Re: Looking at SunDeck Sport 202 I/O -- ADVICE WANTED
As usual, great advise from the previous posters!
I?ve got my 2012 SD237 I/O in August 2011 and it has a very similar design/layout to the SS202 I/O you?re looking at. I?ll share my less than one year experience, especially with the Bravo 3 drive.
The 4.3L MPI rated at 220HP was the standard offering on my model. You are correct; Hurricane?s are heavy and very STABLE! I upgraded to the 5.0L MPI ECT Mercruiser and elected to go with the Bravo 3 drive. The pulling power, smoothness, improved handling (especially at low speeds) and better efficiency of the Bravo 3 drive is not mentioned very much with Hurricanes. It seems outboards are more popular with people that buy these boats, much like ?bear_69cuda? suggests. There?s pros and cons for both technologies, but I can say that the 4.3L/5.0L/5.7L are all very tried and true GM based engines (I?ve had the car/truck versions of all of these in a number of vehicles over the years with excellent service). The challenge is powering the boat right the first time, so going to these forums can be a big help. The 5.0L will probably make the stern sit a little deeper in the water, due to the added weight, so the 4.3L might get a plus here. Pulling skiers and towables are effortless. The boat jumps out of the water and planes very quickly without hardly any bow rise with or without towing something. My boat is good for about 24? of draft with the trim up (but still effective) coming in to dock, I would think that running the 4.3L on your size boat would draft a bit less (an Alpha drive is a bit shorter in depth than the Bravo 3). One thing about using an outboard, it gives you some better visibility on how high you have the engine trimmed, especially in shallow water. As far as the boat itself, I really don?t think you?ll find many other boats your size that will draft less than a Hurricane. The I/O configuration also lets you take advantage of a full length swim platform; outboards have smaller ones on each side of the engine. It makes dealing with swimming, skiers and towables so much more convenient. I had my choice of Mercury or Volvo as well and both are good manufacturers. I chose Mercury/Mercruiser mainly due to the higher availability of dealers (I trailer my boat to different locations from time to time and there is always a Mercury dealer somewhere near by). This was also true for parts availability (both OEM and aftermarket). I guess time will decide if I made the right decision. If you keep your boat in the same body of water and if your dealer or some other Volvo dealer is near by, then this may not be much of an issue for you. Although I could have gone up to 320 HP max, I went with the 260 HP and elected to up the drive system. This configuration also takes advantage of a bit better fuel economy the 5.0L engine offers over the 5.7L (300 HP) or 6.2L (320 HP). The regional sales manager for Hurricane explained to me that deck boat hull designs are pretty much max?d out at around 50 MPH or so, so spending a ton of extra money on the higher HP engines (the jump from 5.0L to 5.7L was around $4,500.00 more?. I didn?t even price the 6.2L) wouldn?t yield me as much as the extra overall performance features of the Bravo 3 drive (especially since you are not running WOT 100% of the time). My engine/drive configuration is good for about 45 MPH WOT with outstanding acceleration and maneuverability. It has a 22.5 prop pitch and stainless steel props for this drive is standard. Overall, I couldn?t be happier with the boat and the engine/drive combo.
Hope this helps in your decision.
Great luck and fun with your new Hurricane!
