Are twin 225's adequate on 30' Marlin

[PFA]

I've been looking at 28' Sailfish and they are mostly powered by twin 225 hp. Now I'm looking at 30 Marlins and I see that many are powered with the same twin 225 hp engines. Are twin 225's enough to push the larger hull and perform properly?

 

[magicalbill]

This topic is always subjective, depending on the Captain and his/her needs.

Dennis has the best answer for questions like this: If it makes You happy and You are satisfied, then yes, it's adequate. You will write the check and it really begins and ends there.

One thing is for dead-nuts certain: 225's on a Marlin will be "adequate" and no more.

Here I go...In my opinion, it's underpowered. You'll really need to pour on the power to plane it off, especially, if several of your friends are aboard and/or the sea state is rough. You'll have to rev the engines in the hi 4000 RPM range to maintain 28+ MPH and fuel burn will make you want to have dock parties instead of cruising.

I have F350's on my Marlin and I wouldn't want any less, although many are happy with their 300's.

I would pass, unless the deal is undeniable, allowing you the financial flexibility to re-power later on. If the boat is well-cared for and the engines run flawlessly, that's a consideration as well.

Arrange a sea trail before purchase and that will answer most if not all the issues.

One more thing, depending on the year, if your prospective rig has Yamaha's, make sure the well-known corrosion problem indigenous to 225 four strokes has been addressed. If not, a significant price reduction can be negotiated. If they are the Ox66 two-strokes, refer to my comment above about having dock parties....

 

[ItalianAngler]

I've been looking at 28' Sailfish and they are mostly powered by twin 225 hp. Now I'm looking at 30 Marlins and I see that many are powered with the same twin 225 hp engines. Are twin 225's enough to push the larger hull and perform properly?

If you do go Sailfish the 225's are plenty, as long as the corrosion piece is ironed out. Sea Trial in the snottiest weather you and the owner are comfortable with, that'll tell you what you need to know about that combo working for you.

 

[Kizuna]

I had 225s on my Marlin and it ran perfectly fine. Not a rocket ship by any means, but no problem getting the boat up on plane and from point A to B.

That said, I did re-power to 300s due to the exhaust corrosion issue. I felt my money was better served not repairing the 225s and 250s/300s are better suited for the Marlin. If the deal is good and everything is in good condition you can get by with the 225s, and re-power at a later date. As said above, a survey and sea trial is a must.

 

[MA208]

I run 225's on a Marlin and it's fine. Look at your uses though. If you're Canyon fishing in the Northeast and squeezing every drop of efficiency to make the range work maybe not the best choice. Don't forget plenty of 330's were rigged with 225's as well. At this point most of the 225 rigged Marlins would be 15 years or older, so you're probably looking at new power options in the near future.

 

[Fishermanbb]

I had a MArlin with 225 2 strokes and a 330 with 225 4 strokes.....Both ran just fine and cruised comfortably at 30 MPH. No problems getting on plane....I went offshore plenty......It’s all subjective....If you are in a hurry and want to cruise at 40 plus or you need to rocket on plane then you need more power but both those boats ran just fine in ALL conditions with the power they had........if you are tournament fishing with the big boys you won’t get there fast enough but if that is what you are doing the Marlin is the wrong boat anyway.

 

[Pat Hurley]

For comparison sakes I have 250’s on our Marlin. It is adequate in that between 4300 and 4500 rpm with full load it runs between 24-26+ knots. which most folks are happy to do while running in the ocean. Performance specs with 300 Yamaha’s state lower rpms achieving a little more speed and a little better fuel economy then the 1.1 mpg I get at the above. 350’s would certainly give it some ballz but I don’t know where the fuel economy numbers would fall. I’d imagine a pair of duo props on the Zuke 350’s or 300’s would give it a dose of adrenaline

 

[Fishtales]

I believe so. Yes, F300s are on the boat today with a beefier transom, but many had F225s.

 

[magicalbill]

For comparison sakes I have 250’s on our Marlin. It is adequate in that between 4300 and 4500 rpm with full load it runs between 24-26+ knots. which most folks are happy to do while running in the ocean. Performance specs with 300 Yamaha’s state lower rpms achieving a little more speed and a little better fuel economy then the 1.1 mpg I get at the above. 350’s would certainly give it some ballz but I don’t know where the fuel economy numbers would fall. I’d imagine a pair of duo props on the Zuke 350’s or 300’s would give it a dose of adrenaline

Pat:

My 350's give me 1.3-.1.4 in all but really rough seas.

 

[ItalianAngler]

There's a Marlin with a pair of 425 XTO's strapped on the back for sale in my general area. I'd be curious to understand the reasoning behind that one, seems like a ton of weight to me.

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[el jefe]

I just repowered from Yamaha 225s to 300s on my Marlin. I had 2005 225s. I see a big difference in fuel economy and of course speed. The new engines are quieter, although that is very subjective. I also upgraded to the new rigging and control system and installed Seastar power assist (and that what a joy that is). The Marlin is a big boat and while I don't go running around like Mario Andretti, the extra power and speed are a plus.

 

[magicalbill]

There's a Marlin with a pair of 425 XTO's strapped on the back for sale in my general area. I'd be curious to understand the reasoning behind that one, seems like a ton of weight to me.

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Pure speculation here, but I have a hard time believing that he didn't strengthen the transom after shelling out what those XTO's cost. I think there would've been too many people shout structural warnings for him to ignore.

Performance-wise, you would be getting close to hullspeed with 850HP pushing it. In other words, physics dictate that once you reach the max speed that hull is designed for, whatever it is, you have to increase HP exponentially to achieve a significant increase over said hullspeed.

Besides, you will likely start experiencing a little chine walk & associated handling problems if that SeaV2 gets pushed up near 60 MPH, which those 425's would come close to achieving with light fuel and just a couple passengers. I truthfully don't know what max hullspeed would be for the Marlin.

I'm drifting off the question of the originator of this thread, but he's received many answers to his 225 question, and this is sort of related anyway.

 

[jigstrike]

I have a Marlin with 2013 Yami 250's and I am happy with them. That said, I got a ride on a Marlin that had 350's on it last year. I would be happier with the 350's, but not happier enough to scratch the check!!

 

[SkunkBoat]

guy at my marina has a 330 express with twin F225s and he thinks they are "adequate". Its all relative to your expectations.

 

[Sailfish]

Adequate depends on you, and your expectations. I am old enough to remember when 25 foot boats had twin 70 HP engines, and that was adequate. The market, and technology, has changed such that boats today are faster than ever. As others have mentioned try to get a sea trial, and see if you are comfortable with the ride. That may be tough in today's market, but perhaps you can find someone nearby with the same set up.

 

[Angler Management]

Also remember a few model years of the 225’s had oil pan/exhaust corrosion issues. Plenty of info on this issue in the bloggosphere.

My Marlin has had 250’s and been fine. I would not be thrilled with 225’s. And will repower with 300’s

 

[ocdansar]

Always thought it was crazy to put such little ponies on such big battlewagons. Granted it was the biggest 4 stroke at the time but I had a 330 with 250 2 strokes that would cruise easily at 30 and run 44 flat out. I always wondered why you never saw many with the 300 hpdi.
It’s better to have to many ponies and not need them than it is to need them and not have them.