single or dual?

[spazinweasel]

hi new to boating i got a 1970 chrysler courier 229. right now it has a merc 1500 tunderbolt. this boat is desined to have either a single or dual ob what would be better performance wise? how about fuel? thank you all

 

[Chris1956]

Re: single or dual?

That Merc is a low displacement (100 cu in), high performance, lightweight (300#)outboard. If you replace it with a current 150HP outboard, you will gain low end performance. The newer motor will burn a bit more fuel, and weigh 100# more.

For a heavy boat like that, I would recommend a single V6 outboard of 135+HP. If you can get a 2.4L V6, it should have more low end power than a 2.0L V6, for a given HP.

Dual OBs will use more fuel, cost twice as much to maintain, but provide some safety.

 

[spazinweasel]

Re: single or dual?

i kinda figured that but wanted pro advice thanks chris the merc on there now runs good would it do good for pulling skis, tubes, etc?

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: single or dual?

There is Nothing--absolutely NOTHING- that sounds like twin engines. That boat is just begging for two Chrysler 75 or 85 HP engines. If it is rated for it, twin 105s. WAY COOL!

You could pick up a couple of engines rather inexpensively and restore them cheaply and quickly while running the Merc. And it would cost WAY less than any decent sized new engine.

If you intend to do any serious cruising, knowing that if one engine breaks down, the other will still get you back in relativly good time, is a comfort.

Go over to The Chrysler Crew and see what they say. Better yet, go to the Thursday night chat room at 9-11 EST and talk to Dave and Franz. I suspect they will agree with me.

BTW: That hull is foam filled. The design makes it a great rough water boat. It will take almost anything you can put it through. I had a 16 footer that we put through 3 and 4 foot chop with more comfort than any other hull that size. BUT: Check the weight of the boat against factory claimed weight. Foam does tend to get waterlogged with age.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: single or dual?

I'm working on a 56 Lark 30 hp, just switched it to long shaft, to go with the 57 E-rude Big Twin 35 hp on the back of my aluminum boat...a Texas Maid.
Right now, I've got the Big Twin paired with an 18 hp Johnson of the same era. Can't wait to get 65 hp on the transom. Twins are thirsty, but sounds like you want power on the water...figure your preferred hp and check for a pair from your favorite mfgr. to make that goal. Then compare the cost of a pair with one larger motor. My OMC's don't require more than routine maintenance...and I can do two just as easily as one. As for the cost of that, that's the price of going on the water. Wish we recreational boaters could get a price break on gas...was down to $1.39 about a month ago here and now it's bounced back up to $1.89 in West Tejas. Here's a pic of the maid...

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: single or dual?

There are lots of advantages of having two engines, and lots of disadvantages.

There are no absolutes on "get home ability," but if that were my only concern, I would go with a main engine and a good sized "kicker," and a very large spare fuel tank that is always filled someplace other than where the main tanks are. My reasoning is simply that an underwater obstruction can take out two engines that are being used, and a common fuel source can be contaminated.

In most cases, however, only one engine will be affected and the second one will get you home relatively quickly, and without much fuss. My current boat had a pair of ERude Bigtwins on it before my current motor (Johnson 65hp). I also had the setup on a previous boat, which was smaller and would plane on one of the engines. This setup got me back to the ramp on a couple of occassions, once in each boat. The situation in the bigger boat was slow but worked out fine, and the one in the smaller boat was "cake," because that boat would cruise at about 18mph on just one of the motors.

The main reason why I went back to one motor, with a kicker mounted to the side of it, is fuel consumption. My old ERudes were pretty thirsty when running 13" props on my current boat! On the smaller boat, top end was 30+ mph, so I could run steeper props and use much reduced power settings, but on the bigger boat they just couldn't do that. What this tranlated into was that the "well, I'm saving a ton on boat payments, so who cares about fuel issue," suddenly became an unacceptable tradeoff - especially when fuel prices skyrocketed.

I agree with Frank on the "cool factor." Having a pair of engines, especially an older, hard to find pair, really gets the chit chat going at the boat ramp. I've made a few friends through such conversations about my Bigtwins - I mean, really, who the heck has a pair of fifties Rudes hanging off of the back of their boat?!! The sound of the very slightly off rpm engines running together, is also very unique and fun. Nothing like it .... well .... ok, the noise was another reason I pulled the Rudes off my Glassmaster, but that's another issue!

Hopefully all of these comments will help you in your decision. Whatever you do, have fun!

 

[spazinweasel]

Re: single or dual?

right now i also have a 4hp johnson kicker but to be honest i kinda am looking for the "cool factor" i am restoring the boat so it would be dual chrysler 75hp or a single 140 however in the long run i will have to worry about economy and reliability etc. i am thinking it would do me good if i could find all three to set it up the way the gas prices point me. does this sound good? thank you all for your help

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: single or dual?

finding a good old chrysler is going to be a real task. i would go with more reliable johnsons or evinrudes.

 

[redfury]

Re: single or dual?

The only issue I see with having twins and a single that you can swap out is going to be your through hull holes. How are you going to plug the holes and avoid the transom from rotting on you...you'll speed up the process unless you address that concern first. Beyond that, you have to rig up the controls for swapping over from single to dual and back.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: single or dual?

If you set up your twins correctly, you can tilt/hold one up if necessary. My twins are set up that way with a bend in the steering connector bar. The Big Twin 35 hp rode back to the dock tilted up at least twice when I was diagnosing/fixing it's old, toasty clutch dog. The little workhorse Johnson 18 hp provided the power then. Dual binnacle controls are available, new or used...found mine through this forum. I don't know...twins and a kicker seems like overkill, unless you just want 3 motors on the transom...might get kinda crowded back there. I'm with TD though, I'd go with OMC's or Mercs unless you're a Chrysler hound...hard to find and spendy on the parts.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: single or dual?

Ah but what would be cooler than an old Chrysler boat sporting 2 redone Chrysler outboards. I always liked the look of those old Chryslers.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: single or dual?

I haven't seen my favorite reason for having duals mentioned yet.

Maneuverability. When you need to pick up divers in the water, or you're trying to keep near but not on a particular rock, piece of debris, or fishing spot, duals can't be beat.

The ability to reverse one motor and vary speed with the other will let you turn a boat in its own length, driving it like a tank. With practice, you won't need to use the wheel at all, you can dock in a cramped marina using engines alone.

That's the major reason I want duals. The second one is reliability... I could get a kicker, but unless I get a calm day it might not be enough to get me home safe. Yeah, I know other boats on the great lakes use kickers, but they're not hovering close to shore like I am... and shore is usually a big pile of sharp rocks.

Erik

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: single or dual?

Good point, Erik.

I once had a bit of fun with some Coast Guard guys, after pulling a 30 foot telephone pole that I found floating in Lake Ponchartrain, into their station. Before moving into the dock, I changed the towing arrangement to a side tow, and then moved towards a hoist that they had. In order to come up along side the dock that had the hoist, however, I had to make a 90 degree right turn in little more space than the length of the pole. The guys chuckled, thinking that "this civilian" will never get into place. Not so - with my port Bigtwin in forward and the right one in reverse, I merely rotated in place. That was followed by moving forward a couple of feet with both engines and then reversing the situation to port/reverse, starboard/forward, which nudged the boat into the dock on the port side.

I also found the ability to rotate in place handy at the boat launch, because it sometimes makes it easier to turn away from the docks, without having to back into moving traffic in the main part of the bayous that I normally boat in.

Another handy trick is to use the differental thrust to manuever onto a trailer. My trailer has side guides, which are tightly positioned to keep the keel of the boat in the exact position required to sit on the rollers properly. When I had the twins on the boat, I would approach slowly, without having to worry much about exact alignment and/or wind conditions. As I came close to the back of the trailer, I would then adjust the bow of the boat to port or starboard as needed. Once the bow started to lift on the rear roller, I could then swing the stern straight using the engines. This procedure is particularly effective when retrieving in a crosswind situation.

If it weren't for fuel considerations, I would go back to a dual outboard setup in a heartbeat. In fact, I am currently refurbishing a 19' Thunderbird and will probably power it with a pair of Johnson 65hp motors anyway. A single 130hp motor would be more efficient, but I already have both of the other motors, so that's the plan for now. Whether or not I keep them for the long term will depend on what fuel prices "do" in the future.