Boat Advice

[Zee4Fish]

Hey,

First post here...

I bought an old 2000 sailfish 272 and restored her back to health and added all the bells and whistles to it about 2 years ago. Has been a great day inshore fishing and family boat but I made the mistake of under powering it with a pair of 4 Stroke - Suzuki DF200 V4. I should have went for the 250's as the 225 weren't available at the time. My top end is 32mph which is ok for family days and inshore fishing. But offshore for me no less than 80 miles out. I also find that it pounds a lot, even with tabs. I can't push her if its a bit choppy, so my usual cruising speed is 24mph. Not ideal either. Especially when traveling 80 miles out. Thats around 6 hours to and back.

So here's my dilemma. I don't live in the US. So suggesting I buy another boat isn't an easy option as the cost of shipment and clearing adds quite a bit of costs to any boat. Roughly 60% more to the boat cost.

I want to either re-power with 250's or buy a 2001 Bimini 306 which a friend has for sale. For a decent price. Will also need to re-power soon it as it has around 1000hrs on its F300's.

Will the sailfish with new 250's push her to the same speeds as the 306 and will it handle the chop the same or will the Bimini 306 out perform the Sailfish in offshore conditions and be an overall better boat.

I rarely used the cabin in the sailfish. Its mainly a storage unit. Only slept once in it. wasn't great either. I'm based on the West Coast of Africa and the humidity is hard to ignore.

Can anyone shed any light on which direction I should go?

Also to add, we don't have a decent marina in order to keep a much larger boat (34'+) in the water during the season. It has to always be brought up the slipway and stored In a shed. Easier said than done.

 

[blynch]

32mph WOT sounds light, even for that power. Have you messed around with props and engine mounting height at all?

 

[Hookup1]

What kind of speed do you want to run offshore?

No substitute for water line length. The 272 may not preform much better given sea conditions with more HP. I made changes to my 268 Islander and put 4-blade props on it. Greatly improved my mid-range and sea handling capability. Able to run in sea conditions I couldn't comfortably run. Just not sure you can tune it to achieve the speed you want.

The 2001 Bimini 306 is rated for 500 hp. The hull probably is a Euro transom - hull stops short of transom to create a "bracket". This was ok with lighter 2-stroke engines. The hulls were extended to the transom in later years to increase flotation and support the weight of the 4-stroke engines. Typically these newer full length hulls can handle more horsepower. You would have to look at GW site and old brochure collection. Also look at your friends boat.

 

[Zee4Fish]

32mph WOT sounds light, even for that power. Have you messed around with props and engine mounting height at all?

Its the 4 cylinder version vs the typical V6. Hence it doesn't have that power. My
Props are S.S - 3x16x18.5 - was recommended by the Suzuki dealer.

 

[Zee4Fish]

I

What kind of speed do you want to run offshore?

No substitute for water line length. The 272 may not preform much better given sea conditions with more HP. I made changes to my 268 Islander and put 4-blade props on it. Greatly improved my mid-range and sea handling capability. Able to run in sea conditions I couldn't comfortably run. Just not sure you can tune it to achieve the speed you want.

The 2001 Bimini 306 is rated for 500 hp. The hull probably is a Euro transom - hull stops short of transom to create a "bracket". This was ok with lighter 2-stroke engines. The hulls were extended to the transom in later years to increase flotation and support the weight of the 4-stroke engines. Typically these newer full length hulls can handle more horsepower. You would have to look at GW site and old brochure collection. Also look at your friends boat.

What kind of speed do you want to run offshore?

No substitute for water line length. The 272 may not preform much better given sea conditions with more HP. I made changes to my 268 Islander and put 4-blade props on it. Greatly improved my mid-range and sea handling capability. Able to run in sea conditions I couldn't comfortably run. Just not sure you can tune it to achieve the speed you want.

The 2001 Bimini 306 is rated for 500 hp. The hull probably is a Euro transom - hull stops short of transom to create a "bracket". This was ok with lighter 2-stroke engines. The hulls were extended to the transom in later years to increase flotation and support the weight of the 4-stroke engines. Typically these newer full length hulls can handle more horsepower. You would have to look at GW site and old brochure collection. Also look at your friends boat.

Not looking for a speed demon. But something that can be comfortable to cruise at 35mph without too much pounding if we’ve got some chop.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

As Blynch mentioned above, your top speed seems a bit on the low side. What RPM are you running at wide open throttle when you're doing the 32 mph? As he suggested, a prop swap could help you out tremendously if you're not getting near the 6k rpm redline at WOT. The question that I have is why do you think your buddy's boat will need a re-power soon at only 1k hours on the engines? My boat has 1k hours on the Yamaha F225 and it runs great, which if you take care of the outboards, they can and oftentimes do get well over 2k hours on them. I wouldn't assume that your buddy's boat is going to need a re-power in the near future solely for the fact that the outboards have 1k hours on them. If they've been maintained and well taken care of, then as stated above, they can and oftentimes will get over 2k+ hours on them. Some guys have been able to get over 3k hours on their outboards, and if you're running the boat year round I'd have to imagine you're going to fare better than us in the states that don't use their boats for months at a time over the winter when it's too cold outside or there isn't any fishing open. I'd start by lookin into the props a bit more and see what RPM you're at when you're WOT, then if you don't want to keep your boat, I'd make sure there's a marina that can store it. With a bigger boat also comes a bit more expenses, like fuel costs, a bigger slip at the marina if they even have them and so forth.

 

[Hookup1]

The question that I have is why do you think your buddy's boat will need a re-power soon at only 1k hours on the engines? My boat has 1k hours on the Yamaha F225 and it runs great, which if you take care of the outboards, they can and oftentimes do get well over 2k hours on them.

You are not fishing 80 miles off the West Coast of Africa either!

And by the way I have over 2000 hours on both my F150's and they run great - like the day I got them.

 

[Zee4Fish]

Well the F300's are around 20 years old, they run great for now, but still. Going 80 miles off the African coast with no sea tow, coast guard or organized rescue, is not ideal. I carry a Sat phone at all times, but still.

Will the Bimini out perform the Sailfish noticeably? with a longer hull, wider beam and bigger engines?

 

[Hookup1]

Will the Bimini out perform the Sailfish noticeably? with a longer hull, wider beam and bigger engines?

I don't have experience with either hull. Maybe another GG member can help you out.

 

[drbatts]

Well the F300's are around 20 years old, they run great for now, but still. Going 80 miles off the African coast with no sea tow, coast guard or organized rescue, is not ideal. I carry a Sat phone at all times, but still.

Will the Bimini out perform the Sailfish noticeably? with a longer hull, wider beam and bigger engines?

The bimini should absolutely out perform the sailfish. Although Its not an apples to apples comparison but I went from a 265 to a 305(same hull as a bimini) where I had to slow down with the 265 I do not with the 305. The 305 cruises faster and can take bigger seas at higher speeds.

In regards to the f300's, they cannot be 20 years old or they are not f300's. As far as yamaha 4 strokes go . The f225 was first released in 2002, the F250 followed in 2005, the F300 didn't come out until around 2010/2011. If the engines on the bimini are 300's and older then 2010 they are probably 300hpdi's which are 2 strokes and not very well regarded engines. In that case in would consider repowering.

 

[Zee4Fish]

Then maybe the age of the outboard was a miscommunication, as they definitely are 4 stroke and actually don't look that old. Either way wether I change them in the near future or not. My main concern was finding out if I repowered the Sailfish, and tried to compare both boats. Which would out perform the other. Given both boats had their ideal setup.

Now knowing that the Bimini would be able to maintain higher speeds in rougher conditions without pounding (a lot) sounds ideal to me. We rarely get glassy conditions and they don't last either. So we always have to deal with turbulent seas.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

You are not fishing 80 miles off the West Coast of Africa either!

And by the way I have over 2000 hours on both my F150's and they run great - like the day I got them.

You also aren't fishing 80 miles off the west coast of Africa either, nor are there likely any other members of this forum that are doing so. So what's your point? And that doesn't make my opinion any less valid. So you're saying that one can't make an 80 mile trip each way just because a set of outboards has over "xx" amount of hours on them. If you actually read my post, you'd see that what I said is that the OP shouldn't have any problem getting over 2k hours on the outboards as long as he properly maintains them

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Well the F300's are around 20 years old, they run great for now, but still. Going 80 miles off the African coast with no sea tow, coast guard or organized rescue, is not ideal. I carry a Sat phone at all times, but still.

Will the Bimini out perform the Sailfish noticeably? with a longer hull, wider beam and bigger engines?

We were actually talking about this on the vintage mustang forums that I'm also a part of, but in theory you could buy brand new outboards and potentially have issues with them to where they could leave you stranded as well, since nothing is really a guarantee. It sounds like you're leaning more toward buying your buddy's boat, of which if that's the case I'd start by having a qualified mechanic look the motors over and see if they do need anything instead of immediately assuming the boat will need to be re-powered. In regards to the Bimini vs the Sailfish, I'm by no means an expert on center console boats but I'd have to imagine that the Bimini will probably handle at least somewhat better than the Sailfish as it's a longer, wider and heavier boat comparatively. That being said, it's also a center console, so you'll probably get a few more waves and spray over the front and sides of the boat compared to the walkaround style of the Sailfish, resulting in a wetter ride. Just my opinions of course.

 

[Hookup1]

You also aren't fishing 80 miles off the west coast of Africa either, nor are there likely any other members of this forum that are doing so. So what's your point?

Point is his life is dependent on the reliability of his boat. I sailfish 4 miles off the beach and can see land. I also have Coast Guard and BoatUS. Am I risking my life - sure I am - but it's a very different when you have a safety net.

And that doesn't make my opinion any less valid. So you're saying that one can't make an 80 mile trip each way just because a set of outboards has over "xx" amount of hours on them.

There is nothing wrong with your opinion. Boat should be able to make that trip just fine - until it doesn't. Then he is serious trouble. It's like going to the moon. You need to be self sufficient because its likely you won't get rescued.

If you actually read my post, you'd see that what I said is that the OP shouldn't have any problem getting over 2k hours on the outboards as long as he properly maintains them

If you read my post I have over 2000 hours on my outboards. They are properly maintained and are like new.

Just remember though - There are old Captains and there are bold Captains but the are no old bold Captains.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Point is his life is dependent on the reliability of his boat. I sailfish 4 miles off the beach and can see land. I also have Coast Guard and BoatUS. Am I risking my life - sure I am - but it's a very different when you have a safety net.


There is nothing wrong with your opinion. Boat should be able to make that trip just fine - until it doesn't. Then he is serious trouble. It's like going to the moon. You need to be self sufficient because its likely you won't get rescued.

If you read my post I have over 2000 hours on my outboards. They are properly maintained and are like new.

Just remember though - There are old Captains and there are bold Captains but the are no old bold Captains.

Errrmmm... so what you're saying is that reliability is based off the age of the item? Your signature says that you're 68 years old, does that mean you're not reliable because you're 68 years old? People risk their lives everyday just waking up, getting out of bed, driving to work or whatever else they do. You could have the newest, safest, most expensive boat, car or whatever and still have issues with it. The boat with brand new outboards on it could not make the trip for one reason or another and he could be in serious trouble, that's something that the OP has to accept regardless of any boat that he decides to go fishing on. And I again mentioned that outboards should be able to get over 2000 hours if properly maintained, aka we're saying the same thing, but your post seemed to indicate you were disagreeing with me, which seems to be a reoccurring theme here. Ah yes, the "age discrepancy" of that I must not know what I'm talking about because I'm 3 decades younger than you are. Definitely a classic and something that I've heard a million times before, probably will hear it another million times in the next several years also.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Its the 4 cylinder version vs the typical V6. Hence it doesn't have that power. My
Props are S.S - 3x16x18.5 - was recommended by the Suzuki dealer.

You absolutely have the wrong props. Those motors will push that boat over 40. I have a 265 express. Very similar hull and weight. Actually I think 265 is wider and heavier.

Not just me, there are several 265s with twin new suzuki DF200APs running 4 blade 15.25 x 22 props cruise 30-33 mph 1.6-1.8 mpg , top out 40ish. I never need or use tabs.
This was after trying the standard 3x16x18.5. Too much slip. You could try 4 x 16 x20 also.

I run to NJ canyons 200 mile round trip routinely. Great motors. Boat handles like a 26 footer, meaning, I pick my days when the weather is right for a 26 footer.

A 30' Bimini is bigger and will be margianlly more comfortable than a 272 but its still only a 30 footer. It will still begin to be uncomfortable in 3' to 5' quartering seas and you will still be slowed down if you have to go head on into it.

I'd rather have new motors than 2k hour motors

 

[Ekea]

Zee4fish, what is your RPM at wide open throttle? (also, let us know how many people and how much fuel you had when you recorded that number). Same question for your cruise speed.

something is not right with your sailfish, i suspect the props are the issue and could be an easy fix. they might be able to help you pound less too. a prop that gives you stern lift will get the sharp forward v of the hull in the water and give a slightly better ride.

 

[Saltyone]

I would agree with Skunk, you need to change your props. Im running the same setup as Skunk on a 265 as well, I hit around 43mph at around 6k rpms.

 

[Fishtales]

Bigger is always better if you can swing it. You may go faster with 250s and ride may improve a bit. The 30' hull was a big step up (282 sailfish to 300 marlin) for me. The bigger hull just rides nicer and feel more like a yacht. I really like the hull. CCs are great but I'm not a fan in the slop. 80 miles out almost ensures some days you will wish you had a cabin. Maybe the enclosure and wings will help though. Good luck. Hard decision for sure.