Shoot new power at $20K and it's a boat good for at least ten years!! And

If the new owner wants new power, I would be interested in the merc 200 on it. Sounds like a nice outboard for an 2000 model. One of my favorites

[DonV]

Yepper Frizz, I had great luck with my 3.0 EFI.