What do you recomend twin 150's or twin 200's

[captainmichael]

Dear Grady owners of twin 150's and Twin 200's (new in line 4)

Looking for some feedback and advice. Thinking of a new 2015 Gulfstream. I am torn between twin 150's or twin (in line 4) 200's. The 200's come with the new command link plus and electronic shift/throttle. They also come with a fairly decent price premium. Not sure if it worth the additional cost

For folks that run a 232 Gulfstream, 258 Journey, 255 Freedom, 275 Freedom, 257 Fisherman do you have any experience with the pros and cons of both set up. I am most concerned about the hole shot and mid range acceleration comparisons between the two motors. I would hate to have 6 adults and full fuel on the 232 and have a sluggish move to plane or in following seas don't have the throttle response to control the boats spacing between waves. Is there a noticeable difference between the two? I am not worried about top end speed capabilities. I will be mostly running in the 20 mph to 30 mph range.

Thanks

Captain Michael

 

[fishbust]

6 adults on a 23 footer? How about a used Express?

 

[Hotchief]

I don't think there is a significant difference in throttle power between the in line 200's vs. the 150's when mounted on a 232.
The older V6 200's yes, but not on the in-line 200's - especially when they have to compensate/adjust for 87 octance fuel.

The fly by wire option is nice but added cost is questionable on a 23 footer when the price cruises past $125k.

I got the twin 150's and they perform great on this boat.
They are proven and designed to run on 87 octane.

I ease into the sticks and she rolls right up on plane with a family of 4, full fuel, and H20. I have never felt like I needed to hammer down go get rolling.

The twin props provide plenty of torque and bite coming on plane and a plenty fast cruise between 3600-4000 RPM which is usually 25-31 MPH.

Good luck on your search, I came off a 208 with an F225 and the 232 is an ox.

 

[J-Sea]

I run a 257 advance with twin 150 yami - I am an avid off-shore fisherman and frequently load this boat with 3-4 200 lb guys, ice, 5 cans of chum, Viking life raft, ditch bags, epirbs, etc etc three group 27 batteries, backup 900 amp jumper pack to boost myself if breakdown offshore, all the tools I've ever used to work on the boat should I need to make a mid trip fix, sat phone, and 151 gallons of fuel and I have zero problem - in fact loaded down as I've just explained, depending on seas, I'll run anywhere from 3,800 - 4,300 RPMs achieving 26 - 31 mph at 2.2 - 2.3 mpg - very Economical and love the setup - I don't run the motors hard but sometimes when you're making the run home I'll spruce it up to 4,500 - 4,800 rpms and achieve 35-37 mph also achieve no less than 2.0mpg - I calculate estimated fuel burn based on weight and distance etc before each trip to follow the 1/3 rule (1/3 there, 1/3 back and 1/3 reserve) and these figures I'm citing are quite accurate

Good luck - the 150s are proven and if taken care of, will last a long long time

JC

 

[magicalbill]

I agree with Hotchief;
I have a 232 with twin 200 V6 4-strokes, circa 2006. I chose them over the 150's and am glad I did, but since the subject matter concerns the new 200's, I would go with the tried-and-true 150's.
I have had no experience with the new 200's, (the in-line 4's) but the people and the tech I have talked to say that they don't have the low end torque of the older 200's and that's what really matters in your future application and boating needs.
Therefore, the 150's are the choice, I think. The older V6 200's are the perfect power for the 232 if you can still get them, but between the 150's and the new 200's I would opt for the 150's.
Fishbust has a point too. 6 passengers aboard a 232 is too crowded for comfort in my opinion. Bigger would be better if that is your normal passenger tally.

One more thing, as J-Sea and Hotchief have said, the 150's are proven and will last awhile, given proper care/maintenance. That is something not to ignore. (Ex. the new 350's..they have had trouble since their inception.)

 

[cgmiller]

I have twin 150's on my 230 and they are plenty of power..and for you to worry about "Hole Shot" on a 23 foot 7000 pound rig, you are worrying about something that you should not in my opinion..you are not trying to get a flats boat up on plane in 2' of water..it takes some momentum to get a heavy rig up and moving and climbing out of the hole, if you are hammering the throttles to have a hole shot, you are beating on the engines and wasting fuel...my boat has not had any problems getting up in plane with a boat full of people..6 or more...it loafs along running 24-25 mph at 3400 rpms netting 2.3 mpg and will touch 40 mph at WOT..will easily run 30 mph at 4000 rpms and 35 at 4500...

 

[grady23]

Although I have 1997 2-strokes, the 150's are a proven engine and PLENTY of power for the Gulfstream. I launch with the motors all the way down and then trim up for cruising. When I get out to troll and finish my setup, I cutoff one and troll on one. This allows mine fuel burn to drop below 2/gal/hr. I don't feel the added expense for the 200's is worth it.

 

[ElyseM]

i had an '02 with twin f200's. the 232 is a heavy boat. the 200's were perfect. i cruised in the 3 to 4k range, very easy on the motors. if i rigged a new one, no question that i would put twin f200's with dts. the lighter engine weight is an added plus. you can compare the performance data for the 150 and the 200. to me it does show the 200's working a little less. i have found the data is very close to real world results. good luck, ron

 

[dsi183]

I have a 2014 Gulfstream 232 with twin F200-I4's. They are the all digital versions. Yamaha does make an F200-I4 without the digital controls so make sure your dealer writes it up the right way. My dealer called them the F200XCA and LF200XCA Digital Clip Outboards. The one option I missed on the engines is YCOP which might be a good feature if you are going to keep the boat in the water. I can't tell you how nice the digital controls are. The throttle and shifting is so smooth and precise with no clunking when you shift into or out of gear. It makes maneuvering with the two engines so much easier. I have operated my friends boat with twin 150 and there is no comparison. I'm sure the 150's would be adequate power but I do feel I can cruse along at a good clip and still have plenty of power in reserve. As far as space goes if you are talking about a boat ride the Gulfstream will accommodate 6 adults with no problem and with the fold up transom seat everyone has a place to sit. The extra beam makes for a very nice cockpit. For fishing I like to keep it at 4 adults. I guess if the fishing was straight up and down you could get away with six, but the gear adds up quickly and while the cabin is very nice it fills up fast with tackle bags, clothing, lunch and drinks. Even faster if your fishing in cold weather where everyone brings some extra clothing and rain gear! I equipped mine with the bow pulpit and windless and had Grady install the Lewmar wireless remote for the windless. I'm very happy with the remote. It makes operating the windless much easier as I can move around to be able to see where the anchor and line are. I also included all the options except Bow lifting Ring, Electric Head (went with the Manual Head), Outriggers, Cabin Rod Holders and Foredeck Cushions. I like the Deluxe II helm and companion chairs but you should know they make for a tight space to pass through to get to the helm or cabin. I might not have ordered them if I had known that. I took delivery of the boat in April of 2014 and have been very happy with it. I keep it on a trailer otherwise I might have gone bigger, but not the 25 as its not as wide and the cockpit is a foot smaller. The boat feels like a much bigger boat. With the wide beam and closed full height transom if feels very safe on the water. I installed the electronics my self and if I had know I would have asked the factory to put a pull cord from the bilge area to the helm to make installing the transducer a little easier. I was able to get it done but my one arm seemed to be a few inches longer for a few days! Grady does put in some good sized rigging tubes but they are quite deep by the helm area. Good Luck

 

[captainmichael]

Thanks dsi. Appreciate all the detail. Interesting comment on the deluxe II chairs. This seems to indicate the deluxe II are wider than the deluxe I. Is that true?

 

[dsi183]

I never measured the standard helm chairs but the deluxe ones look wider and feel wider the the standard ones that were on the dealers demo boat. The deluxe ones are very comfortable! I have found that folding the inside armrest up does give a little more room to move through that area when not underway.

 

[captainmichael]

dsi183
I had a chance to measure the difference between the deluxe I (standard on the 232) and the deluxe II. The deluxe II is about 1.25" wider. That means the passageway is about 2.5" narrower with the deluxe II helms seats. Does not sound like much but that little bit does make a bit of a difference. I agree that titling up the arm on the deluxe II helps. We tried that in the show room and noticed the difference.