Outboard questions Offshore 24

[kevine]

I would appreciate any input I could get. I have allways had I/O s before and this will be my first time buying an outboard. I have a 1980 Offshore 24. I got it with no power. I am leaning toward a four stroke, but would consider a 2. I have good dealer support in my area for Mercury and Suzuki. I put a lot of hours on the motor each year, running charters and commercial fishing. If I get a 4 stroke - how are the Verados? I have confidence in Suzuki 4 strokes because a lot of the guys I fish with use them , but Verados I dont know too much about. How does an Opti compare to an E-tec ? The e-tec dealer is a little farther away, but not too far. How many horses do I want? 225-250 seems to be the answer, but how many more can it take. Lastly, how much weight can I expect to allow for a motor? A 225 Suzuki is 580 +/- and a 225 E-tec is 510. Is this weight worth worrying about? This is alot of questions I know, but I have made some mistakes re-powering other boats and I am trying not to rrepeat them. Thanks

 

[richie rich]

go on line to the various manufacturers sites and check the weights for all the specific engines....you will see a large difference between them and the weight does matter on the older boats....the e-tec and zuk are at least within reason...I think you'll see the Mercs and the Yamy in the 600-700 range...A new Yamy is coming out that is lightweight but may be a while (this Spring someone posted earlier) and may cost more.....if you can float the boat, add some weight bags on the transom and see how she sits...that will tell you how far you can go.

 

[dlevitt]

If you are going to rack up a lot of hours, you may want to lean toward the E-TEC. The 300 hour service interval may save you from having to haul the boat several times a season.

I'm biased toward the Evinrude as I own them. I don't think that there are any bad engines out there, but for a boat of that vintage, I would be leaning toward a 2 stroke. The Opti would also be an excellent choice, but I don't know what is involved in the servicing of that engine.

You may also want to call Grady to see what weight and HP they recommend. My gut feeling would be about 250 on that hull.

 

[3rd Day]

A friend of mine has a 1980 24 Offshore with a pair of 140 Johnsons. His is the open transom model and performs well with that engine package. The boat came with 120's and after lots and lots of offshore trips,(he has had the boat 20 years) he repowered with the used engines and gained some speed and the overall performance improved. Modern engines offer a better weight to HP ratio and you may want to step up to a pair of 150's. My 23 Gulfstream performs very well with a pair of 150 Yamaha 2 strokes. Hope this helps and good fishing!!!