Help on boat/engine decision

[7lazy77]

I have decided to get a Deck boat & have been looking at several older (2000-2001) Chaparral's. One is 23' & the other is 25'. As far as size, I am leaning towards the 25' since it is a bit more roomy for me, my wife & 3 kids. Most times we also have another couple with 3 kids go out with us. Boat would be used for fishing, tubing & just floating. I found a pretty clean, low hour 25' boat, but it has a 7.4L(454) MPI with Bravo 3 outdrive in it. I may be wrong, but would this be a little overkill for pulling a tube with 8 on the boat? I realize that the 454 is a gas guzzler, so I am wondering if I would be better off with a 5.7 for better fuel consumption without a significant decrease in performance? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Help on boat/engine decision

Very little difference in gas usage between these power plants when they are tested in the same boat.

Boattest.com has done all the tests, as have several other sites.

You run the 5.7 at full throttle, and the 454 at 3/4 throttle, same fuel usage, roughly the same hp per gallon.

Depending on the boat and power plant, you will occasionally get better fuel economy with the larger engine, compared to running the smaller engine at WOT..

I'd take a bigger engine any day.

 

[jestor68]

Re: Help on boat/engine decision

I see you're located in Wyoming. At what elevation? Being in mind that you can expect to lose about 3% per thousand feet in power, the larger motor might be the better choice.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Help on boat/engine decision

Come down next weekend and I will show you exactly why you want a 7.4.

Elevation is a concern, the 5.7 is a very good motor but it simply can't match the torque of the 7.4 you will need to pull inflatables, have a load of 8-12 passengers and push a 25' boat, meanwhile having to deal with thin air, the 5.7 will do it but I can assure you it will not be as happy as the 7.4 will be, the Bravo III is just icing on the cake, I can't imagine life without that combo anymore.

DO NOT overlook the rest of the boat though, care and maintenance over the boats life is the number one consideration in purchasing a used boat.

Chap's are a fine boat, you have excellent taste, but I prefer a typical Bowrider over the deck boats.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Help on boat/engine decision

My $0.02 . . .

25' is the size you want . . . it will start to seem a bit crowded with guests, etc.

7.4L is definitely the engine you want, and will most likely use same (or maybe even less) gas than a 5.7L. A 5.7 in a 25 footer with 6-8 people is going to be a pig, and have to work very hard to get the boat on plane, etc.

Power matching in boats is different than cars . . . since the engines in boats are typically using much of their available power . . . in cars they are not typically using much of their available power. So, in that scenario, the bigger engine is the better match.

 

[JEBar]

Re: Help on boat/engine decision

I am leaning towards the 25' since it is a bit more roomy for me, my wife & 3 kids. Most times we also have another couple with 3 kids go out with us.

with that many folks on-board, going for the largest boat you can find and are comfortable with makes sense to me .... along with the larger boat, the need for a larger motor becomes self-evident

Jim

 

[7lazy77]

Re: Help on boat/engine decision

Thanks everybody for your responses. Makes a lot more sense now when you hear all the comments & suggestions from the more experienced! Thanks again!