228 Repower

[wrxhoon]

Mustang65.
I think you are confusing DTS ( Digital Throttle and Shift) with DES ( digital electric steering) Just like Luckydude said wires are even lighter than cable and the 2 solenoids to control gear and throttle wouldn't weigh more than one pound.
Mercury V8 is slightly lighter than equivalent Yam, the weight difference wouldn't sway my choice . The V8 is much more balanced engine and more capacity, that would sway me to choose it over the V6 Yam everything else being equal. I would not consider the Zuk unless I couldn't afford the other two, or supply issues.
It is true the 228 has gotten a bit heavier over the years, post 2012 boats all weigh about the same and they have different bracket all one with swim platform and longer so more flotation 1999 boats had a max 260hp on the plate, some earlier models had 280 and post 2012 have 300 hp max.
I think you will find the 3000 lbs 1998 you are quoting is for a vista top not hardtop, the 3350lb would be for the hardtop. The 3510 lb would be for post 2012 boats.
The fuel tanks have gone from 92 gal in 1999 to 125 gal , I don't know when they changed but my 2013 has 125 gal then back to 114, again not sure when but you can find it on the GW website.
GW use Yamahas and the weight of the 250 and 300 are the same . I can assure you the transom on the 228 is very strong even has a 3"x2"? crossmember reinforcement, if anything was to give it will be the bracket bot the transom unless it is waterlogged.
As for prices I can't comment because I'm not in USA , locked up in Australia for the foreseeable future. Here Yam and Merc are about the same like for like and Zuk much cheaper. In most cases you get what you pay for.

For the record I have a 2013 228 with hardtop, 250 HP Yam DTS, my last boat was 1999 228 Vista top, originally 250 Yam 2 smoke repowered with 250 Merc Opti. No Merc v8's back them and the 3.3lt 250 4 stroke Yam weighed much more that the boat was designed for.
Good luck in whatever you decide to buy.

 

[glacierbaze]

Manufacturers' ratings were based more on the weight of the engine than the power output. You have to look back at those years, and see what engines were commonly available, and what they weighed.

 

[Mgaul1]

I have a 2015 Suzuki DF250 on my 06 228, it is flawless and I highly recommend.

 

[Don Davis]

I also have a Suzuki DF250 2012 model on my Seafarer and just a great engine ..

 

[blindmullet]

I went through the same debate a couple years ago but threw the Merc out right away. I would have had the first model year of a crazy light weight v8---nah. I haven't really had much exposure in my area as it's dominated by Yami/Zuke. I liked the idea of the offset drive and being able to swing more metal on a slow ass Grady and fly by wire installed for $20k....c'mon. If you work on your own motor don't worry about the dealer network, but if you don't----go on dealer network. Both 300's have been around for over a decade making improvements along the way.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Mustang65.
I think you are confusing DTS ( Digital Throttle and Shift) with DES ( digital electric steering) Just like Luckydude said wires are even lighter than cable and the 2 solenoids to control gear and throttle wouldn't weigh more than one pound.
Mercury V8 is slightly lighter than equivalent Yam, the weight difference wouldn't sway my choice . The V8 is much more balanced engine and more capacity, that would sway me to choose it over the V6 Yam everything else being equal. I would not consider the Zuk unless I couldn't afford the other two, or supply issues.
It is true the 228 has gotten a bit heavier over the years, post 2012 boats all weigh about the same and they have different bracket all one with swim platform and longer so more flotation 1999 boats had a max 260hp on the plate, some earlier models had 280 and post 2012 have 300 hp max.
I think you will find the 3000 lbs 1998 you are quoting is for a vista top not hardtop, the 3350lb would be for the hardtop. The 3510 lb would be for post 2012 boats.
The fuel tanks have gone from 92 gal in 1999 to 125 gal , I don't know when they changed but my 2013 has 125 gal then back to 114, again not sure when but you can find it on the GW website.
GW use Yamahas and the weight of the 250 and 300 are the same . I can assure you the transom on the 228 is very strong even has a 3"x2"? crossmember reinforcement, if anything was to give it will be the bracket bot the transom unless it is waterlogged.
As for prices I can't comment because I'm not in USA , locked up in Australia for the foreseeable future. Here Yam and Merc are about the same like for like and Zuk much cheaper. In most cases you get what you pay for.

For the record I have a 2013 228 with hardtop, 250 HP Yam DTS, my last boat was 1999 228 Vista top, originally 250 Yam 2 smoke repowered with 250 Merc Opti. No Merc v8's back them and the 3.3lt 250 4 stroke Yam weighed much more that the boat was designed for.
Good luck in whatever you decide to buy.

Indeed I did get the two confused. I thought the DES was the digital throttle... my apologies. That being said, I still like the 250 Suzuki much better on paper than I do the 250 Yamaha. The price, warranty and great luck that Suzuki owners have had over the years would definitely make me want to try it first. I'm not knocking on Yamaha or anything, I'm sure they have a great lineup and variety of different motors... that being said, I think you definitely pay quite a bit just for the name. I'm not sure about the GW Seafarer weight as it's just based off what it says in the catalog and it doesn't clarify weather or not that's a hardtop, bimini top or so on. I'm sure those numbers are also being very generous and a fully loaded 228 Seafarer with the motor, as stated above, is probably going to be a bit over 5,000lbs. In terms of the 3510lb weight though, you are incorrect, the 2003 and newer 228 Seafarer's all say that they weigh 3510lbs without the weight of the motor.

 

[wrxhoon]

You don't need to apologize, we all make mistakes and or misread stuff at times. My engine has DTS and but not DES . If I was to re-power or buying a new boat I would opt for the full helm master control. Right now Yamaha is the only one to offer that in a single engine.

I thought the later boats were here heavier, of course I could be wrong as I haven't weighed a 2003-2010, actually the only ones I have weighed are 1999 and 2013.
I can tell you for sure that my 2013 weighs much more than 5000 lbs with everything fitted ready to sail . She went 3060 kg (6746 lbs in your old system) including aluminum trailer and 3/4 fuel in the tank. From memory the trailer weighs about 1050 lbs. With full tank the boat is closer to 6000 lbs than it is to 5000.
The problem is if you are going on the GW website on weights you don't know what is included in the published weight.
I would think the late model boats ( post 2012) with the all alloy bracket should be a little heavier, the bracket is much longer and the swim platform much bigger.
Finally you will find that even two boats the same year and model may be slightly different weights as they are hand made.

 

[Pescadote]

So, to my decision ... I am going with the Mercury. Mercury lists at 527 pounds, Yamaha at 550, and Suzuki at 608. I realize that they all probably list their lightest, short shaft motor, but my assumption is that Mercury is still the lightest of the three. Mercury dealer is the closest to me, and frankly, I like the idea of the 4.6 L V8. This will also give me some time to try to sell my current motor as I think I will have an easier time selling it if people can actually see it in action on my boat.

 

[PointedRose]

So, to my decision ... I am going with the Mercury. Mercury lists at 527 pounds, Yamaha at 550, and Suzuki at 608. I realize that they all probably list their lightest, short shaft motor, but my assumption is that Mercury is still the lightest of the three. Mercury dealer is the closest to me, and frankly, I like the idea of the 4.6 L V8. This will also give me some time to try to sell my current motor as I think I will have an easier time selling it if people can actually see it in action on my boat.

I don’t think you will have too much trouble selling your engine with the manufacturer backlogs, although season is closing soon many places

 

[Kabitz60]

I have a 2012 Suzuki DF250 on my 1999 Seafarer and it’s a great engine, lots of power And mid range torque. I had Yamahas for over 20 years with zero issues but the new to me Suzuki’s has been awesome in the 2 years that I have owned them. The 9.9 is EFI so very easy starting as compared to my old Yamaha T9.9 that had a carburetor.

Good to hear because Im scheduling a survey on a 1999 228 seafarer this week. It has a 2019 DF 250 on it and I'm a bit worried about
the scuppers being below water line. I'm on the West coast and it is sight unseen at this point, the boat is on the east coast. How many gallons of fuel does she carry? This is a bad angle but it's the only pic of the Stern in the water I have right now.
Also have you had to make any mods to the transom or the bracket ? Thank you.
Your input would be helpful if you don't mind.

 

[luckydude]

Good to hear because Im scheduling a survey on a 1999 228 seafarer this week. It has a 2019 DF 250 on it and I'm a bit worried about
the scuppers being below water line. I'm on the West coast and it is sight unseen at this point, the boat is on the east coast. How many gallons of fuel does she carry? This is a bad angle but it's the only pic of the Stern in the water I have right now.
Also have you had to make any mods to the transom or the bracket ? Thank you.
Your input would be helpful if you don't mind.

I have 2020 228 and all the scuppers put water in the boat. That's actually a good thing, it means they drain to the outside, you don't need a pump. My scuppers put water on the boat when we are all standing in one spot.

 

[Don Davis]

Good to hear because Im scheduling a survey on a 1999 228 seafarer this week. It has a 2019 DF 250 on it and I'm a bit worried about
the scuppers being below water line. I'm on the West coast and it is sight unseen at this point, the boat is on the east coast. How many gallons of fuel does she carry? This is a bad angle but it's the only pic of the Stern in the water I have right now.
Also have you had to make any mods to the transom or the bracket ? Thank you.
Your input would be helpful if you don't mind.

My 1999 228 Seafarer has a 92 gallon US main tank and a 56 gallon US auxilliary fuel tank. It’s a great fuel payload if you are tuna fishing offshore, something I don’t do yet. The scuppers are a little under water but no issues with wet feet at rest or trolling. I did have to modify the bracket to mount the 30 inch shaft of my 2012 DF250 that I bought used with only 178 hrs last year. The pod horns were broken when I bought the boat as an insurance sale after the previous owner hit something and tore the outboard off. The Seafarers are awesome boats. I’m on the West Coast on Vancouver Island, there are 4 more 228 Seafarers near me so they are quite popular hulls.

 

[Kabitz60]

I have 2020 228 and all the scuppers put water in the boat. That's actually a good thing, it means they drain to the outside, you don't need a pump. My scuppers put water on the boat when we are all standing in one spot.

A 2020 228 ?
Thanks for your reply.

 

[wrxhoon]

My old boat was the same as the one you are looking at, my current boat is 2013.
The scuppers on the old boat were lower tan the new boat because the old boat was made with lightweight 2 stoke in mind, the new one is made for heavier 4 strokes.
The other difference is the boat you are looking at has a main feul tank (92G) at the very rear of the deck then she will have the 10 G water tank and room for auxiliary tank further forward ( optional) .
The new boat has the fuel tank all the way up front ( my boat has 125G) then towards the back she has the 10 g water tank.
As you can see they tried to move the weight forward to cope with the extra weight on the bracket .
The later model boats 2012+ have a different outboard bracket all one with the swim platform and longer so you have more flotation.
Note the difference, old boat first.

 

[Kabitz60]

I like that bracket on the later year boat.
Thank you very much .

 

[luckydude]

A 2020 228 ?
Thanks for your reply.

Yep, I bought a crappy first boat, fought it for two years, I have a limited horizon for ocean fishing (health problems) and said screw it, let's get a brand new 228. I was in an unusually positive situation financially, so it made sense for me (I get that the new prices make very little sense for most people, GW makes a spendy boat). I've been very, very happy with my 228. Great boats if you want to trailer them.

That said, I got to hitch hike on a 27 foot GW center console, holy smokes is the ride better the bigger you get. If I could get a slip in Santa Cruz I think I'd be running a Marlin.

 

[Kabitz60]

Update. I posted this on the second thread in here.
As some know I had a preliminary survey done on the boat.
The surveyor did /took a thermal reading and found the transom to be wet, '' no decontamination but wet.
SOOOO I called him back this AM to revisit our transom conversation.
I asked him how wet is the transom and he said ''Ill bet if you drilled a hole big enough to put your hand in there your hand would get / be wet''
He also said this was no surprises to him. He says ''their all wet'' referring to older Grady's
bummer.

 

[Kabitz60]

Yep, I bought a crappy first boat, fought it for two years, I have a limited horizon for ocean fishing (health problems) and said screw it, let's get a brand new 228. I was in an unusually positive situation financially, so it made sense for me (I get that the new prices make very little sense for most people, GW makes a spendy boat). I've been very, very happy with my 228. Great boats if you want to trailer them.

That said, I got to hitch hike on a 27 foot GW center console, holy smokes is the ride better the bigger you get. If I could get a slip in Santa Cruz I think I'd be running a Marlin.

Thank you for getting back to me.
Sometimes we just have to do things that make sense to us...wishing you the best.

 

[wrxhoon]

I like that bracket on the later year boat.
Thank you very much .

Yes it looks much stronger as well because it is all one piece with the swim platform. The other advantage I found the boat reverses better because the motor is further back and the prop wash tends to go under the transom more than the boats with the older style bracket.
The boats with the later bracket are rated for 300 hp, mine has a 250 .

 

[glacierbaze]

I wonder if they raised the deck, when they raised the scuppers. They were close to horizontal as it was.