265 Express Engine Options

[cmware]

Hi all. Looking to purchase a 265 Express and see most have 200HP Yamaha with either I-4 or V6 and some 225HP. Does anyone have experience with the 200HP I-4 (inline 4)? Wondering if it would be quite underpowered? What’s normal cruising speed and rpm with the 200’s? Would you recommend holding out for 225’s?
Example: 2014 200’s I-4 with 75 hours or 2003 225’s with 670 hours and so far no exhaust problem discovered

Appreciate your insights on this.

 

[family affair]

Look up member Skunkboat. He has Suzuki 200's.

265 Express/Suzuki DF200APXW2

Bye Bye Yamahas.... she is off to get Suzukis Edit: In case you land here and don't want to read thru the whole thread, here is a summary... Twin DF200APXW2 inline 4 cylinder 4 stroke 531 pounds each Drive by wire. http://www.suzukimarine.com/Product Lines/Outboard...

www.greatgrady.com

 

[seasick]

The inline 4 200 is a great motor ( so far)
There will be torque differences between f225s and I4s BUT the I4s weigh less and that probably will make up for the difference in HP..

What is the asking price difference between the two boats? Personally, I would almost always opt for the newer (by a lot) motors , all else being equal.

 

[cmware]

The inline 4 200 is a great motor ( so far)
There will be torque differences between f225s and I4s BUT the I4s weigh less and that probably will make up for the difference in HP..

What is the asking price difference between the two boats? Personally, I would almost always opt for the newer (by a lot) motors , all else being equal.

The 200hp are $8k more than the 225hp. Thank you for your reply.

 

[SkunkBoat]

265 hull changed in 2003 to accomodate weight of 4 strokes. IMO stick with i4 200s on 2000-2002. Unless you get the new lightweight Merc V6s

Very happy with the Suzuki DF200AP i4.

 

[SkunkBoat]

How can you only have 75 hrs on 2014 motors? or 700 hrs on 2003 motors?
always amazes me the low hours on motors posted here... I'm in my third season and I have 465 hrs on mine already.

 

[drbatts]

Having owned and run a 265 with f225s for 10 years and well over 1000 hrs I can say that it was a great hull/engine combination. They were good reliable engines. That being said and everything else being equal given the 2 choices you have, I would definitely go with the newer engines. Those f225s are almost 20 yrs old at this point. However the low hours do concern me a little though.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

How can you only have 75 hrs on 2014 motors? or 700 hrs on 2003 motors?
always amazes me the low hours on motors posted here... I'm in my third season and I have 465 hrs on mine already.

I think with a lot of boat owners that the sticker shock, cost of fuel, mooring/storage and all of the additional expenses will leave them on the trailer and off the water. That, and unfortunately life tends to get in the way oftentimes with work, starting families or having young children and so forth. I don’t work and don’t have any kids that I know of, yet even with my boat being in the water all summer I’ve probably only got 15 hours or less on it. The reason being is that I consider myself as a “cost conscious” person as well as the location and fishing style that I do. I row out to my Grady that’s on a buoy and start trolling for salmon right as I take the boat off the buoy. I’ll generally go out dependent upon the tides and the best time of day accordingly as well as weather permitting. If the winds are blowing at 15-20 mph or more and there are whitecaps out there then I’ll likely hold off until another day. If the tides, which around here are typically every 6 hours or so, aren’t ideal then I’ll likely hold off until another day, or go out for the evening bite.

I‘ve always heard that the best fishing is typically an hour before until an hour or two after the tide change, so if the tide is at 8 am then the best fishing for that tide should be between 7 am and around 9-10 am. But if the tide is at say 5 am and it’s not even light hardly until after 6 am now, then it doesn’t make much sense imo to go out at that time. For me it‘s all about consistency in that if I’ve been consistently catching fish all week, then I’ll be much more eager to go out. Whereas if I’ve just been catching shakers and dogfish all week and the weather or the tides aren’t very favorable then I’ll likely try again a few days later. Or if I go out and don’t catch anything for 3-4 hours then I’ll typically think that breakfast, coffee, maybe a nap or something else sounds better and try for another day, or later on that evening. I’m definitely not one of those fishermen that enjoy being out for 10-12 hours at a time, especially if I‘m not having any luck. This year we’ve gotten next to no rain since June, which I think has bottled the silvers up about 50 miles away and hasn’t brought them our way yet, which is late for them. Usually they start to roll in pretty heavily around the middle of August of which my point would be that I probably don’t put anymore than 50-100 hours on my motor each season.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

To the OP, the hours are low on both boats and if you don’t mind spending the extra $8k for newer motors then you might consider going that route, if they check out. I’ve got a 2004 Yamaha F225 on my boat with just under 1k hours on it and it still runs great. I had the lower unit dropped and inspected for the dry exhaust corrosion issue, of which no issues were found thankfully. If they don’t have the problem then they’re pretty good and reliable motors. I know Italian Angler on here has I believe almost 2k hours on his, and I don’t believe he’s had the exhausts done, and still runs them on his boat. I think it all depends on your budget, your needs, how fast you want to go and so forth. The maximum horsepower for your boat is 500 hp, and I don’t really think you need 225’s to put you and 450 hp total. I think that 200’s would be just fine, of which my neighbor has a 270 Islander that has twin F150’s on it and they push that boat just fine. I think he said his top speed is in the high 30’s, which for me is plenty fast for being out on the water. I think 200’s on a lighter boat would probably put you into the low 40‘s for top speed. I’d call or email Grady White and see if they have the specs on the boat with both combinations of motors on them. I did that for my boat with the F225 on it and they emailed me back in about an hour or so. As always, I recommend having any boat/motor that you purchase inspected by a certified marine surveyor and/or outboard motor tech. Good luck!

 

[Southwestledge]

To the OP, the hours are low on both boats and if you don’t mind spending the extra $8k for newer motors then you might consider going that route, if they check out. I’ve got a 2004 Yamaha F225 on my boat with just under 1k hours on it and it still runs great. I had the lower unit dropped and inspected for the dry exhaust corrosion issue, of which no issues were found thankfully. If they don’t have the problem then they’re pretty good and reliable motors. I know Italian Angler on here has I believe almost 2k hours on his, and I don’t believe he’s had the exhausts done, and still runs them on his boat. I think it all depends on your budget, your needs, how fast you want to go and so forth. The maximum horsepower for your boat is 500 hp, and I don’t really think you need 225’s to put you and 450 hp total. I think that 200’s would be just fine, of which my neighbor has a 270 Islander that has twin F150’s on it and they push that boat just fine. I think he said his top speed is in the high 30’s, which for me is plenty fast for being out on the water. I think 200’s on a lighter boat would probably put you into the low 40‘s for top speed. I’d call or email Grady White and see if they have the specs on the boat with both combinations of motors on them. I did that for my boat with the F225 on it and they emailed me back in about an hour or so. As always, I recommend having any boat/motor that you purchase inspected by a certified marine surveyor and/or outboard motor tech. Good luck!

 

[Southwestledge]

Hi all. Looking to purchase a 265 Express and see most have 200HP Yamaha with either I-4 or V6 and some 225HP. Does anyone have experience with the 200HP I-4 (inline 4)? Wondering if it would be quite underpowered? What’s normal cruising speed and rpm with the 200’s? Would you recommend holding out for 225’s?
Example: 2014 200’s I-4 with 75 hours or 2003 225’s with 670 hours and so far no exhaust problem discovered

Appreciate your insights on this.

 

[Southwestledge]

I have a 2000 265 Express. Original motors were 200 HPDIs. Repowered with Yamaha 200 HP I4s in 2018. I4s are just as strong and more fuel efficient. Not underpowered at all. Top speed 44-45 mph. Cruise between 3,500-4,500. Boat gets over 2 mpg across the cruising RPM range. 3,500 = 25 mph, 4,500 = 33 mph. I've owned this boat since 2005 and would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

These motors were designed for easy maintenance. Highly recommend them.

 

[Saltyone]

There is another on boat trader with twin Honda 150s. That seems like it might be a bit underpowered

 

[nuclear]

How can you only have 75 hrs on 2014 motors? or 700 hrs on 2003 motors?
always amazes me the low hours on motors posted here... I'm in my third season and I have 465 hrs on mine already.

My 228 is a 2007 and I have less than 500 hours on the motor. Has nothing to do with money, but rather time. We two very active kids (daughter has 5 different dance classes and also gymnastic twice a week, son plays soccer, baseball, and ninja) and also being dependent on tides it is hard to get out. We've only used the boat 5 or 6 times this year since putting it in the water in May. As a family boating is also not our only hobby, we like to hike and offroad on the beach so it's a big competition as to what will eat up our time every weekend.

 

[SkunkBoat]

My 228 is a 2007 and I have less than 500 hours on the motor. Has nothing to do with money, but rather time. We two very active kids (daughter has 5 different dance classes and also gymnastic twice a week, son plays soccer, baseball, and ninja) and also being dependent on tides it is hard to get out. We've only used the boat 5 or 6 times this year since putting it in the water in May. As a family boating is also not our only hobby, we like to hike and offroad on the beach so it's a big competition as to what will eat up our time every weekend.

Sorry guys if it sounded like I was putting down people who aren't insane offshore fishermen like me. I know there are lots of different ways to use a boat and lots of different lives being lived. Trailer boats generally get used less. I have owned other boats and put somewhere between 50 and 75 a season and I was an insane inshore fisherman then...
I know that 180 hrs in a 6 month season is crazy by most standards.

Don't want to hijack this thread but I wll relate it to the 265 express. The 265 holds 250 gallons of gas. It was marketed specifically to insane guys who wanted to fish the Northeast canyons and could not afford a 30'+ deisel inboard sportfisherman. It needed range with 2 stroke ox66s or HPDIs outboards of the time. A canyon run is going to be 7 hrs of running out/back plus 8 or 10 hrs trolling. One trip. If you aren't ever going to make long runs, there are better models than a 265x.
The Islander was a better fit if you aren't an insane fisherman. It replaces fuel tank space with a bunk.
When 4 strokes came out there was no need to carry 250 gals. You can do it on 150/180. I suspect that was the death of the 265X. Other models, bigger models have the range now.

So back to the original post, somebody repowered a 265 in 2014 and spent $36K-$40K and used it less than 10 hours a year since. There is a story there somewhere.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

It seems oftentimes that in life you’ve either got the money to do something and not then time, or the opposite where you’ve got the time but no money to do what you want. Fortunately I’ve got both the time and money currently to do what I want to do but the fishing has been pretty slow, and the conditions have been somewhat 50/50, like this morning where the fog has rolled in and you wouldn’t be able to see more than a hundred feet or so in front of the boat. I also have different hobbies, I’ve got a 1965 mustang fastback that I like to drive, take to car shows and so forth. I also like to spend time with family and friends, go golfing, do powerlifting, hiking and a multitude of other things. Or there’s just days where I don’t feel like fishing and would rather do something else.

I will say this though, if 7-8 hours of driving round trip just to go fishing and then spend another 8-10 hours actually fishing doesn’t sound that enticing doing that every weekend. Fortunately I’m in an area where I can literally start fishing right as I take my boat off the buoy and I don’t have to trailer it or drive it anywhere special, unless I really want to. I could take it out to Neah Bay or Seiku to pretty much the open ocean, but I’d have to take a ferry to get there and then drive 2-3 hours on top of that. I know my boat is definitely up to the challenge but that’s a lot of money spent on gas and all of my other expenses, as well as time.

 

[Chessie246G]

How can you only have 75 hrs on 2014 motors? or 700 hrs on 2003 motors?
always amazes me the low hours on motors posted here... I'm in my third season and I have 465 hrs on mine already.

My 2002 ox66 had 460 something hours when I bought it last year. I have probably put 200-250 on it this year.

 

[seasick]

I think there was an article a while back on typical recreational hour usage for boaters and something like 90 percent run less than 100 hours a year. Think about it; if you boat in a seasonal weather area and you go out every weekend for a few hours you probably run 500 hours or less.
In my case with 2 boats, I don't boat more often ( actually less during COVID peak) but rather split my time between the two boats. Therefore my motor hours are spread across both boats.
I have friends that boat just about every day in season but their trips are usually, short run out, anchor in a few spots, fish for a few hours and a short run back.Their motor hours are a lot less than there time o the water

 

[juannypablo]

I have a 2000 265 Express. Original motors were 200 HPDIs. Repowered with Yamaha 200 HP I4s in 2018. I4s are just as strong and more fuel efficient. Not underpowered at all. Top speed 44-45 mph. Cruise between 3,500-4,500. Boat gets over 2 mpg across the cruising RPM range. 3,500 = 25 mph, 4,500 = 33 mph. I've owned this boat since 2005 and would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

These motors were designed for easy maintenance. Highly recommend them.

Ordering 2 f200xca's tomorrow for my 2001 265 express that originally had z200txrz HPDI's. looking for any info you have on props. I am currently running 4 bladers and like them thinking about sticking with 4 blades. What do you have on yours?

 

[Southwestledge]

Yamaha Reliance SDS 15 X 14 1/2. 3 blade
Over 500 hours. Never had an issue. Reach 6,000 rpms with full load. No problems planing or running in a following sea. As you probably know it takes some time to learn how to run these boats properly. After 18 years I think I figured it out - - most of the time. Just finished wintering the motors an hour ago. They are a pleasure to work on.