bracket on a 1978 23'

[reelclassic]

Yes but the reliability you have with twins is very nice!

[peterb]

I thought that twins were an overkill on a boat like a 23" SeaCraft (until I got a boat that came with twins)

Now I am on my 2nd SeaCraft with twins. They are great to have.

[JohnB]

I thought that twins were an overkill on a boat like a 23" SeaCraft (until I got a boat that came with twins)

Now I am on my 2nd SeaCraft with twins. They are great to have.

If your running the middle grounds or bahamas out of Florida, or the Canyons up north, twins are nice, but a bigger boat is even better . 23' seems to be the edge of where twins make sense. A big 23' with a big bracket is ok, but whether you have 1 or 2 motors, it's still a open 23' boat. I guess the reliability of twins is an option, but I would rather have a satilite phone, 2 radios, and SeaTow than a second motor. As for speed, you can rarely run wot in the open ocean.

Can you get a SeaCraft up on plane with 1 motor? I have never tried that. I wouldn't have twins unless I knew I could get on plane with one motor. Just my opinion...

[reelclassic]

Good point....

[peterb]

JohnB,

I cannot get up on plane with one engine. However, I did have an issue this past summer where I was 15 miles offshore and had to come home on one engine. I averaged 8 miles per hour but made it home.

Regarding some of your other comments:
I like to go offshore and cannot afford a bigger boat at this time. A satellite phone alone is not going to cut it. Redundency is the name of the game offshore.

I bet if you poll the users that have this setup most, if not all, prefer the setup to a single engine.

Please don't take this as a bash at a single engine setup. It is not. I have had both and merely prefer the twin setup.

Peter

[1bayouboy]

Maybe one of the guru's (Father Frank) can answer this....but if you had twins and lost one, and you had a much lower pitch prop for the remaining engine that would let the engine rev up to it's proper RPM but at the RPM would only be pushing the boat a little past it's minimum planing speed.....would that work....???

[Old'sCool]

That's the perfect scenario. But most would have to carry one each for counter-rotation.....and then one each for spun hub....for a total of (4) spares. Overkill? Yes, but what's the right answer??

[1bayouboy]

If I'm just trying to get home I guess the cheapest aluminum prop I could get would work......if it'd work at all as I described. I know with a kicker it's best to get a much lower pitch prop.....

[Fr. Frank]

I've come home from West End in the Bahamas to Ft. Pierce Florida on a 25' Robalo being pushed by a 15hp Chrysler (yes, Chrysler) kicker motor after losing the big Merc main motor. It took over 12 hours.
I absolutely endorse the use of twins when venturing more than 30 miles offshore, or at the very least, a reliable kicker motor.
BTW, the first 20' SeaCraft I ever rigged was a 1974 Seafari repowering from a 135 Evinrude to twin 85 hp Mercurys.
Twins = best choice for offshore
Single + Kicker = 2nd choice
Single + radio/Sat phone w/ no backup motor = too risky for cruising far offshore, IMHO
SeaTow or TowboatUS = Necessary insurance any way you go.

[Snookerd]

I'm with Father Frank on the priority list.....I will add:
Most of us have a budget and we are pretty smart to stick with what works for our own situation-bang for the buck. The SeaMark bracket has proven itself and deserves it's reputation-read the last 5 years of threads. PeterB is right, most of us would choose twins over a single outboard for offshore. JohnB, Eggsuckindog, Fellowship and many others say single all the way-I see their point as well(singles allow the 23 a better center balance and are more efficient). Most recent twin bracket set-ups are either light 4strokes like Briguy or new 2stroke Etecs/Optis like Skiblet's twin 200 Etecs, Generaider's Evinrude DI 135's, Ect..