considering twin outboards

Larry Flynn

Recruit
Joined
Aug 24, 2008
Messages
1
I have a 225 aquasport explorer 1999 with a 225 johnson 1999 also motor is showing its age and giving me a few problems I am considering repowering with twin 150 four stroke yamahas total weight of both is aprox. 935lbs.is this to much weight for this boat and is there enough room on the transom for this instalation any advise will be greatly apreciated thanks
 

gcboat

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
May 29, 2007
Messages
1,822
Re: considering twin outboards

The few models of your boat that I have ever seen have a notch in the transom that will fit one motor. Adding another motor
( with that configuration ) might be more then the transom will take.
Weight wise, torque and H.P. wise I don't think it would be a really good move.
I think you are rated for something like 280 total H.P. - so a nice 250 would be the way to go.
However I would definately give your local dealer a call and pose that question to them. :D
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,413
Re: considering twin outboards

You would almost double the weight hanging off the transom and I can?t imagine any manufacturer sanctioning that type of a request.

I suppose you could add a bracket to help increase the buoyancy back there but that's a lot of work and expense? I?m guessing you want to go with twins for redundancy, still I?d go with a F250 and a good offshore towing service as back up.
 

jay_merrill

Vice Admiral
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
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5,653
Re: considering twin outboards

Seems like a lot of weight to me. It also seems like a very expensive proposition between purchase price and maintenance costs.

One option might be to consider a pair of ETECs. The new 115HO supposedly compares with most 130hp engines and ETECs are very good on fuel. They also require no maintenance for 3 years. Total engine weight with a pair of them would be about 720 pounds.

I think the only concern that I would have with a pair of 115hp motors is what the single engine performance would be. From what I have seen on the net, your boat should do about 50 mph with the 225. That said, I would think if the 115s aren't propped too high, the boat should plane on one motor, so you should have decent "get home" capability.

I've had a couple of boats with twin engines and really like the setup, but there is no doubt that they are more expensive to own and operate. Because of this, I would also do a bit of homework on such costs for the twin F150s and the twin ETECs. Obviously maintenance costs are going to be much higher on the Yammys for the first three years, but if you are planning on keeping the engines for a long time, continued comparison should be made. My guess, however, is that the ETECS will remain less expensive, just because there are no oil changes to be done, no valves to adjust, etc.

As for twin engine redundancy and safety, there is one thing that many people don't consider - that, if you hit something in the water, you can take both engines out quite easily. For this reason, some people prefer to have a single main powerplant and a good sized "kicker." This arrangement also tends to be a great deal less expensive from both an acquisition standpoint and in terms of operating costs.
 

kenmyfam

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Aug 10, 2006
Messages
14,385
Re: considering twin outboards

That's a whole lot of weight on the transom.
 

rightcoastrob

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Messages
101
Re: considering twin outboards

i have a pair of merc 115,s on my boat a 22 ft osf... 2 stroke and i must say that i love the peice of mind that ive always got a back up to get me back in from 10 or 12 miles out.Bad thing is i can watch the gas guage go down at wot on the other hand 2 props get u out of the water alot faster then one...another con is you have to tune up 2 motors do 2 impellers 2 is deff more expensive as far as maitnence and operating cost...and im planning to add a 18 hp kicker to it this winter.But i did consider selling the two and buying a 4 stroke but i decided against it.
 

kenmyfam

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Aug 10, 2006
Messages
14,385
Re: considering twin outboards

I would seriously consider a big main motor and a decent size kicker.
 
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