Soon to be new boat owner and skier

[snrmagic]

How much better will a 5.7L Merc pull a skier than a 4.3L Merc? 4.3 has an alpha one outdrive, 5.7 has a bravo 1 outdrive. We like to ski two at a time. 220lbs per person.

I have been told that the 4.3 is much lighter and will do a good job, that the 5.7 will not make a big difference when you consider the price difference.

 

[boat1010]

Re: Soon to be new boat owner and skier

First, Welcome to iboats... Now to answer the question. It isn't that easy to answer. Everything depends on something else. The props make a big difference in pulling "up" a skier. Pulling up a skier with one ski is a lot harder than two skies. Getting two skiers up is harder yet. And depends on the skiers ability. Both one of the motors should be able to get the skiers up. And it depends on the size of the boat. If the 5.7 is in a bigger boat it will have a harder time with the skiers.

 

[snrmagic]

Re: Soon to be new boat owner and skier

2012 21ss Crownline. If the 4.3 will pull two good skiers on one ski then I am sold. There is no reason for me to spend the extra buck for a 5.7 that will not make much difference. The prop has 3 blades.

 

[boat1010]

Re: Soon to be new boat owner and skier

Just my humble opinion. If you are buying a new boat and you are trying to decide what size motor to put in it you can very seldom go wrong with the bigger motor. You can always go slower with a bigger motor but can't go faster with a smaller one. Yes it may use a little more fuel but there is just no substitute for horsepower. The cost increase probably isn't that much. If you start getting more people in the boat you will start to notice the smaller motor. Just my two cents... Have fun with the new boat...

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Soon to be new boat owner and skier

I'd suggest not buying a new boat, and buy one 2-3 years old. The money you save by not buying off the lot will be more than ample to find one with the V8. The issue isn't mainly in HP, it's in TQ. You can't out-torque a V8 with a V6 at least in the current Volvo/Merc lineup. Get the 5.7L.

 

[FichtFan]

Re: Soon to be new boat owner and skier

If you ever want to sell it the re-sale will be better with the 5.7L and it will be easier to sell. Also, the 5.7L won't have to work as hard to push the boat therefore, it will probably give better gas mileage as well. When we were looking for our boat, we wanted the max hp possible. If it didn't have it, we moved on.

 

[snrmagic]

Re: Soon to be new boat owner and skier

I'm looking at a 2012 Crownline 21ss with a 4.3L for $32,500 and a 2009 Crownline 21ss with a 5.7 with 75 hrs for $38,000.

 

[jkust]

Re: Soon to be new boat owner and skier

Here's my thought. My boat has a 190hp 4.3 while the top optional power was the 270hp v8. I can tell you that 80 extra horsepower (42% more) and a lot of additional torque would make a huge difference. The 4.3 does the job when pulling skiers but the v8 would do it a lot better. I like my boat but everytime I drive it, I wish I had the 5.0 mpi 270hp v8. The difference between my v6 and the 5.0 mpi v8 is almost the same as the difference between the 3.0 carb and the 4.3 carb and that is a huge difference. I think that in the beginning, you will be excited and happy that you got a boat, then you will start to refine and realize what you may be missing. If I am buying another boat, it is going to have the top power option. The downside among others when buying new is the difference between the base power and the top power is usually a big number. After a couple years that gap closes a bit in the used market. Then it is sometimes difficult to even locate a used boat to your liking that has that top power because so many didn't opt for it. In the years since I bought my boat, I have seen only one with the top power option.

 

[Ithica DB]

Re: Soon to be new boat owner and skier

Good rule of thumb as mentioned above when looking at boats buy the biggest motor you can with the size of boat you are buying you will never go wrong or regret it. Its the same with cars if it runs with a 4cl buy one with a 6cl the gas savings and repair savings are worth it.

 

[rallyart]

Re: Soon to be new boat owner and skier

You don't see many people complaining about having too much power in their boat. Starting two adults on single skis takes a lot of power.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Soon to be new boat owner and skier

My suggestion is to narrow your search down to three or four comparable brands and determine what models best for your use. Then, do research on BoatTest.com for comparable hulls to find out the performance. Hit the internet on BoatTraders.com, EBayMotors.com and Craigslist.com and any other boat sites you run up on looking for your preferred brand and model boat--new and used. It will give you relativity in the retail market.

Contrary to popular belief, the boat business presently stinks, with established manufacturers and dealerships dropping like flies. Retail customers are not knocking down boat dealers' doors this year, as it's a buyer's market. It is pretty easy online to figure out who is the dominant boat dealer in your retail market, and who's willing to compete for your business through low prices. I like buying local, but I am willing to drive a little to save a lot.

And I agree to always buy the biggest motor you can afford. The 4.3 motor is a great motor, but it's not enough to pull up two 220 lb men on slalom skis. On a 17'-19' boat, it performs very well when up to speed--especially the higher horsepower version. Of course, a good skier is much easier to get up to speed than an inexperienced skier.