Twins vs single screw

[Alws55]

I'm looking at 2 mid 70's Stamas 26' cuddys....one has twin GM 165 6 cyl....the other has a 350 both omc outdrives.....any pros or cons you can share?
Thnx

 

[Gilded_Splinters]

Well, if they were later Cobra out drives, most of us would tell you to run for cover. Some would say that with patience and understanding, they're fine. I agree with the latter. I have two of them, have fought with them both and mostly won.

Unfortunately, the boats being from the 70s probably means Stringer drives. I think in that case, running for cover would be unanimous.

As far as twins vs. single screws, there's really no comparison when it comes to maneuverability at the dock with twins. It takes some practice, but it's pretty amazing. Having a "spare" engine in a crisis is nice too, but with this come twice the maintenance and hassle.

Myself, I'll only have twins in the future, and I will simply never have an I/O again - period, regardless of brand.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... Anything with a mid-70s OMC drive, you Don't want,....

 

[Alws55]

I've been running a 73 same setup for 10 yrs no prob....what are you referring to?

 

[southkogs]

Stringers have a bad rep for a few reasons ... 1) no one typically wants to work on 'em, 2) parts are getting harder to find and 3) they can be a little finicky.

My take is a little less "unanimous," if you know you're dealing with a Stringer, understand the drive and it's quirks and wanna' keep going that route ... then the Stringer can actually be a nice drive. I like the Stringer that I have, but I don't recommend them for most people.

I really like the Chevy 250 that powers the 165HP OMCs. I don't know the 350 well enough to tell you about that. '77 would be the last year for Electric Shift ... after that you're hydro-electric and I don't know much about that shift system to be honest.