3.0 L big enough?

[JOFO17]

I've read good things about the 3.0 but is is strong enough to power 21' trophy? From what I've read it was used mostly in the smaller bowriders.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

I doubt it. Of course, there is a lot of room for the classic "it depends". It it were my decision, I will not go for any less than 4.3

 

[Scott Danforth]

for trolling - yes
for gitting to where you want to go in a hurry - no

 

[thumpar]

What do you want to do with the boat? For a fishing slow cruising boat it will do fine. If you want to go fast or any watersports I don't think it would work. I have a 5.7l in my boat and can't imagine anything less in a boat this size.

 

[fishrdan]

The 3.0L in my 18'er is marginal, I couldn't imagine having one in a 21'er....

 

[aerobat]

i had a 3300 lbs 21´ cuddy cabin with a Penta 3.0 /SX drive and it did a good job on it , put the boat on plane even with several adults on board. a friends has a merc 3.0 on a rinker 186 captiva and he goes virtually ballistic with this small light boat.

now i moved to a 5.0 MPI on a searay but i,m still a big fan of the 3.0 . solid performer with good midrange power to get out of the hole, easy to work on, cheap to maintain. i would recommend to testdrive it in real in any case - if you are not a pure speed freak wanting to win pokerruns the 3.0 will to the job for a budget.

best regards

 

[Walt T]

No one ever complained of having too much power

 

[Starcraft5834]

All depends on what you want to do with it.........Ive got a 20ft cuddy with 3.0....fast? no.... perform well for what I want it for yes....if your concerned about going 40+ and want to pull skiers.. look for a larger engine.......

 

[callen369]

Personally, I would only go with a 3.0 in something 19' or smaller, and 19' may be a stretch if you want to do much towing, or get where you are going in a hurry. 4.3 is a nice motor, easy to find parts and maintain. And it won't work as hard to get you on plane and cruise. Lower RPM for cruise and you still have the get up n go, and decent top speed if you need it.

 

[1216bandit]

With the right prop it might be JUST enough for that boat...start adding things such as a kicker and so on you may find it to be lacking.

 

[JOFO17]

Thanks guys.... I was thinking it seemed a bit small as well. No skiers, but a few fishermen, ice, food, tackle and fish may slow it down a bit too much.