2001 repower

[dutch45]

Hey Folks,

I have a 2001 228 that I am looking to repower. It currently has an F200 on it and it gets along good. I can get a good price on a new F200 but it is now a four cylinder. The new F200 is supposedly 15% more powerful than my current block. Has anyone repower with the new 200. Is it underpowered?

 

[seasick]

I am not sure where the spec about being 15% more powerful comes from. It is lighter and is a very good motor but I doubt it puts out 230 HP.
There are many articles about 4 cyl vs 6 cyl motors and the torque curve differences as well as high rev performance. Your current prop may not be appropriate for the I4.

With the I4 I would expect a bit less woomph getting on plane but they may not be a concern for your boating requirements.

 

[dutch45]

I am not sure where the spec about being 15% more powerful comes from. It is lighter and is a very good motor but I doubt it puts out 230 HP.
There are many articles about 4 cyl vs 6 cyl motors and the torque curve differences as well as high rev performance. Your current prop may not be appropriate for the I4.

With the I4 I would expect a bit less woomph getting on plane but they may not be a concern for your boating requirements.

I am not sure where the spec about being 15% more powerful comes from. It is lighter and is a very good motor but I doubt it puts out 230 HP.
There are many articles about 4 cyl vs 6 cyl motors and the torque curve differences as well as high rev performance. Your current prop may not be appropriate for the I4.

With the I4 I would expect a bit less woomph getting on plane but they may not be a concern for your boating requirements.

I was told the HP rating was from the flywheel back in 2001. So basically the 200 I have now is not a true 200 where the new I4 is. I do have reservations about going from a 6 to a 4 cylinder.

 

[family affair]

Things to consider:

• New f200 will require 89 octane.
• New f200 will be around 100 lbs lighter.
• If you have a hardtop and run heavy, I'd consider a mechanical v6 from Yamaha or Merc. They are much cheaper than all electronic engines.
• If a Bimini and run light, the f200 will get it done.

 

[Rlloyd]

Dutch, I’m curious what you’re seeing for pricing. I’m starting to think about this (2x i4 200) for my Gulfstream.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I've got a Yamaha F225 on my boat and I honestly wouldn't go with anything lower in regards to horsepower than that. If/when I go to repower, it'll likely be with a Suzuki 250 because of the price, 5 vs 3 year warranty and so on.

 

[coldpizza]

Dutch, I’m curious what you’re seeing for pricing. I’m starting to think about this (2x i4 200) for my Gulfstream.

FYI.
I repowered my Gulfstream in 2019 from two F200 V6's to two F200's I4's. The I4's are lighter and seem to push the Gulfstream well.

 

[dutch45]

Dutch, I’m curious what you’re seeing for pricing. I’m starting to think about this (2x i4 200) for my Gulfstream.

About 19k plus labor

 

[dutch45]

Yea I think I scrapped the 200 i4 idea. I’m looking at the Mercury 225-250 as well as the Suzuki. I like the Mercs for the lower weight.

 

[luckydude]

Yea I think I scrapped the 200 i4 idea. I’m looking at the Mercury 225-250 as well as the Suzuki. I like the Mercs for the lower weight.

Good. I think 200 is too little for a 228. I have a 2020 with the 250 V6 (same block as the 300). The 250 is fine, definitely enough power, but sometimes struggles a little to get on plane in our Pacific slop. If you were in calmer water, 250 is definitely more than enough, 200 is probably ok. But the more slop you are in, the more you are going to want low end grunt to pop you on plane.

Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

[dutch45]

Good. I think 200 is too little for a 228. I have a 2020 with the 250 V6 (same block as the 300). The 250 is fine, definitely enough power, but sometimes struggles a little to get on plane in our Pacific slop. If you were in calmer water, 250 is definitely more than enough, 200 is probably ok. But the more slop you are in, the more you are going to want low end grunt to pop you on plane.

Good luck and let us know how it works out

Looking at the 250 zuke and 225 merc currently. I hit a lot of chop where I’m at.

 

[luckydude]

Looking at the 250 zuke and 225 merc currently. I hit a lot of chop where I’m at.

Go big then. 250 or bigger.

 

[dutch45]

Only 225 available locally

 

[luckydude]

Only 225 available locally

I'd look harder. You said you have chop where you are, I really wouldn't want less than a 250. My 250 struggles a little to get on plane in chop. It does it but it isn't instant.

You can probably make do with a 225 but you'll wish you had bigger.

 

[blynch]

I think the counterpoint there is that if it's gonna struggle mildly to plane in chop with the 250, why stress about finding one when he can easily get a 225 to also struggle mildly...

Plus don't forget about the ~125lb weight savings from the Merc 225 over the Zuke 250

 

[dutch45]

I'd look harder. You said you have chop where you are, I really wouldn't want less than a 250. My 250 struggles a little to get on plane in chop. It does it but it isn't instant.

You can probably make do with a 225 but you'll wish you had bigger.

I know. Tough call. The only one that comes in relatively quick is the Zuki 250. Kinda wanted something lighter.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Plus don't forget about the ~125lb weight savings from the Merc 225 over the Zuke 250

My frustration with Mercury is that they typically always just give the lightest weight available for each class or horsepower of outboard. For example, their Mercury Four Stroke series 225 is listed at 478 lbs, though that is also for the 20" shaft version, which I'm assuming the 25" shaft version will probably add another 20 lbs or so? Putting it at right around 500 lbs dry, compared to the Yamaha F200 with a 25" shaft that has a dry weight of 525 lbs, the Yamaha F225/F250 in the 25" shaft being at 562 lbs and finally the heaviest being the Suzuki DF225/250 at 606 lbs dry in a 25" shaft. Comparatively, I'm not sure what year the OP's current model Yamaha F200 is, but I'm assuming it's likely an early to mid 2000's vintage? Which the dry weight for that motor in a 25" shaft version is stated to be 583 lbs. I guess to make a long story short, if the OP's current motor which I'm also confused on because he says it's an F200 but seemed to allude to the fact that it was an F200? Which I don't believe they started making the 4 stroke Yamaha's until 2003?

Anyway, if his current motor "gets along good" as he mentioned in the first post, I'd think that just about any 225-250 hp outboard variant discussed would be as good or better than what he has. Most of the 225's mentioned are all less than the weight of his current outboard, yet with more power, and even the heavier Suzuki motors at 606 lbs are still only about 20 lbs heavier, yet he would have an additional 25-50 hp for output. I think just about any outboard that he picks will do fine, especially if he's "content" with what he has currently. For the sake of argument, let's discuss a hypothetical that his current boat with 200 hp is say 5,000 lbs not including the weight of the trailer. I always like to consider the horsepower to weight ratio, which would put his current setup at .04, whereas the heavier Suzuki 225/250 outboards even if they were say 100 lbs heavier, you'd still have a hp/weight ratio of .044 and .049 respectively.

Long story short, I don't think an extra 20 lbs or so on top of what he currently has is going to be noticeable, especially if he gains an extra 25-50 hp on top of the weight gain. And if he really wanted to, he could always move the batteries around or play around with some weight distribution, though I imagine you also don't want to be too light in the stern and get squirrelly either. Imo, I think it's all going to come down to what's available, the pricing, warranties and so forth. I think just about any of the above mentioned outboards will work just fine and all will have their trade offs. Personally, I'm cheap so I'd go with the "best bang for your buck", which Suzuki is usually always the cheapest and has as good or a better standard warranty compared to the others.

 

[dutch45]

My frustration with Mercury is that they typically always just give the lightest weight available for each class or horsepower of outboard. For example, their Mercury Four Stroke series 225 is listed at 478 lbs, though that is also for the 20" shaft version, which I'm assuming the 25" shaft version will probably add another 20 lbs or so? Putting it at right around 500 lbs dry, compared to the Yamaha F200 with a 25" shaft that has a dry weight of 525 lbs, the Yamaha F225/F250 in the 25" shaft being at 562 lbs and finally the heaviest being the Suzuki DF225/250 at 606 lbs dry in a 25" shaft. Comparatively, I'm not sure what year the OP's current model Yamaha F200 is, but I'm assuming it's likely an early to mid 2000's vintage? Which the dry weight for that motor in a 25" shaft version is stated to be 583 lbs. I guess to make a long story short, if the OP's current motor which I'm also confused on because he says it's an F200 but seemed to allude to the fact that it was an F200? Which I don't believe they started making the 4 stroke Yamaha's until 2003?

Anyway, if his current motor "gets along good" as he mentioned in the first post, I'd think that just about any 225-250 hp outboard variant discussed would be as good or better than what he has. Most of the 225's mentioned are all less than the weight of his current outboard, yet with more power, and even the heavier Suzuki motors at 606 lbs are still only about 20 lbs heavier, yet he would have an additional 25-50 hp for output. I think just about any outboard that he picks will do fine, especially if he's "content" with what he has currently. For the sake of argument, let's discuss a hypothetical that his current boat with 200 hp is say 5,000 lbs not including the weight of the trailer. I always like to consider the horsepower to weight ratio, which would put his current setup at .04, whereas the heavier Suzuki 225/250 outboards even if they were say 100 lbs heavier, you'd still have a hp/weight ratio of .044 and .049 respectively.

Long story short, I don't think an extra 20 lbs or so on top of what he currently has is going to be noticeable, especially if he gains an extra 25-50 hp on top of the weight gain. And if he really wanted to, he could always move the batteries around or play around with some weight distribution, though I imagine you also don't want to be too light in the stern and get squirrelly either. Imo, I think it's all going to come down to what's available, the pricing, warranties and so forth. I think just about any of the above mentioned outboards will work just fine and all will have their trade offs. Personally, I'm cheap so I'd go with the "best bang for your buck", which Suzuki is usually always the cheapest and has as good or a better standard warranty compared to the others.

I agree. The f200TXRA is a 2002 v6 4 stroke. The weight is 583. The engine gets the boat along decent. However, if I bought the boat new I would have chose the 250. The mid range is lacking on those bumpy days. I’m honestly good with most of the new outboard offerings. Having said that, lighter is advantageous. The problem now is there isn’t much available here. I put a hold on the 225 merc because that’s all that was in stock. I do want the new engine to be in white. Honestly the price difference between Suzuki and merc are negligible. The 225 merc and 250 Suzuki are the same price. Suzuki is a better deal but not by all that much. The 250 Yamaha was 27k. The Zuki and merc were about 22k. The downside to the merc is the DTS. It really jacks the price of the rigging up. I guess it does on any outboard. To me the digital controls are not really worth the cost, but they are smooth. My buddy has them on his new Parker.

 

[Ky Grady]

I just recently went through the repower process on my 2004 228. I went from a 2004 F225 mechanical to a new 2023 F250, fly by wire. The new F250 weighs in at 551 lbs. The conversion to fbw was well worth it. Running the motor is like a video game, there is no effort whatsoever. It handles the boat effortlessly. I played the waiting game with Yamaha for 2 years to get one, so I understand the availability issue. Many times, I considered switching manufacturers, and going with Mercury or Suzuki, but I had no real reason to switch. My old F225 was, and stil is, running, so I had the time to wait. My repower was a want to, not a have to situation. I purchased all my conversion rigging early on, thinking when I ordered my motor, it would be here in a few months, so I had plenty of time to recover from the investment, which was a little over $2K, just for the rigging, still worth it IMO.

Are the prices you're getting MSRP pricing? Are you getting pricing from your dealer, or are you just a random caller off the street, price checking dealerships that you have no relationship with? I can tell you that I paid well under your $27K price for my Yamaha F250, which came with a 5 year warranty also,, I luckily hit a Yamaha promotional campaign. I've had a relationship with my dealer for 14 years, and that's a long distance relationship at that. I'm in Kentucky and they are in South Carolina, and the price I paid, I feel, reflects my dedication to them as my dealer.

In today's world of continuing supply chain issues, which manufacturers still claim is Covid related, it's pretty much gone to a supply and demand environment. Prices are inflated from where they once were, and our society of instant gratification, is paying the inflated prices, so some dealers see no reason to cut you a deal, especially if you walk in off the street.

Stick it out and get what you want, don't just settle for whatever is out there. If your motor still runs, you're ahead of the game and have time to wait. And I can tell you, with me having a 228, you'll be happier with a 250 hanging back there than a 225. The 225 will get the job done, been running mine for the past 7 years with one, but with my new F250, I have a brand new boat.

Good luck.

 

[Don Davis]

I have a 2012 Suzuki DF250 on my 1999 228 Seafarer and couldn’t imagine having anything smaller, it’s a perfect match in my opinion.