So I'm just wondering how many of you guys are running this package in your sled?

My bud is going to buying a 20 ft. sled this summer and is leaning towards a Northriver Sportster with the Sportjet.

He's trying to decide between the XR 175 and the 200 Optimax...

Anyone have any problems running these things?

Comments? Advice? Consumer reviews/resources?

I personally have not Run one myself but have talked with many that have and say they love them, I Duck and Goose hunt and find myself in places where it requires me to be able to clean the intake out easily so I run outboards, the only thing I will add is make sure he BUYS THE STOMP GRATE!!! This will kick most if not all the rocks out of the intake when he loads it up. Unless you being the really good buddy don’t mind Jumping over board and cleaning it out by hand when you guys plug it up. More power is better so buy the 200, you don’t have to run it wide open but it sure is nice to have it when you take the whole gang one day.

Tight lines, Bud.

With a 20' boat, definitely go with more power. The Sportjet will do fine with a light load, but once your buddies are in the boat, the extra power will help get you going.

Downside to Sportjets...noisy, some say they're smoky, and some say they are full of troubles.

Others love 'em.

I have a 19' North River with 175 Sportjet. I have 135 hours on the motor and have had zero problems. I've found it easy to maintain - similar to an outboard - and to handle very well. The power to weight ratio is excellent and the boat handles like a sports car. Smoke has not been a problem at all. It can take a few seconds to start in very cold weather, but it has always started and run well.

The wife and I have a 20' Predator/175 sport jet.It has been problem free,although harder to start than I think it should be.Extremely dependable,easy to maintain and has not failed us once.
We usually only have 2-3 people in it but my wife packs enough stuff to make up for an extra.We can get 42-45 mph out of it and on plne real quik so I dont see where power would be an issue.
A little noisy but really not bad.Especially when you hear some of the other boats out there.
I think they are like anything else.Your going to hear plenty of good and bad.Just depends on who you talk to.
The main thing is buy from a dealer thats going to back what they sell.There has been plenty on that topic on this board.

trailrat, I have a 175 sj in my 19' Thunderjet and have no problem with power. Gets up on plane pretty quick with 4 adults and fishing gear. Did have a little problem with smoke the 1st year but that was solved. I put some insulation (1") made to quiet inboards in my doghouse and it made some difference. I do have the stompgrate which works well clearing debris although I have not had the pump intake plug yet. All in all I like it very much, comes out of the hole well, 44-48 mph depending on load and the accuracy of my speedometer, handles very well. Good luck

Doubletake

175 SJ in a 19ft North River. Love it. Oodles of power. On of my buddies describes the beep that the motor gives when you turn the key to 'on' as "the sit down and grab something" alarm.

As others have said, they are cold blooded on starting, but mine has always started. Sometimes it takes a couple of minutes, however.

I have heard mixed reports about the optimaxes. On the plus side is the fuel economy. On the minus side appear to be some reliability issues, and the inital expense.

I figured I could run my boat for 8 years on the amount I saved by not going to the 240 optimax, even given the fuel savings. YMMV