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I just bought a 1981 Boston Whaler Outrage 22 with a blown motor. I want to make it fast and reliable. What should I do? Single or twin? 225, 250, 275, 300 or twin 135 HP? Please help me.

Thanks,
Billy

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There are gonna be a ton of different opinions on this one.

I have a 1978 Outrage 21. It came with a Mercury Optimax 150 on it. I am real happy with the combo; plenty of power & it moves the boat real well. Not sure if the 22 is much heavier; I have never owned one and it is definitely a different ride than mine.

I think a single 150 would be fine on that hull. You could get away without needing the hydraulic steering & spend the cash on a jack plate instead. That will help big with getting the most out of it.

As to which engine to use, ask around. Alot of these guys really like the e-tec's

Good luck with the project.

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What will your primary uses be and where? (open ocean, inlet, lake, pond)

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Greetings, i have a 22 ft 1987 Outrage and am powered by a 2006 225 E-TEC. I'm extremely happy with it as its very economical gas wise, and unbelievably miserly when it comes to oil consumption. The motor is quiet, smooth and pushes my 22 at 54 MPH WOT. I’m sure you will get a lot of other recommendations, and there are a lot of great motors out there. Good luck!

Duf B)

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The Outrage 22's in that vintage were rated for max hp of 240...
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...album_id=1

My suggestions depending on how you use the boat.

1. Twin 115 hp
For far offshore users

2. A single 200 or 225 hp. and a kicker motor.
For people that slow troll for fish and also a backup motor for emergencies.

Also see this chart for current engine choices which shows the weight of the engines.
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=30

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I can agree with Duf in that you simply will not believe the economics of the ETEC and also you'll be amazed at how fast it pops out of the hole, compared to the 4 strokes that I have seen :D

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Duf, Do you have any fuel economy numbers from your rig?

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I have an '82 22' Outrage with the same splashwell set up as yours. I run twin '86 120 Evinrudes and the rear deck gets wet sometimes. I love my twins but they are heavy (370 lbs or so apiece and my batteries are in the console). Not to heavy mind you, but I wouldn't want much more back there. I agree with Joe's suggestions and if it were mine I would go with twin 115's. I think anything much heaver would put the tramsom to close to the water. Power and control are fantastic with my twins and as I said before I love them. I have seen 22's powered by 200's and they seem to perform well. 225 hp would also be a fine choice. However if money is not a factor I'd go with twins.

Jeff

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I have a 1989 22' Outrage that came with the same year Yammy 225 2 stroke. I recently repowered with a Johnson/Suzuki 225 4 stroke. The engine is much quieter, more economical, exhaust smell has been eliminated. However, the extra weight changed the boat. She was heavy in the stern, and while it didn't porpoise, she always ran stern heavy. I installed trim tabs and they brought the hull performance back to what it was with the lighter motor. I think you should definately consider adding trim tabs.

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Dave, i have a thread somewhere where i rattled off the consumption i was seeing. Let me dig around and see if i can find it.

Duf B)

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Found it Duf, thanks. At 3500 RPM you're burning a little over 7 GPH. My 22 with the 200 HO is at 9.4 GPH for the same RPM.

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Thanks everyone for there ideas. I am still on the fence but am looking around for a good deal on a used motor or motors. How many hours can I get out of a motor and is it really hard to install? It does not look that hard but is there any little tricks? Thanks for all your help and I will have to post some pictures for you.

Thanks
Billy

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What year is your motor Dave? I know the HO are the high outputs, put i wouldn't think we would be that different if your motors anywhere near the year of Manf as mine.

Duf :D

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It's a '07 Duf purchased new, and as I understand it, our engines are pretty much identical except for the software, which limits me to 220 HP where you're at 225. I'm also amazed you can turn a 21 pitch as I'm in the same rpm ball park at 17p. Don't know if it's an engine or boat issue? But it sure would be great to get the economy up.

Billy, I was in the same positon as you a year ago, looking for a decent used engine. I also tried to nail down a good ballpark number of engine hours to go by, but unlike cars and mileage, it's not nearly as straight forward. Many factors figure in including salt or fresh water use, winterization and maintenance level, size if the hull and type of daily demand placed on the engine. And even if all those were done correctly, if the engine was overpropped and the engine was lugging, it will reduce the life of the motor.

I remember coming across a early 90's Johnson looper that had been sitting unused for over 7 years. On one hand, sounds good right, low hours? Guy was unsure how or even whether it had been properly prepped for storage, and a decent mechanic told me to pass on it as sitting can do more harm, especially under those conditions.

The biggest thing with installation is being able to safely lift the motor. Do you have access to a lift or engine hoist? And do you have steering and cables on the boat now?

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I have a 79 Outrage with a Merk 150 EFI I think its a 2002 top speed of 46MPH Ocean boat 100mile range with a 75 gallon tank. Keep in mind the 10% rule when repowering. Just my 2cents.