228 Repower

[UCPA111]

First season with my 1996 Seafarer 228, and I am a little underwhelmed with my 200 HPDI Yamaha, so I'm thinking of a repower. I know my transom is sound because I had to redo that. I also have a T8 kicker hanging on the back, so weight is a concern for me. I am looking at 250 HP Yamaha, Suzuki, and Mercury. It's been hard going from a four stroke back to a 2 stroke.

Pros and Cons for each that I can think of:

Yamaha: I have always had Yammies so that's what I know - weight is around 550 lbs. Same price as Merc.

Mercury: Newer V8 Technology - the lightest at 527 lbs. Same price as Yamaha

Suzuki: Heaviest at a shade over 600 lbs, but also the lightest on the wallet at $4,000 less than the other two. I also liked the dealer the best and they seemed the most helpful at trying to sell my old.

Would love to hear your experience. Have people been happy with a 250 on a Seafarer? Do I need to (gulp) think about a 300?

Following this thread. I have a 1984 model. I repowered with a 300 Verado L6 (inline 6) in 2018. This was the year Mercury introduced the V8, and I didn't want to be a guinea pig. However, the V8's seem to be phenomenal.

I love my Verado. Silky smooth. DTS. Power steering. Amazing snap. I had no issues with insurance.

I have videos on my YouTube page if you want to see it in action.

 

[efx]

I’ve owned a 92’- 228, a 93-Marlin 28 and now a 1999-268. Since your seafarer is a 1996, this is before 4 strokes. Let me say this very clearly, you need to go with the lightest 4 stroke out there. These bulls are tender and were designed for a 225 omc engine. You made the right choice with Mercury. Excellent technology and I’ve owned them all, including 4 yamahas and two of them are too heavy.