KEY WEST BOATS FORUM-New to the Key West Family, 203FS (2024)

Just put down my deposit on a 2022 Key West 203FS. Reviewing this forum helped with my decision on the Key West. Chose the brand based on customer satisfaction feedback here and on the great sales experience I had with my closest dealer in Pointe Au Baril Ontario, Canada. I ordered mine with the F150 Yamaha, it is an engine I have had great experience with on a slightly heavier boat and figure it will perform as well or better on this one.
What kind of performance can I expect with the 150? Will have myself, wife two teenagers and the dog in most family cruises. Looking to get on plane easy with that load and achieve a top speed of 40mph. Is that realistic or should I upgrade to the 200. Worried about access to high octane fuel all the time with the 200 and I know the 150 is bullet proof.
I see the weight of the 203fs is published at 1,900lbs without engine. I ordered mine with the fiberglass hard top, what does that add for weight?
Lot's of questions still but excited to take delivery in July. Still have time to make changes. So far I have added bow cleats based on reading this forum, a Garmin 95 GPS, trim tabs, upgraded leaning post and the fiberglass hard top with speakers. Also the front filler cushion table and back rests.

Any tips you can provide would be great.

Surprised Captain Dan has not chimed in here yet. The picture below is of his 203FS with a Yamaha 175.

If you search the forum you should find numerous posts about his experience with this combination.

Also, note the optional train horn on the T-top. Go for it. The standard horn checks the box to pass a Coast Guard Inspection, but that is about all it does.

I can hit 45-46mph with the F150 on my 203FS that has a t-top and radar dome (both add a lot of drag).

The F150 is about 165HP with shorter gearing than the F175 (which is true to it's HP rating). The engines will be propped differently because of that gearing. So the main benefit of the F175 is slightly higher top speed by maybe 1-2mph and a teeny bit better fuel economy at top speed. The F150 will have better hole shot. The F175 comes with a higher capacity alternator. The engines weigh about the same. That should cover most of the key factors to think about between the two engines.

Keyper wrote: ↑

Mar 04, 2021

Surprised Captain Dan has not chimed in here yet. The picture below is of his 203FS with a Yamaha 175.

If you search the forum you should find numerous posts about his experience with this combination.

Also, note the optional train horn on the T-top. Go for it. The standard horn checks the box to pass a Coast Guard Inspection, but that is about all it does.

Kinda busy these days in this crazy business...can't 'chime in' that often !
The 175 is a no-brainer on the 203. No negatives...all positives...and a modest cost increase over the 150. Mine would run 48 MPH and could still cruise at over 5 MPG.
And yes...get the dual trumpet horn. Trust me...it works like no standard boat horn can...

Captain Dan

Keyper wrote: ↑

Mar 04, 2021

Surprised Captain Dan has not chimed in here yet. The picture below is of his 203FS with a Yamaha 175.

If you search the forum you should find numerous posts about his experience with this combination.

Also, note the optional train horn on the T-top. Go for it. The standard horn checks the box to pass a Coast Guard Inspection, but that is about all it does.

Kinda busy these days in this crazy business...can't 'chime in' that often !
The 175 is a no-brainer on the 203. No negatives...all positives...and a modest cost increase over the 150. Mine would run 48 MPH and could still cruise at over 5 MPG.
And yes...get the dual trumpet horn. Trust me...it works like no wimpy standard boat horn can...

Captain Dan

supaspat wrote: ↑

Mar 06, 2021

I'm ordering a 203 as we speak but going for the 200 for the reason of when loading up the boat I feel the extra torque and the 10lb difference in engine weight should make a significant difference wondering if anyone has a 200 that can give some input

To me it's a waste of money. With premium fuel, that "200" is actually only about 192HP. If you run on regular gas, the power drops off even more because the ECU will retard the timing. The F175 is considered a good value upgrade if you want a little more top speed and bigger alternator compared to the F150, with similar fuel costs. But I can't say that about the 200. And to be honest, if you mainly care about low end grunt, the F150 will be right there with the 175/200 due to the gearing and prop difference. The torque increases in the F175 and F200 will translate primarily into higher top speed because they are spinning bigger props. I'd only go with the 200 if you want a bit extra top speed and you can run premium fuel all the time. Down low (hole shot) you won't notice an advantage over the F150 or F175.

s219 wrote: ↑

Mar 07, 2021

supaspat wrote: ↑

Mar 06, 2021

I'm ordering a 203 as we speak but going for the 200 for the reason of when loading up the boat I feel the extra torque and the 10lb difference in engine weight should make a significant difference wondering if anyone has a 200 that can give some input

To me it's a waste of money. With premium fuel, that "200" is actually only about 192HP. If you run on regular gas, the power drops off even more because the ECU will retard the timing. The F175 is considered a good value upgrade if you want a little more top speed and bigger alternator compared to the F150, with similar fuel costs. But I can't say that about the 200. And to be honest, if you mainly care about low end grunt, the F150 will be right there with the 175/200 due to the gearing and prop difference. The torque increases in the F175 and F200 will translate primarily into higher top speed because they are spinning bigger props. I'd only go with the 200 if you want a bit extra top speed and you can run premium fuel all the time. Down low (hole shot) you won't notice an advantage over the F150 or F175.

Agreed !

Captain Dan

s219 wrote: ↑

Mar 07, 2021

supaspat wrote: ↑

Mar 06, 2021

I'm ordering a 203 as we speak but going for the 200 for the reason of when loading up the boat I feel the extra torque and the 10lb difference in engine weight should make a significant difference wondering if anyone has a 200 that can give some input

To me it's a waste of money. With premium fuel, that "200" is actually only about 192HP. If you run on regular gas, the power drops off even more because the ECU will retard the timing. The F175 is considered a good value upgrade if you want a little more top speed and bigger alternator compared to the F150, with similar fuel costs. But I can't say that about the 200. And to be honest, if you mainly care about low end grunt, the F150 will be right there with the 175/200 due to the gearing and prop difference. The torque increases in the F175 and F200 will translate primarily into higher top speed because they are spinning bigger props. I'd only go with the 200 if you want a bit extra top speed and you can run premium fuel all the time. Down low (hole shot) you won't notice an advantage over the F150 or F175.

Agreed !

Captain Dan

butchiebackup wrote: ↑

Mar 24, 2021

capt. dan,
If you don't mind me asking, what prop are you running with the 175 on the 203fs?

17" pitch. Perfect at 5800-5900 RPM WOT.

Captain Dan