I own a 1989 Grady White 228 seafarer with a 225hp, 2 stroke Suzuki engine on a bracket that needs to be replaced. Are there any problems associated with the boat's performance (such as scupper drains below the water line) if i replace the 2 stroke engine with a heaver 4 stroke 225hp engine?
Engine Repower
- Thread starter mmangini
- Start date
Probably. Also your performance numbers will be different, time to plane for example. I don't have the motor weights handy but I feel that the weight difference, especially hanging off of a bracket will affect the boats trim and performance. Perhaps others with direct experience will reply.mmangini said:
Lt.Mike
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- Overnighter
I'm literally in the same boat :roll: :sorry
Ok ya, I have an 204c Overnighter with a Suzuki DT225 that has had something let go in the powerhead so I have been looking around and crunching the numbers.
The price of a new motor can be restrictive enough and that is probably the reason we both have Suzuki's hanging on our boats as they were priced way under what other manufacturers offered.
One way Suzuki saved money in producing that engine was to make pressed rods and crankshafts. That save money in manufacturing but weren't as strong, and replacement shaft assemblies are no longer available from Suzuki.
Since our boats were made, the world went 4 stroke so our real problem now is weight.
The DT225 V6 weighed in at 470 lb.s. Most V6 4 stroke 225s go better than 600 lb.s. Though boats are rated for max Hp there is a hidden factor in giving a maximum size for a given boat. It was fair to assume a given sized motor weighed a given amount.
Outboard motors were all 2 strokes and were around the same weight. (225hp = 460 - 520 lb.s)
So when they say my Overnighter max's out at 230 hp what is also being said is that the transom is topped out at supporting around 500 lb.s. give or take.
While the 225 hp is the same the 600+ lb. 4 stroke isn't what Grady had in mind when they built the Overnighter.
As for your Seafarer, Grady rated it for a max of 280 hp so you may be able to get away with a 225 4 stroke.
I'd be close though.
I have seen Seafarers powered by 200 hp motors and if you don't mind stepping back in power Yamaha makes the 4 stroke 4 cylinder F200 that weighs 489 lbs., 19 lb.s more, well I'd call that to be as close a match in weight as your going to find. It'd probably be the best choice in dependability too.
This link to the Grady brochure shows a 200 Johnson on your boat...
http://www.gradywhite.com/customer/cata ... s/1989.pdf
I have also been considering a re-manufactured Mercury 225 EFI from Almars in Delaware. They offer a 3 year warranty.
The 2 stroke keeps the weight the same too.
Theres also better than a $6,000 difference there between the new Yamaha and the reman Merc. I shelled out cash for my boat only a year back and having the engine quit so soon hurts my budget to replace it.
Almars marine has a really good rep with my local Grady dealer pointing me in their direction. The 3 year warranty they add is a must.
One other thing I'd have to note is if you do opt for one of the heavier 4 strokes make damn sure your transom can support the weight it did when it was new. A wet transom or any other issue it or the bracket will reduce what you can get away with.
I hope I gave you some help and I wish you luck with it.
Mike.
Ok ya, I have an 204c Overnighter with a Suzuki DT225 that has had something let go in the powerhead so I have been looking around and crunching the numbers.
The price of a new motor can be restrictive enough and that is probably the reason we both have Suzuki's hanging on our boats as they were priced way under what other manufacturers offered.
One way Suzuki saved money in producing that engine was to make pressed rods and crankshafts. That save money in manufacturing but weren't as strong, and replacement shaft assemblies are no longer available from Suzuki.
Since our boats were made, the world went 4 stroke so our real problem now is weight.
The DT225 V6 weighed in at 470 lb.s. Most V6 4 stroke 225s go better than 600 lb.s. Though boats are rated for max Hp there is a hidden factor in giving a maximum size for a given boat. It was fair to assume a given sized motor weighed a given amount.
Outboard motors were all 2 strokes and were around the same weight. (225hp = 460 - 520 lb.s)
So when they say my Overnighter max's out at 230 hp what is also being said is that the transom is topped out at supporting around 500 lb.s. give or take.
While the 225 hp is the same the 600+ lb. 4 stroke isn't what Grady had in mind when they built the Overnighter.
As for your Seafarer, Grady rated it for a max of 280 hp so you may be able to get away with a 225 4 stroke.
I'd be close though.
I have seen Seafarers powered by 200 hp motors and if you don't mind stepping back in power Yamaha makes the 4 stroke 4 cylinder F200 that weighs 489 lbs., 19 lb.s more, well I'd call that to be as close a match in weight as your going to find. It'd probably be the best choice in dependability too.
This link to the Grady brochure shows a 200 Johnson on your boat...
http://www.gradywhite.com/customer/cata ... s/1989.pdf
I have also been considering a re-manufactured Mercury 225 EFI from Almars in Delaware. They offer a 3 year warranty.
The 2 stroke keeps the weight the same too.
Theres also better than a $6,000 difference there between the new Yamaha and the reman Merc. I shelled out cash for my boat only a year back and having the engine quit so soon hurts my budget to replace it.
Almars marine has a really good rep with my local Grady dealer pointing me in their direction. The 3 year warranty they add is a must.
One other thing I'd have to note is if you do opt for one of the heavier 4 strokes make damn sure your transom can support the weight it did when it was new. A wet transom or any other issue it or the bracket will reduce what you can get away with.
I hope I gave you some help and I wish you luck with it.
Mike.
I repowered my 1996 Seafarer with a new Suzuki 4 stroke 250 hp. I did install an armstrong bracket as well. Two years going now….no problems.
Parthery
GreatGrady Captain
The maximum HP rating for a '99 Seafarer is 250 HP.
The newer 4.2L F250 weighs 562 lbs. The older 3.3L F350 weighs over 600.
A call to GW Customer Service should yield some advice as to whether or not your scuppers will end up under water.
The newer 4.2L F250 weighs 562 lbs. The older 3.3L F350 weighs over 600.
A call to GW Customer Service should yield some advice as to whether or not your scuppers will end up under water.
i don't know about the bracket strength, but the 226 hull was sold in the 80s with a dual outboard transom option that put over 700 lbs on the back so i am sure you can make it work from a trim perspective. you might need to add some ballast in the forward bilge to make it ride well and keep the scuppers totally dry.
for reference, i looked at a 223 tournament from that era with dual 130 yamaha 2 stroke outboards. same hull as a 226 but with less cockpit weight forward. the bottom half of the scuppers was wet on a mooring particularly on one side (the side the motors were tilted). this is with the auxillary tank set forward but not used and bone dry.
for reference, i looked at a 223 tournament from that era with dual 130 yamaha 2 stroke outboards. same hull as a 226 but with less cockpit weight forward. the bottom half of the scuppers was wet on a mooring particularly on one side (the side the motors were tilted). this is with the auxillary tank set forward but not used and bone dry.
You might consider also the new Evinrude G2 E-tec. Everyone who sea-trials them raves about them and they are offering free rigging and 7-year extended warranty
http://www.evinrude.com/en-US/promotion
http://www.evinrude.com/en-US/promotion
