First Boat: Sunseeker Mexico 24

[Seastoke]

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between a Sunseeker Mexico 24, a Portofino 25 and an XPS 21? Is there anything more too it than size? Or was one brought out to replace the other etc?

That’s a good looking boat but the leg and engine are most important

 

[Mr Googler]

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between a Sunseeker Mexico 24, a Portofino 25 and an XPS 21? Is there anything more too it than size? Or was one brought out to replace the other etc?

As I understand it XPS21, 25, 28 and 34 were all based on race hulls.

Mexico 24, Monterey 27, Portofino 31 etc... were a move towards more cruiser focused with a wider beam.

 

[neil-c-8]

That’s a good looking boat but the leg and engine are most important

Completely agree with you on that one. The rear leg has suffered from some corrosion/oxidation to the external paint but hopefully the addition of a new anode will help with this but it does need rubbed down and repainted. Anodes though do nothing to prevent oxidation of the alloy when it's out of the water if the paint is in poor condition - I think this is what happened in this case. The internals of the rear leg have just been fully rebuilt by the previous owner over the past winter. Engine wise you always are taking a risk with a second hand boat but on the test run the V8 was running sweet all the way through the rev range. While stationary the boat ran at 160F and this dropped to 150F in the water which from a few internet searchs seemed reasonable but we're replacing the impeller just in case it was the reason for the 10F difference. At the end of the day there isn't a big lot complicated with the small block Chevy setup but you can never tell the conditions of internals without a full rebuild which we'll look at over the winter.

As I understand it XPS21, 25, 28 and 34 were all based on race hulls.

Mexico 24, Monterey 27, Portofino 31 etc... were a move towards more cruiser focused with a wider beam.

Thanks for the information - I wasn't sure why there was all the variations.

 

[spannerman]

Welcome to the firum and congrats with the new boat. I am a Mercruiser engineer and have the exact same engine in my 24ft boat. It uses 34 lph at 3200rpm and gives 24 knots. The engines are sound reliable units being based on the most produced V8 block in the world, I am fortunate to have freshwater cooling and the rare stainless steel risers so there is nothing to rust, however I replace the manifold to riser gaskets every few years just to be safe. Yours look a bit rusty around the outside so I’d advise having them done before it leaks internally as the clamping area between the water passage and exhaust is only about 8-10 mm so doesn’t take much rust before it leaks.The other thing to think about is the driveshaft bellows, this should be replaced every 5 yrs as water ingress can result in expensive repairs to the drive.
You mentioned the engineroom inlet air pump, actually its an exhaust pump and I see in your pics that appears to be correctly installed, it should draw air from the lowest part of the engine room where petrol vapours will collect and blow it out of the boat, you should always run the pump for a few minutes before starting the engine to purge the engineroom and its good practice to run it when the engine is operating at low revs as there isn’t much natural flow until you hit the throttle then you have a 5.7 litre airpump pulling thousands of litres of air per min at full throttle which is also around 70 lph of fuel! Get your Mercruiser friend to go over the motor and then it will give you lots pleasure.

 

[TheOrs]

Regarding the Alpha leg, check that the small continuity wires are all present and correct before leaving it in the water. These connect the various parts of the outdrive electrically so that the whole unit is protected by the anodes.
If you have a stainless prop, check the anode behind the prop as these disappear quickly and check that your Mercathode unit is working.
I have the same engine in a 24ft Fletcher. 3200rpm is about 24 knots as said and at that speed I get about 1.8mpg.
I would leave the headlining and upholstery for now and concentrate on the mechanicals and electrics. These are the things that will have the most impact on your boating pleasure.

 

[spannerman]

Mercathode is only fitted as standard on Bravo drives.

 

[neil-c-8]

Welcome to the firum and congrats with the new boat. I am a Mercruiser engineer and have the exact same engine in my 24ft boat. It uses 34 lph at 3200rpm and gives 24 knots. The engines are sound reliable units being based on the most produced V8 block in the world, I am fortunate to have freshwater cooling and the rare stainless steel risers so there is nothing to rust, however I replace the manifold to riser gaskets every few years just to be safe. Yours look a bit rusty around the outside so I’d advise having them done before it leaks internally as the clamping area between the water passage and exhaust is only about 8-10 mm so doesn’t take much rust before it leaks.The other thing to think about is the driveshaft bellows, this should be replaced every 5 yrs as water ingress can result in expensive repairs to the drive.
You mentioned the engineroom inlet air pump, actually its an exhaust pump and I see in your pics that appears to be correctly installed, it should draw air from the lowest part of the engine room where petrol vapours will collect and blow it out of the boat, you should always run the pump for a few minutes before starting the engine to purge the engineroom and its good practice to run it when the engine is operating at low revs as there isn’t much natural flow until you hit the throttle then you have a 5.7 litre airpump pulling thousands of litres of air per min at full throttle which is also around 70 lph of fuel! Get your Mercruiser friend to go over the motor and then it will give you lots pleasure.

In regards to the driveshaft bellows, the rear leg was rebuilt at the end of last season so I assume that the driveshaft bellows would have been replaced at this point? The previous owner spent in the region of £1,400 having the rear leg rebuilt by an small independent marine mechanic so I think this is around ball park figures for the job to be done right. Sadly the previous owner wasn't an expert in boats, more of a cars man but has dabbled with Fletchers etc for a number of years. He didn't know much more than the fact he got it 'fully rebuilt'. The work was on the internals of the leg only and didn't include and refurbishment of the leg housing- I've included a photo below of the leg.

We weren't able to leave the boat in with our Mercruiser friend because he is so busy at the moment. He said he'd take it over the winter for us and do as much work as we wanted. In the meantime we have it at a well respected marine mechanics who work on a range of engines, pleasure and commercial. We're due an update from them this afternoon.

 

[Grubble]

You don't have to touch the bellows to remove the leg - it unbolts with the bolts by the Mercruiser sticker in your picture.

You can examine the bellows by turning the steering to full lock and full up/down. Mercruiser bellows are harder wearing than Volvo versions, but if they start leaking its an expensive repair.

 

[neil-c-8]

You don't have to touch the bellows to remove the leg - it unbolts with the bolts by the Mercruiser sticker in your picture.

You can examine the bellows by turning the steering to full lock and full up/down. Mercruiser bellows are harder wearing than Volvo versions, but if they start leaking its an expensive repair.

Agh I’ve just watched a few videos and I see what you mean. I’m quite a novice so genuinely appreciate the tips. I’ll have a good look around it when I’m at the boat again.

So we had an update from the yard - gel coat repairs started today and should be done by Wednesday, Nav and VHF install has started today but they got called away to an emergency breakdown. The critical engine examinations though have been put back until Monday because the main mechanic is off this week. It’s a bit annoying as Thursday and Friday are the main Northern Ireland summer holiday days and it would have been nice to have it in the water. But aiming for being out on 20th (if all goes well).

 

[rbcoomer]

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between a Sunseeker Mexico 24, a Portofino 25 and an XPS 21? Is there anything more too it than size? Or was one brought out to replace the other etc?

Hi Neil,

We have an early 80's Portofino 25. I looked at a few Mexico's and the main difference for us was the Portofino has a separate heads compartment which I didn't see in any of the Mexicos. You'll have no issues with sea keeping and if she handles anything like the Portofino, you'll be very happy. The early Sunseekers are a heavier layup than most modern hulls I've experienced, giving and very safe and planted feel. She handles any chop superbly but is no slouch. We have a 240hp turbo diesel, so won't accelerate as quick as yours but have the added bonus of pretty good fuel economy. Only had a little over a year, but has proved a great choice and as we work our way through the jobs, she grows on us more and more! Enjoy the Mexico - great boat and classic lines :encouragement:

If you get five minutes, a short video of ours below - filmed by YBW's esteemed Mr Burnham.

 

[neil-c-8]

Thanks Rob- I hoped you spot the thread as I'd found yours and have spent an evening looking back through your facebook photos of the refurb. We're at a very frustrating time because we're keen to get the bought out as soon as possible so we've contracted in guys at the boat yard to do a lot of the work but that means I don't have access to it at the evenings and weekends to tinker. I'm feeling at a bit of a loose end and household cores aren't quite a fun!

 

[rbcoomer]

Thanks Rob- I hoped you spot the thread as I'd found yours and have spent an evening looking back through your facebook photos of the refurb. We're at a very frustrating time because we're keen to get the bought out as soon as possible so we've contracted in guys at the boat yard to do a lot of the work but that means I don't have access to it at the evenings and weekends to tinker. I'm feeling at a bit of a loose end and household cores aren't quite a fun!

There are some disadvantages of having the boat at home too - always something to do and thus my 2 months morphed into 8 as I found funds for a few more jobs... Thankfully I'm patient where things like this are concerned, perhaps a good thing as the Fletcher Arrowbolt has been on the driveway for 7 years! This winter will be a busy one I think... Look forward to seeing yours afloat - take lots of pictures of your travels please too!

 

[neil-c-8]

So boat update is that there isn’t much to report. After leaving the boat in with a local marine mechanics to have some work done because it was supposed to be quicker than us doing it, they’ve had it 3 1/2 weeks so far. Fitting of the VHF and Raymarine Firefly 7 is hopefully being finished today, a few gel coat repairs from bow trailer dings where completed last week, now we are just waiting on engine checks to be carried out. Hopefully that will be done by this weekend but I’m not getting my hopes up!

On another note - I went to buy fire extinguishers today and the company refused to sell me FE36 extinguishers for a boat. Apparently FE36 no longer complies with British Standards for marine engines as it can only be certified for sealed rooms/compartments. On the plus side they’re therefore selling off their remaining stocks of FE36 extinguishers at 1/3 of the price that I can get them online! (They’ll sell me it as long as I state it’s not being used on a boat apparently) Think it’ll still buy FE36 and have a backup powder one on the deck.

 

[neil-c-8]

So yesterday was the big day, well actually Saturday should have been the big day but a months worth of rain fell in a couple of hours at the marina so we didn't even take the cover off the boat. Saturday turned into just paying the bill for: the engine inspection, impeller replacement, gel coat repairs and cleaning. Then into the shop for new ropes and fenders. Annoyingly they only had double ended fenders rather than single ended but we were too inpatient to wait for delivery just for vanity.

Sunday morning we headed out with the owner of the marine mechanics for our first run as he offered to show us around and give us some location knowledge and tips. This was a real help as he showed us all of the local landmarks that he used for navigation in case our GPS ever fails.

So below is a photo of us just about to launch:




And two very short videos of the wake off the back of the boat:

 

[neil-c-8]

One problems that wasn't solved before we launched was that the last owner had the handle of cabin port window pinched by someone who needed one themselves! Does anyone know how I could get a replacement handle similar to below. It would be GREATLY appreciated!!

 

[Whitelighter]

Nice looking boat - looks fresh from the box!!!

Small sports boats are great fun - try to resist the urge to go bigger for a while - that Mexico looks a peach.

Happy boating

 

[neil-c-8]

So almost a year has passed since my last post. We got a good 8 weeks of sailing done last year but at the end of September we hit a bit of a problem. When the boat was revved above 1500 or 1800 rpm the engine span up like a clutch was slipping. My first thought was that we had rounded the shear pin/shear rubber in the alpha one leg. I assumed the rubber had rounded it's edges after we hit a sand bar entering a small marina a few weeks earlier (we were in the right place too!). We left it into the mechanic for them to sort us out with a new throttle cable as it felt sticky at times and asked them to look at the prop spinning up at the same time. Turns out that it was a rather more expensive bill... The rear leg gearing which was redone by the previous owner a few months before our purchase had eaten itself. The alpha one housing itself had corroded meaning the shafts sat naturally misaligned. Now we were faced with taking a chance on another second hand out drive or else ordering a new one from Mercruiser to be shipped to us from America. After chatting with a few people we bit the bullet and ordered the new leg drive so it had a years warranty. Happy to report that all is now running well and the boat is handling like a dream. I'll get a few photos up soon of our exploits.

Ps I'm still looking for a window latch similar to I posted previously. Could anyone tell me what you'd call that?? I've tried searching every variation of 'marine window latch/handle' etc but can't find anything.

 

[petem]

Hatch could be a Bomar.

https://m.go2marine.com/controller?...omar / Pompanette&viewType=listView&eah=12263

 

[finchtimr]

Hey Neil,

Enjoyed this thread, as someone whose looking for one of these or similar, keen to hear how you got on since?