2 OB's or 1?

[little_k]

Recently purchased 25'1984 2500WA Hydrasports. This is a heavy boat which originally had (2) 200 Mercs, now it only has (1) 1996 200hp engine, with a scored #1 cylinder, centered in transom. I plan on having engine repaired but fear operating this boat with only the one 200HP engine will overwork engine and cause premature failure. (Manuf. states 400hp max.) Could operating this boat with only the (1) 200hp engine be a problem? Any power suggetions are appreciated. Would prefer to buy something used.

 

[ksdriver]

Re: 2 OB's or 1?

I'd certaintly be looking at a second engine for several reasons. Assume with your purchase and type of boat, you're primarily interested in fishing. This involves off-shore running, anywhere from 15 to say 80 miles. Would you feel comfortable if say after a couple of hours trolling, engine started to miss? Would you feel comfortable running out, even if engine seems to be running fine? It's not like getting out of car and walking maybe a mile to make a phone call, or hoping a passing motorist will pick you up. So from a security and peace of mind view, I'd look very seriously at second engine. A second consideration is performance. Hydrosports was a primary consideration for us also (new purchase). Boat is solid, but heavy. I'm guessing you can get boat on plane with a light load (trim tabs may help). But if you load up with fuel, several adults, fishing gear, food &ice, etc., you may not even be able to get this boat on plane with a single 200 h.p. outboard. I've had this problem with a 23' I.O.; boat was fine with 4 medium size adults, but as soon as my girls brought along boyfriends (6adults)plus dogs (yes, we fish with 3 dogs), this pushed us over the edge. Almost impossible to get boat on plane....very frustrating! Good luck!