Repowering 1997 208 with Suzuki 200

[Sullyonhudson]

Hello all. I'm a new member looking for some suggestions. I am in the process of repowering my 208 (with hardtop) with a Suzuki 200 hp inline 4. I'm replacing a Yamaha 200 V6 saltwater 2 stroke. My question is on prop sizing. Has anyone done this swap to Suzuki on a 208?
I have spoken with Ken at Prop Gods and he is recommending a Powertech 16 x19 3 blade. I would rather avoid the shipping back and forth of props during trial and error so any advice is greatly appreciated. I do believe that Ken is probably right on with his recommendation but curious if any Grady owners have already gone thru this.
Sully

 

[family affair]

I can't comment on the pitch, but Ken often gets it right or darn close.
Is the prop the LFE3? I ask because I went from f150s to df200's and have some prop traction issues still. He advised the LFE3 to be a better alternative to the Mercury Eco Enertia on the 4 cylinder Zukes. Please report back on your results and if the engine height is any different than the Yamaha.

 

[NHAngler]

I have a friend that repowered his non-Grady walk around from a 200 Yamaha to a 200 Suzuki and took a few props before he found the right one. The dealer that installed (and recommended the prop) screwed up pretty bad and he could not even get up on plane. From what I r remember, Suzukis are geared a bit lower and you need to account for that so prop size and configuration is nothing like a Yamaha.

I don’t have any recommendations but did want to share this along. Good luck!

 

[Sullyonhudson]

I can't comment on the pitch, but Ken often gets it right or darn close.
Is the prop the LFE3? I ask because I went from f150s to df200's and have some prop traction issues still. He advised the LFE3 to be a better alternative to the Mercury Eco Enertia on the 4 cylinder Zukes. Please report back on your results and if the engine height is any different than the Yamaha.

I have a friend that repowered his non-Grady walk around from a 200 Yamaha to a 200 Suzuki and took a few props before he found the right one. The dealer that installed (and recommended the prop) screwed up pretty bad and he could not even get up on plane. From what I r remember, Suzukis are geared a bit lower and you need to account for that so prop size and configuration is nothing like a Yamaha.

I don’t have any recommendations but did want to share this along. Good luck!

Yes, Ken recommended the LFE3 prop and he did mention the liked it better than the Merc Eco on the Zukes. The dilemma I have is I won't be able to test it out until April and only after I break in the engine. I'm in NY and the only boating going on now is ice boat sailing. I've read that the final test for a prop is to hit the sweet spot in the max RPM band. I won't run full throttle until the break in is complete. The motor should be installed this week and I'm assuming the mount height should be similar to the Yammy. I'm leaning on taking Ken's recommendation. The nice thing is he will do a swap if he's off base.
Family Affair, are you using the LFE3s now?

 

[family affair]

I don't recall the exact details for break-in but I'm 100% certain you can and should run WOT during break in (for brief periods) with your df200.
Ken uses manufacturers data and his experience with Zukes to determine pitch. Unless you are running the boat really heavy, I doubt you will need a different pitch from his recommendation.
Some dealers automatically set up a Suzuki 1 hole lower than a Yamaha. I'm not sure if that is a band-aid for choosing the wrong prop or a necessity. Mine are set at the same height as the Yamahas.
I'm running Eco Enertias. It was Ken's go-to prior to the LFE3 on Suzukis. However, there have been complaints about traction issues under certain conditions. Otherwise they are phenomenal. Ken also told me he likes the LFE3 better than the Eco for traction, but didn't say how they perform otherwise.
Considering you can almost buy 2 LFE3s for one Eco, I would certainly try the Powertech 1st!

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

Some dealers automatically set up a Suzuki 1 hole lower than a Yamaha. I'm not sure if that is a band-aid for choosing the wrong prop or a necessity.

I personally installed 4 Suzukis on 3 on my own boats and needed to lower 1 hole from the previous Yamahas on all of them to solve ventilation issues. I had also hydraulic jack plates on my Venture 34 and there was no considerable effect on speed or fuel economy if i run her with plates all down (approx 2 holes lower than the Yamahas before) or lifted them up till they ventilate.
For the Venture 34 Ken recommended me extra cup on PT LFS props and they where the worst of all i tested. The best props i had installed regarding ventilation on all my Suzukis where Suzuki props, same for my friends who have Suzukis. This is also what Outboard Specialities told me and when Mike brought me the Suzuki propellers and i installed them they where the best i tested.

I will get 90% twin DF300AP for my Canyon and will start with Suzuki props and test other brand only if i would need to, and in this case the Enertia Eco what does often work well regarding fuel economy.

@Sullyonhudson
I would not overthink the propeller and start with the Suzuki prop to have a baseline and 16x19 sounds right to me.
Your Suzuki dealer should know what propeller should work and if he misses pitch then replace it with a different pitched one for free. Ken is certainly one of the most knowledgeable propeller dealer and he usually nails it but in my case he did not and the PT propeller i received was the lowest quality propeller i ever saw and had in my hands.
You may contact Outboard Specialities and ask them regarding the prop, they are one of the most knowledable Szuki dealers and riggers in the US and will tell you what they think what prop would be best and they may rigged already your model with Suzukis.

Chris

 

[family affair]

Good to know engine height didn't hurt performance. I had wondered about that and have been reluctant to make the change.
At the same mounting height as the Yamahas, the Suzuki props performed terribly. The ecos were much better and better yet when I changed the engine toe.
Let us know if you figure out a better toe angle with a single!

 

[Sullyonhudson]

Thanks for the great comments. My old yammy was mounted as low as it could go so mounting the Zuke lower is not possible. I never really thought about it since my boat was purchased used it was set up by a Grady dealer and always performed satisfactory with a 13 and 3/4 x 17 prop. I will reach out to Outboard Specialties for advice. I'm still considering the Suzuki prop, after all they are designed for their motors.
I had asked Ken about the LFS vs LFE props due to the price difference and more availability but he had nothing good to say about LFS. My installer (not a Zuke dealer) mentioned mounting the new motor up one hole up over the yammy. I'm not sure of his reasoning. but that's what he says he usually does. He's been repowering with Zukes more frequently lately.

@family affair you are right . You can run at full throttle during break in hours 3 to 10 but only for a few minutes.
I'll let you all know how I make out.

 

[family affair]

I will reach out to Outboard Specialties for advice. I'm still considering the Suzuki prop, after all they are designed for their motors.
I had asked Ken about the LFS vs LFE props due to the price difference and more availability but he had nothing good to say about LFS. My installer (not a Zuke dealer) mentioned mounting the new motor up one hole up over the yammy. I'm not sure of his reasoning. but that's what he says he usually does. He's been repowering with Zukes more frequently lately.

Solas makes props for Suzuki. For some hulls they work well, for others, not so much.
For conventional props, Mercury is tought to beat, regardless of engine make.
I'm not positive, but I suspect the LFE3 is a Eco Enertia clone with more cup. Ken and only one other prop shop carry that prop. My guess is because they asked for it based on challenges to get a prop to work well on Suzukis without burying the prop. Prior to the LFE3, cupping an Eco was the recommendation. I'm not there yet and might settle for what I have after adding more toe.
As for height, I wonder if your shops up is your down? If I remember right, Outboard Specialties advises dropping the engine one hole compared to Yamahas. The question is, was your Yamaha set up per GW specs? Email GW and see what engine height they set your boat up at.

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

My installer (not a Zuke dealer) mentioned mounting the new motor up one hole up over the yammy. I'm not sure of his reasoning. but that's what he says he usually does. He's been repowering with Zukes more frequently lately.

I would trust your dealer even if going one hole up is the opposite i or my ex boss in his Suzuki dealership would do.
But it may be that there is a reason for that we don't know like that the Yamaha was already mounted too low.
If he is a serious dealer he will deal with a too high mounted engine and lower it for free after unsatisfactory results.
Same for the propeller, a good dealership should have several propellers for test rides to find the best solution, at least thats how we work in Italy.
For any installation it is best to start with standard height and standard propeller and do a test how the boat performs to have a base line. If there are problems because of engine hight and/or propeller then that should be corrected one by one and in small steps.
Chris