I have a 1999 272 Sailfish with twin Yamaha OX66 225 outboard engines. Thinking about replacing them with new Mercruiser 200 4 cycle engines. What should I be considering?
Repowering
- Thread starter willyp
- Start date
4 cycles are generally heavier. Will the extra weight effect performance?
My boat is a 1999 model. I have no reason to believe there is rot in the transom, but is there anything about the structural integrity of the stern of the 1999 272 Sailfish that I should be aware of?
I’m just looking for advice from someone who has “been there and done that.”
I don’t want to spend 35 to 40K and then say to myself “gee I never thought of that.”
My boat is a 1999 model. I have no reason to believe there is rot in the transom, but is there anything about the structural integrity of the stern of the 1999 272 Sailfish that I should be aware of?
I’m just looking for advice from someone who has “been there and done that.”
I don’t want to spend 35 to 40K and then say to myself “gee I never thought of that.”
Are you sure they're heavier? What's the weight of your engines? I think the Merc's are under 500lb, aren't they? Are you guessing on that? Check out the specs - then you know for sure.
Assuming that's the case, there's obviously no concerns there. And even if they were a littel heavier, it wouldn't be an issue. Go for it!
Assuming that's the case, there's obviously no concerns there. And even if they were a littel heavier, it wouldn't be an issue. Go for it!
Mustang65fbk
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2020
- Messages
- 2,597
- Reaction score
- 689
- Points
- 113
- Age
- 38
- Location
- Seattle area
- Model
- Seafarer
The 225 hp ox66's weigh anywhere between 491-505 lbs, depending on the model.
Mercury 200's range from their FourStroke model at only weighs 475 lbs, to their ProXS which is their heaviest model at 505 lbs, though those numbers are for the 20" shaft version. I'm assuming the 25" shaft version is maybe 10-20 lbs more per outboard? Still, not really enough to make that much of a difference, especially since you won't have the added weight of the oilers back there on each side for your current 2 strokes.
Mercury 200's range from their FourStroke model at only weighs 475 lbs, to their ProXS which is their heaviest model at 505 lbs, though those numbers are for the 20" shaft version. I'm assuming the 25" shaft version is maybe 10-20 lbs more per outboard? Still, not really enough to make that much of a difference, especially since you won't have the added weight of the oilers back there on each side for your current 2 strokes.
Depending on what you use the boat for I would go with Yamaha 250’s if you can. Anybody have a comparison in mpg between those and the merc 200? I get 1.8-2.0 with Yamaha 3.3 250’s on an 282 and haven’t heard of anything better than that. I have another boat with a merc 150 proxs and a small whaler with a merc 90 and would prefer the Yamahas. Less vibration, quieter. That said I think at this point all brands are reliable. Just don’t underpower yourself.
Mustang65fbk
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2020
- Messages
- 2,597
- Reaction score
- 689
- Points
- 113
- Age
- 38
- Location
- Seattle area
- Model
- Seafarer
Per the brochure on the Grady White website, the maximum horsepower rating for the OP's hull is only 450 hp, which would be a max of twin 225's. Whether or not they want to go with more than that is up to them, though I personally wouldn't go with more than the manufacturers maximum horsepower rating. Just my personal opinion, of course.
You do have a reason to believe there is rot in the transom.......That boat is a quarter of a century old. The transom was cored with wood and the Grady White methods of construction did not include isolating the core from the penetrations for hardware attachments. When you remove your engines, use an icepick or thin screwdriver to probe into the core at a thin angle in all the engine mounting holes. If it is soft or mushy black, you have your answer. If you want to know before you start removing the motors, You can remove the garboard plug and do the same or use a 1/4 inch bit and drill random holes through the transom skin into the core, starting near the garboard plug. If all is solid you can refill the holes with epoxy using a turkey injector.
Yamaha offers a 225 HP version of the 4.2l offshore platform, mechanical only, but nothing wrong with that. They weigh ~550 lbs.
People in South America will take those OX66’s and run them for 30 more years.
Why not rebuild? Are you having reliability issues? Two stroke maint is crazy easy and cheap. My first OX66 (1997) is still going strong making routine 40+ mile offshore trips.
Why not rebuild? Are you having reliability issues? Two stroke maint is crazy easy and cheap. My first OX66 (1997) is still going strong making routine 40+ mile offshore trips.
Mustang65fbk
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2020
- Messages
- 2,597
- Reaction score
- 689
- Points
- 113
- Age
- 38
- Location
- Seattle area
- Model
- Seafarer
If I was in the OP's shoes and spending the money for brand new outboards, I think I'd probably go with twin Suzuki 200's, though I'd definitely upgrade to the optional digital controls compared to mechanical. The Suzuki 200's are about 530 lbs a piece, so not too much more than your current setup and maybe an extra 60 lbs total at the most? Suzuki's also come standard with a 5 year warranty and will likely be the cheapest in terms of pricing.
www.suzukimarine.com
Suzuki Outboard Motor I DF200A In-Line 4 I Suzuki Marine
Suzuki Marine 200 hp outboard motor. In-line 4-stroke. Torque and power with a 3-star Ultra-Low Emission rating. See the DF200A specs. Find a dealer.
www.suzukimarine.com
dogdoc
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2019
- Messages
- 367
- Reaction score
- 79
- Points
- 28
- Age
- 70
- Model
- Marlin
Suzuki, Yamaha, Merc prob all good choices. Suzuki will be the cheapest. What is very important is the repower facility. A tale of 2 repowers, mine with Suzuki and my friend with Yamaha. On mine the engines were hung fine but after that very sloppy and poorly done. Left the yard not being able to read my tank levels on the gauges, loose wiring connections, and plain old sloppy work with zero follow up. Luckily I was able to fix all the issues and all is well. The Yamaha job was professional, complete and worth every dime. Just look around the shop and you should be able to tell what kind of work they do. In retrospect I missed all the signs of poor work.
ROBERTH
GreatGrady Captain
Consider the torque differences between the 4cyl vs 6cyl. The Merc 200 has more than the Zuki. Depends on what you care about. Has been heavily debated in other posts so you can search and find more details and info.
For me, the closest HP to Torque and weight comparison is the Mercury 200 vs my 200 HPDI's.
For me, the closest HP to Torque and weight comparison is the Mercury 200 vs my 200 HPDI's.
I pulled the trigger this morning on a pair of Suzuki 200's and luckily was able to get all the digital stuff. I'm sure it's going to be much smoother than the 225 Yamis that are being replaced. Last day of rebates didn't hurt either.If I was in the OP's shoes and spending the money for brand new outboards, I think I'd probably go with twin Suzuki 200's, though I'd definitely upgrade to the optional digital controls compared to mechanical. The Suzuki 200's are about 530 lbs a piece, so not too much more than your current setup and maybe an extra 60 lbs total at the most? Suzuki's also come standard with a 5 year warranty and will likely be the cheapest in terms of pricing.
Suzuki Outboard Motor I DF200A In-Line 4 I Suzuki Marine
Suzuki Marine 200 hp outboard motor. In-line 4-stroke. Torque and power with a 3-star Ultra-Low Emission rating. See the DF200A specs. Find a dealer.
You won't be disappointed.
Now go find a pair of eco enertia 22 or 23 pitch props. Your boat will be able to do things you didn't think were possible! In case you are wondering how I know:
Now go find a pair of eco enertia 22 or 23 pitch props. Your boat will be able to do things you didn't think were possible! In case you are wondering how I know:
Last edited:
Thanks. Hopefully in the next year I'll get my hard top back on and I will be 100%. I just need to lift my garage 3'!
Check with Ken at Prop Gods for the Ecos. Back in April Ecos were hard to come by. I ended up having to go used because no one had 23 pitch in stock. You will find they are pricey, but worth every penny. And that's coming from a tight wad!
Thanks again, I might have to wait a bit on another set of props, spent a lot of money on boats lately and hopefully the new set of props I recently purchased for other motors are going to be ok on the Suzukis, fingers crossed.
BTW, my Islander started out in Ohio for her first 12 years. I like to think it benefited greatly from running in freshwater.
Gypsy, when your dealer that is doing the install of the new engines gets your old ones off, make sure he probes in the transom bolt holes to check for rot before just stuffing the bolts back in the holes.