Twin 115s on 228?

[Mgaul1]

Won’t need to repower for a while, but when I do I plan on pulling the Grady bracket off the 2005 228G and installing an Armstrong bracket with twin 115s.

My question: who’s done it? Any pictures, tips, etc. are greatly appreciated.

Not interested in a 232 or other options, I saw a post with twins on 228 before but was an old rebuild. Curious to see how it performs, handles and how the buyancy works out with the larger bracket.

 

[Fishtales]

A small boat for twins but I don't see why you can't do it. I'd weigh the bracket that comes off and compare to the one your putting on and record. Then do the same for the motors. They were using both HPDIs and Four Strokes (hopefully more FS) then. I'd contact GW and see if the boat was redesigned by then for Four Strokes if you don't already know. Hopefully yes and you just need to find someone with performance details. Would be nice to see this project come along, so post some pics and update folks.

 

[UCPA111]

I put a bracket on my 1984 Seafarer. Different hull, but I looked at Armstrong and Custom Marine Welding. I ended up going with CMW because they were much easier to work with on some design changes I wanted for additional buoyancy. I maximized the flotation chamber, as I was installing a 300 Verado L6. 660 lbs. For what I did to my boat, it worked great! I distributed weight forward by moving batteries and fuel tank as well. You can check out my videos on Youtube...may give you an idea about what you'll face with twins and more weight.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

The issue in my opinion with twins, especially on a smaller boat, is going to be the issue of added weight. The lightest 115hp 4 stroke outboard looks like it’s the Mercury at about 360lbs dry. If you multiply that x2 then you’ve got right around 720lbs dry hanging off the back of the boat. And that doesn’t include the weight of your fuel and fuel tank. Comparatively, the lightest 250hp 4 stroke outboard looks like it’s the Yamaha or certain versions of the Suzuki at around 550lbs dry. The question is whether you want an extra almost 200lbs dry in added weight hanging off the rear of the boat? On top of that, I’m thinking you’re going to spend about the same amount of money buying twin motors as opposed to a single main. So, IMO the added weight doesn’t really justify the decision. Lastly, the 300hp Yamaha 4 stroke is also the same weight as the 250, if you wanted the extra power.

 

[Seafarer_Bob]

Seems really impractical unless you have some really specific use case.
With the weight of twin 4 stroke 115's your back deck will always be wet, less economical, more maintenance, and if you lose one you won't be able to go much faster than with a T9.9 kicker, like most of us do.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

If twins were the same price and weight as a single motor, less or even slightly more and if you could get up on a plane with only one motor then I’d say definitely. Coming back down to reality... twins are generally always heavier than a single motor and oftentimes cost more. On top of that, I don’t think a single 115 hp outboard motor would get you even remotely close to planing if the other crapped out. Finally, I don’t know about all 228 Seafarers but I know some only have a wide enough bracket for one main motor to sit on. While you could probably change up the transom bracket for something different, it’s just going to add to the total cost. On the 232 and up, I could definitely see twins as being beneficial but not on a 228.

 

[Boosted1]

So I had a 23’ sea ox with twin 115 evinrudes. I know it’s not a Grady but it was a walk around similar to a seafarer. I bought it bc I loved the idea of twins. It wasn’t any faster then the same boat with a single 225hp. It would not plane on one engine, and I felt that the lower hp motors can’t swing a big prop so maneuvering around the dock wasnt any better then a big single.

Personally, I think you would be much happy with the highest hp single your boat is rated for. The upfront costs will be less and you will only have to worry about maintaining one motor. This will be a lot more wallet friendly in the long run (if that’s even such a thing owning a boat).

 

[luckydude]

I have a 228 with a 250. If I were to do it all over again, I'd get the 300. I'm on the Pacific and our ocean can get pretty lumpy. When it is like that, the 250 struggles a little with the hole shot. I think the 300 might pop you onto plane better.

I'm not very experienced so salt heavily, but the people saying doing one engine sound right to me. I dunno about your 228 but mine is 3500 pounds with no fuel/water/engine. I don't think a 115hp is gonna push that onto plane, if that's true, what do you gain with 2 engines?

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I've always heard of a couple arguments for going with twins is hopefully a little better gas mileage as well as redundancy, in case one engine fails. And especially if you have twins and one motor alone can get you up on a plane to do 15-20mph while driving from the helm as opposed to trolling back in on the kicker motor from possibly the stern of the boat. Regardless, as stated above, I don't think most boats with twins will plane with only a single motor. I suppose you could always up the horsepower but I believe the max was 250hp on the 228's until recently when they upped it to 300hp? Twin 150's might get you up on a plane with just one motor but a single 150hp Yamaha is 478lbs dry, x2 is going to be 1klbs. That's almost double the weight when compared to a single Yamaha 250hp outboard at just 550lbs, and each Yamaha 150hp outboard is going to cost between $15k-17k depending on which shaft length and configuration you get. To me, it's just not worth the weight and cost on a smaller boat.

 

[luckydude]

I've always heard of a couple arguments for going with twins is hopefully a little better gas mileage as well as redundancy, in case one engine fails. And especially if you have twins and one motor alone can get you up on a plane to do 15-20mph while driving from the helm as opposed to trolling back in on the kicker motor from possibly the stern of the boat. Regardless, as stated above, I don't think most boats with twins will plane with only a single motor. I suppose you could always up the horsepower but I believe the max was 250hp on the 228's until recently when they upped it to 300hp? Twin 150's might get you up on a plane with just one motor but a single 150hp Yamaha is 478lbs dry, x2 is going to be 1klbs. That's almost double the weight when compared to a single Yamaha 250hp outboard at just 550lbs, and each Yamaha 150hp outboard is going to cost between $15k-17k depending on which shaft length and configuration you get. To me, it's just not worth the weight and cost on a smaller boat.

I 100% agree. And the Yamaha 300 is identical weight to the 250, it's the same block, I think they made intake and exhaust wider to get the extra 50HP.

OP, can't say this enough, put a 250 on her unless you are rated for the 300, then do the 300, you'll have a better hole shot.

No matter what you do, the 228 is a sweet ride, I love mine. I need to go fish

 

[wrxhoon]

The boat is well suited to a single , in your case go for the 250 ( max for your boat) and if you need a kicker get a 10-15 hp . I have a 250 on mine and I wouldn't even consider a kicker. Another leg to deal with when fighting a marlin.
If you have the tweens propped correct she will never plane on one engine, if she does it means you are very under propped. The 228 can plane with 115 but you will have to change the prop and I wouldn't attempt that in the pacific, different story if in a lake or a quiet bay. I was on a mates boat with twin 150 V6's when one started overheating not only she wouldn't plane on one but when we used both engines to get her on the plane as soon as we stopped one she would drop off plane . You can't even run it on WOT because the engine would be under huge loads you may kill it in a few hours .
Later model 228's (2011 on) have bigger brackets and more buoyancy, if you still decide to go with twins you can have a much wider bracket and have the swim step welded to it like the later models.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I'm sure this has been answered many times before but is there a reason for the difference in max HP ratings on different years of the 228 Seafarer? I'm guessing it has to do with the increased weight of a 4 stroke motor as opposed to a 2 stroke? I know that on my last boat, an Arima, they actually increased the max HP ratings and if you called up the factory they'd send you a different sticker.