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I need to repower a 1984 25' Outrage that I recently purchased. It has the original twin OMCs. I have decided to go with new 4 stroke Yamahas but an not sure if I should buy twin 115s or a single 225 pr 250. I would like to go over 20 miles off shore every now and then. Any thoughts?

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In my opinion the piece of mind with twins when running offshore is worth the extra cost of two motores. A kicker motor won`t give you that feeling. As far as fuel burn, it would be neglible if at all. You can shut one down at the fishing grounds and run on one. I had twin 115 Merc inlines on a 24` Aquasport years ago, and they burned less fuel and were faster than a friend in a similar boat with a single 225 Merc. I bet you can find a hungry dealer nowadays who would like to sell two motors at one time.:D

rich

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I agree. And take a look at TexasOutrage's personal page below, twin 150 Yamahas on a 25. Beautiful rig, doesn't get much better than that!

http://www.whalercentral.com/infusion...er_id=8115

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Going to a single isn't going to save you much money:
1 - You will need new controls...you'll need to patch gelcoat in the console
2. You will need to patch holes in the transom (Gelcoat again) and drill new ones.
3. Let's do an analysis of costs. I'm going to use edsmarinesuperstore.com for prices:
2 150 HP 4-stroke EFI Yamaha @ $10,000 each: $20,000
1 300 HP HP 4 Stroke EFI Yamaha @ $17,000 and one 15 HP remote electric start 15 hp "Kicker" @ $2,500: $19,500.
Pretty close.

SWITCHING from a single to twins, or twins to a single is more expensive, in my opinion, than sticking with what the boat is rigged for - the twin setup is ideal for offshore use, and truly is only marginally more expensive in the long run.

I vote for twins...but good luck in your decision.

Dave

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It really boils down to personal preference and what kind of fishing you'll be doing. I've been running my 25 Outrage offshore for the last 5 years and I believe a "New" single would be much more efficient in the long run. My engines are 1989 Johnsons, twin 150's with many hours they are reliable but they do guzzle gas and oil...I found other boats of similiar size and weight rigged with a new single 4-stroke are burning half the fuel I'm burning. I've witnessed this firsthand as I've fished on them.

With fuel costs rising, its a no brainer for me now, I'll be repowering with a single 300 Suzuki in a couple years, hopefully. The reliability of these newer motors is much better then years past, imo...If your worried about an engine failure, get towing insurance (I would not bother with a kicker)....Changing out those old twin OMC's, you'll need new controls and rigging regardless of what brand you decide to choose. Filling and drilling a few holes is no big expense.

Check out the thread below, 25 Outrage with 300 Suzuki....
http://www.whalercentral.com/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=14&thread_id=3764

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Thanks for the compliment there Derwd24.

For offshore fishing, I definitely recommend the twins. In my opinion, there is too much risk running one engine. I have run a single engine (90hp Yamaha) on my bay boat for 13 years and have never been stranded. However, offshore is a different story. I hope I never need to come in on one engine on my Whaler.

Performance is good and so is the fuel consumption. I have the Yamaha fuel management system and love it. I raised my transom from 20 to 25 inches so I could run 25 in motors with counter-rotating props.

Let me know if you need more feedback.

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Thanks for all your repsonses. If I do go with twins are 4 stroke 115s enough or do I need to go to 150s?

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Not sure if twin 115's would be enough?..If you plan on going with twin 150 4-strokes you'll probably have to modify the transom and raise it. A good example is TexasOutrage and what he did to modify the transom on his 25 Outrage. Those motors are very heavy and may exceed the overall weight the transom can support properly without a modification. If the boat is equipped with a Whalerdrive the max weight and horsepower is increased to twin 225's, "2-strokes" and or 950lbs. total weight...

A standard notched transom is rated for a maximum 300hp and or twin 150's, "2-strokes"....My 2-stroke twins weigh 380lbs each vs. Yamaha F150's at 466lbs each. That is a huge difference at the stern of a notched transom...A Whalerdrive would handle it as its within the rated weight and its a closed transom...

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The weight of the Yamaha F150 and F115 are 466 lb. and 402 lb, respectively.

I would recommend the 150's so you are not running them so hard. If you have to come back on one engine from 20 miles out that single 150 would be better than the 115. I tested mine with one motor running and the other tilted up. I had no problem getting on plane and running with a single 150.

I initially raised my transom only to handle 25in shafts, but the extra freeboard is nice to have. I am not sure if all 25' Outrage had 20in transoms. Measure your's to confirm.