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I’m re-powering my 1988 22’ Outrage. I raised my transom 5 inches a few years ago to accommodate a 30” leg, and installed a bulkhead to separate the splash well and the deck. Looking at either twin Suzuki 115 (800lbs) counter rotation OR twin Suzuki 90 (700lbs) standard rotation. Max transom weight is 700lbs and the max power rating is 240hp. Any thoughts on what engines I should go with? Also, the 90 set up is 3K cheaper.
Thanks

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Neither, I would go with a single DF225-Way cheaper, less weight, and about as reliable as it gets-

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Of course, dealer/mechanic support and convenience is paramount. I like the new Mercury four stroke engines--225 in your case. New technology and light weight engines. Mercury seems to have their act together......

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A lot depends on the type of fishing you do as well. Travel far offshore? Troll? What speeds do you troll?

Twin's aren't as common as years past because motors are more dependable now. In the days of old premix two strokes, especially before electronic ignition, something simple as fouled spark plugs created the need for a second motor to get in with. Those days are gone along with changing plugs on the water!

Often it costs less, weighs less and more efficient with a large main motor such as a 225 to get you there and have a Kicker such as a 9.9 High Thrust to troll and position with.

Motors are like time bombs, the more hours you put on them the less reliable and less valuable they are.
Get enough hours on them and some day they may go.....Bang!

It is often far better to be putting hours on a $3,000.00 Kicker while trolling as a throw away than a $12,000.00 to $22,000.00 or more main motor.


Vance

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One thing I am a bit confused about is the transom height for your boat. Do you now require 30" shaft engines? Or only for a single, and twins can use a 25" shaft? Because I don't believe Suzuki offers 30" shafts length in these models.

If you are set on twin Suzukis, I would recommend the 115s. Twin 90s, although having a nice weight advantage, will be on the low end of the power spectrum for this boat. Allthough, the 115 Suzuki actually has a spec weight of 412 lbs (25" shaft) which puts you in the 825 lbs weight range with twins.

Assuming that a 25" shaft works on your boat with twins, I would urge you to look at offerings from other manufacturers, particularly Mercury. You can get twin counter-rotating 115 Fourstroke engines from Mercury, which combined would weigh in at about 740 lbs. In addition to the weight savings, you'd have 4.2L of displacement and eight cylinders on your transom, which seems like a good match to your Outrage 22.

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There are definitely pros and cons to single and twin arrangements.

Besdies the performance advantages, another big advantage of running a twin arrangement for some owners is the ability to keep engine hours down on both engines.

Particulalry for those who do a lot of slow speed trolling or frequently transit lengthy no wake zones, the ability to shut down one engine is a big plus. Those who do this routinely might cut engine hours by a third or more, which reduces overall wear and tear and extends service intervals.

So if the goal is to keep engine hours down, and a lot of slow speed operating is contemplated, a twin arrangement works well.

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That is exactly my point. 9.9 High Thrust Yamaha and most all Kicker motors now are available with power trim and tilt. When the steering is tied in with the main motor it is not necessary in situations as you described to run the main motor. Simply put down the relatively inexpensive Kicker motor and navigate with it at $3000.00 cost instead of the $10,000.00 to $22,0000.00 motor.

These new High Thrust motors push 22 to 24 boats with ease and burn very little fuel doing it saving hundreds of pounds on the transom and big $ on the value and maintenance of the main Motor.

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I took a year and researched engines before choosing Suzuki. I just repowered my 1978 Montauk 17 with a 90 Suzuki and am very pleased. The 90 is as light, or lighter, than the other brands. I purchased my motor from Doss Marine in Chapin, SC. Good folks. Very persnickety about their work.

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Thanks for all the great advice.
Here's a little bit of what my boating endeavors entail. I'm in Hawaii and normally will troll anywhere between 15-30 miles off shore. I'm also involved in Hawaiian canoe racing and sailing. (look up on youtube) Our longest races go between the islands (Maui to Oahu) which can be up to 80 miles. My duties in races are primarily a chase boat (5-20mph) where most of the time I'm motoring at about 6 mph. Occasionally, I'll hook up a bridal and tow them 400-1000lbs) with 8-10 pax in my boat.
Side note: I currently have an Etec 225 that handles all of this.... However, my mechanic can't solve an overheating issue. Time to
re-power.

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Etops -

Are you using a E-TEC certified mechanic? Have they checked with the factory?

If I was having an E-TEC issue that is complicated, I would contact Doug Zammitt @ Lockman's. They are a BPR Platinium dealer.
http://lockemans.com

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Hey Phil,
My mechanic is a prior Evinrude certified mechanic. Apparently, BRP wasn’t very supportive of their dealers/mechanics in Hawaii, and as a result all of the guys on Oahu, gave up their dealerships. I’ll pass on Doug’s info to my guy.
Thanks.