2006 seafarer 228

[wavetamer]

thinking of upgrading from 2005 four stroke 250, to a 300 as the newer models maxed out at .My 226 is equipped with hardtop, 9.9 aux , and to much gear !! it performs well with the 250 but feel it maybe better with a 300 . Has anyone done this , little bit of inner transom structural upgrade to accept the added HP???

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I guess my question would be why? I’ve got a 2004 GW 228 Seafarer with the same year Yamaha F225 on her and she does 45 mph in perfect conditions with around a half a tank of fuel or so. I imagine an F250 on there should make it a high 40’s to low 50’s mph boat. So, unless you want to go faster than that or just want to spend money, I personally can’t see the reason for “upgrading”. Just my opinions of course. Also, as you mentioned above, the maximum horsepower for the boat is 250 hp, so I’m not sure if the potential extra horsepower or weight would be an issue or not.

 

[sturgstev]

Who needs to really go that fast. i have a 250 Suzuki on my 228 (painted bottom) and with a full tank was going 25mph at 4,500 RPM - that was in flat conditions in the bay here is San Francisco.

That was a very confortable speed and the meter said the fuel use was 2.0 miles per gallon.

 

[Don Davis]

Who needs to really go that fast. i have a 250 Suzuki on my 228 (painted bottom) and with a full tank was going 25mph at 4,500 RPM - that was in flat conditions in the bay here is San Francisco.

That was a very confortable speed and the meter said the fuel use was 2.0 miles per gallon.

Same here, I have a Suzuki DF250 on my Seafarer and cruise at 30 mph at 4400 rpm, more than enough torque and speed for me

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

My 2008 with a F250 4.2 Yamaha and power tec 4 blade prop I can cruise at 30 at 3,900 to 4,000 RPM Boat tops at 47 at WOT.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I typically like to cruise at around the 4k rpm range while doing 25 mph and am burning between 6-8 gph of fuel in ideal conditions. If it's choppy out, the conditions are a bit less than ideal or I'm going into the current, it might creep up to 4,200-4,300 rpm and be burning closer to 10-11 gph. That being said, some adjustments to trimming and tilting of the motor and tabs will bring that back down to under 10 gph of fuel being burned. Circling back around though, Grady White boats aren't really meant for top speed, so I guess I personally just don't see the need to increase horsepower just for the sake of doing so. If the boat came with an F200/F225, then it might be a slightly different story, in that if you wanted a higher top speed, better range and/or fuel economy, etc, then it might be worth the additional investment costs. Considering that a Yamaha F300 starts at an msrp of over $30k though? Like the article below, I can't imagine most are going to say it's worth the additional cost to "upgrade".

Also, an interesting article/review online says that... "Standard power for the Grady-White Seafarer 228 is a single Yamaha F250 V6 outboard – a muscular yet lightweight engine that matches perfectly to the craft’s 3,510-poud hull. This combination will attain a top speed of just over 48 mph at wide-open throttle, while consuming 24.6 gallons of pump gas per hour for an approximate fuel economy of 1.97 mpg. That’s pretty good, but throttle back to 3,500 rpm and you’ll still run at 20 mph while only consuming 8.5 gallons per hour, for an eyebrow-raising fuel economy of 3.41 mpg. For a boat like this, that’s truly impressive performance."

"The Grady-White Seafarer 228 is rated to handle outboards to 300 horsepower. Moving up to maximum power does give you a touch more top-end speed, hitting just over 51 mph with the Yamaha F300. Throttle back to that magic 3,500 cruising speed and the numbers look familiar, burning 8.8 gallons per hour for mileage that’s still in the range of 3.4 mpg. In practical use, the only real difference between the 250 and the 300 is an extra three mph at full throttle. Whether this is worth the additional expense of a 300 is up to the individual, but I should expect most people wouldn’t think so. This boat runs like a charm with the 250."

Grady-White Seafarer 228 Review - BoatGuide.com

The Grady-White Seafarer 228 is the brand's smallest walk-around model, but it's small size doesn't take away from its big water abilities.

www.boatguide.com

 

[Mustang65fbk]

"..........That’s pretty good, but throttle back to 3,500 rpm and you’ll still run at 20 mph while only consuming 8.5 gallons per hour, for an eyebrow-raising fuel economy of 3.41 mpg. For a boat like this, that’s truly impressive performance."

Someone didn't proof-read their article, that is actually 2.35 MPG. My 225 OX66 would cruise at about 3.1 in good conditions. A little chop is actually better than slick calm, because it helps break the bond between the hull and the water.

You're incorrect. Both the F250/F300 are going to get around 3.40 mpg at their cruising speeds. Hell, even my F225 hits 3.03 mpg at optimum cruising, and it's what some would consider to be as "underpowered". Of which an F250/F300 are going to get even better fuel economy than I will. Also, how are we comparing a modern Yamaha F250 four stroke outboard to a 20+ year old 225 ox66 two stroke?

 

[PointedRose]

You're incorrect. Both the F250/F300 are going to get around 3.40 mpg at their cruising speeds. Hell, even my F225 hits 3.03 mpg at optimum cruising, and it's what some would consider to be as "underpowered". Of which an F250/F300 are going to get even better fuel economy than I will. Also, how are we comparing a modern Yamaha F250 four stroke outboard to a 20+ year old 225 ox66 two stroke?

48 / 24.6 = 1.97
20 / 8.5 = 2.35
30 / 8.5 = 3.5

 

[Fishtales]

What is the transom rated for? Given the age of the boat and if your going to overpower, I'd make sure the transom is in solid shape. I'd also check to see if there is any insurance issues with this condition that would give the insurance co a way out should a loss occur.

 

[Ryhlick]

I guess my question would be why? I’ve got a 2004 GW 228 Seafarer with the same year Yamaha F225 on her and she does 45 mph in perfect conditions with around a half a tank of fuel or so. I imagine an F250 on there should make it a high 40’s to low 50’s mph boat. So, unless you want to go faster than that or just want to spend money, I personally can’t see the reason for “upgrading”. Just my opinions of course. Also, as you mentioned above, the maximum horsepower for the boat is 250 hp, so I’m not sure if the potential extra horsepower or weight would be an issue or not.

I don't think it is about the top end speed with a 228 / 226, I would want it for the low end grunt. I regularly fish albacore with 3 guys and 400lbs of ice and all the gear. Now pile on 30 fish and things get heavy quickly. The torque of a 250 or 300 would be nice for offshore fishing. That being said, I run a 2001 ox66 225 with a 4 blade prop and it works great. I see 1.8-2.1 loaded and depending on the ocean conditions. I will only upgrade when I am force too.

 

[billyttpd]

dont forget the 9.9. 309.9 HP is way over powered.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

It's called reading comprehension, and long division. And I threw in my 24 year old engine to point out how disappointed I would be to pay for a re-power, and end up with basically the same MPG.

Per the performance data sheet, it gets around 3.1 mpg at optimum cruising. I figured it would be better than the F225 on there, as the F225 is what some might call “underpowered”, though it is still getting close to that 3.1 mpg at optimum cruising as well. But definitely not the 2.35 mpg figure that you quoted, or even close to it, as that’s less than what I get on my boat. Also, I can’t imagine a 4 stroke with 20 years of newer technology and another 25 horsepower is only going to be matching your fuel numbers, but that’s a debate for another time.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I don't think it is about the top end speed with a 228 / 226, I would want it for the low end grunt. I regularly fish albacore with 3 guys and 400lbs of ice and all the gear. Now pile on 30 fish and things get heavy quickly. The torque of a 250 or 300 would be nice for offshore fishing. That being said, I run a 2001 ox66 225 with a 4 blade prop and it works great. I see 1.8-2.1 loaded and depending on the ocean conditions. I will only upgrade when I am force too.

I agree on the top speed, which is why I was a bit confused as well as my questions come from, as the OP has been quite vague as to his intentions/needs and why he wants to potentially upgrade to a new motor. Grady White’s aren’t meant to be speed demons or known for their fuel economy. That being said, the increase in horsepower levels generally work up until a certain point with getting better mid range fuel numbers, though obviously at some point the added horsepower/weight can also make for a negative impact on fuel efficiency.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

48 / 24.6 = 1.97
20 / 8.5 = 2.35
30 / 8.5 = 3.5

I’m not sure where these numbers are coming from… are they from your boat, or where?

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I never said that any motor got 2.35mpg, I said that the numbers given in the sentence quoted in post #7 equals 2.35, thus the authors did not thoroughly proof read their article. Reading comprehension is self-explanatory. Nit-picking like this is one reason that you are on my ignore list, and I will go back to enjoying that reading option.

Go back and reread your post as you quite literally said… “Someone didn't proof-read their article, that is actually 2.35 MPG.” You’re confusing yourself with the numbers here… I’m guessing that you divided the 20 MPH by 8.5 MPG and is I’m assuming where you got the 2.35 number from? That being said, dividing MPH by MPG doesn’t give you MPG, it gives you the GPH. I’m guessing you either had a typo and put MPG when you should’ve put GPH, or you misread the text and thought the 8.5 MPG was actually 8.5 gallons, which it is not. Either way, your statement above about it being 2.35 MPG is incorrect and if someone on here posts information that isn’t correct, I will speak up and say something about it, as it’s misinformation. Also, you can’t calculate MPG without knowing the total miles traveled. Once again, the numbers given in the sentence quoted in post #7 equal 2.35 but it’s not MPG, it’s GPH. And yes, one more to add to the ignore list and will leave it at that so as to not further derail the thread anymore than it already has been.

 

[Halfhitch]

Hey fellas, wavetamer asked if anyone has put a 300hp 4stroke on a 226/228 and if there is any advice as to strengthening the transom on the inside. He didn't ask you to talk him out of the project or what his fuel mileage may look like. Additionally he sure didn't want to entertain a pissing match over who has the best arithmetic skills when computing fuel efficiency. If you can, find your way out of the weeds and help the guy out with the questions asked. You all have good opinions and expertise. I know cause I have read lots of post by you guys that had value to all.

 

[Ky Grady]

Both of you need to give it a rest before I have the Admin restrict your ability to post. It's petty that you all have derailed wavetamer's post asking a question about upgrading motors, to debate your mathematical genius to one another. Consider yourselves warned.

 

[BRO-CAL]

thinking of upgrading from 2005 four stroke 250, to a 300 as the newer models maxed out at .My 226 is equipped with hardtop, 9.9 aux , and to much gear !! it performs well with the 250 but feel it maybe better with a 300 . Has anyone done this , little bit of inner transom structural upgrade to accept the added HP???

If we are talking about Yamaha, the F250 and F300 are the exact same engine, weight, etc but have different ECU mappings (https://yamahaoutboards.com/engine-comparison). Save money and repower with a F250 instead of F300, then look into NizPro tuning by Rogue Customs Marine. They can "tune" your ECU and get 332 HP out of that engine. I have this setup on my 2007 228 with a 2019 VF250 SHO. My boat is typically loaded down with fuel, bait, ice, gear, and people for offshore fishing in SoCal so the extra HP, torque, and fuel efficiency is appreciated.