I suppose it all depends on what the issue with your engine ends up being. The powerhead on my 1997 Sabre/ Merc 150 EFI blew about 6-7 years ago. I went through the same thoughts you are having. I decided the best course of action was to repair the motor. The size of the Sabre fits my style of fishing. Nothing wrong with the boat other than a few issues like you described with yours. Putting a new engine on a 20 year old boat didn’t seem like a financially smart move. I can replace the powerhead on my original engine 4-5 times for the price of a new engine. If you have your boat set up the way you want and it suits your style of fishing then I would keep the boat and repair the engine.
