Sceptre / Tsunami with Bracket Perf ?

[abl1111]

How is the performance of a 23' Tsunami/ Sceptre with a flotation bracket ? What, is the difference in the ride ?

What are some of the pro's and cons ? Aside from more space and having an O/B ?

Has anyone converted from an i/o to this and what are your thoughts on the outcome ?

I know the passion and sometimes bias for our boats so, please put that aside and provide accurate feedback.

And, what bracket is the preferred one for a single 250 - 300 ? Would the i/o fuel tank of 75 gallons be sufficient ?

Thx - doing a little research.

[DonV]

I would suggest doing a little search on "Kmoose", he has a ton of real life results on his rebuild of his Tsunami. One note though; you will see his passion and bias.

[kmoose]

I have experience with Tsunami hull with both I/Os (502 + duoprop) and outboards mounted on the transom and my current set up of a single 300 on a Hermco double. All have their highs and lows.
The big block I/O was a beast that rode very well in the 25-28 knot range. Very stable and responsive with plenty of grunt. Deck space was the biggest issue with the engine box taking up the most used part of the boat. Due to the weight and distribution it rode the best but cruise speeds were typically lower than outboard models and it would cost you in fuel if you tried to run hard to make time. Maintenance and repair were misery and if you needed to change the starter the entire exhaust manifold had to come off.

Outboard on the transom was a great option and performed very well. I removed my motor well so I had more room than most but I also had a 10" offset bracket to make that happen and my transom was built for a 30" motor. All around handling was best with this set up with good low speed plane and trim control.

My recent build is well documented here and radical changes were made in layout, weight and configuration. It would be hard to compare my current ride with a Tsunami that wasn't modified as mine is. That said I have lost in some handling characteristics like turning radius and trim responsiveness but gained in cruise/top speed and overall fuel efficiency. The boat is effectively longer and bridges Gulf chop gap better which is a big deal for me and the usable room in the boat has almost doubled due to the full transom, storage and platform.

Most performance changes between the versions can be adjusted with different props, tabs and engine height so it really comes down to how much you want to spend and how important usable space is to you. With a modern 4 stroke outboard of any make, 75 gallons should easily give you 150 nautical mile range with plenty of reserve.

Feel free to PM me your contact if you want to chat about this in more detail.

[abl1111]

I've had my SeaCraft for 13-14 years. She runs great - and I'm very happy with her. She is tricked out the way I want. And, I keep her in perfect running order - a family boat when needed and the perfect fishing vessel when the stripers come in. In the short-chop I play in - she eats it up.

I'm a little bored though.

Am playing with the idea of making a move to a slightly bigger boat that has a great ride like our beloved 23' SC. For the size, almost nothing beats it ( although there are some nice 23-25 boats that do, or come real close ). Of course, they will be a lot of $.

Having an outboard model of the Tsunami/Sceptre is appealing - the work of actually doing it - not so much. I've always heard mixed reviews. Personally, I don't like the i/o for maintenance BUT ( that's a big but ), there is no better ride than the i/o - the weight lets it sit just right. So, if the bracketed outboard provided the same ride, I'd consider it.

Just thinking out loud...

[kmoose]

Originally Posted by abl1111

I've had my SeaCraft for 13-14 years. She runs great - and I'm very happy with her. She is tricked out the way I want. And, I keep her in perfect running order - a family boat when needed and the perfect fishing vessel when the stripers come in. In the short-chop I play in - she eats it up.

I'm a little bored though.

Am playing with the idea of making a move to a slightly bigger boat that has a great ride like our beloved 23' SC. For the size, almost nothing beats it ( although there are some nice 23-25 boats that do, or come real close ). Of course, they will be a lot of $.

Having an outboard model of the Tsunami/Sceptre is appealing - the work of actually doing it - not so much. I've always heard mixed reviews. Personally, I don't like the i/o for maintenance BUT ( that's a big but ), there is no better ride than the i/o - the weight lets it sit just right. So, if the bracketed outboard provided the same ride, I'd consider it.

Just thinking out loud...

Ride at the same speed will be very close, especially if you don't do anything to lighten the hull up. The ride only changes as cruise speeds go up with the use of outboard power. 28 knot+ cruise speeds in chop allow the hull to leave the water with the transom falling into the gap. This is not a comfortable occurrence in any small offshore hull. The only remedy at that speed is enough weight to not leave the water or more deadrise which a SeaCraft does not have. You certainly can find similar hulls that have 24+ degrees that ride better in certain wave heights and frequencies but you pay for that in snap roll at rest.

If you keep the build heavy the ride would remain close and putting in a larger fuel tank would do it. I lightened my boat all over because I run with such a heavy dive load and extended fuel. When I run her without the load it is a lot of fun to drive but she will try to "fly" if pushed into a sea that will provide the ramps.

[wattaway2]

Often wondered if the issue with a bracket boat not steering as responsively as a non bracketed boat was in effect you know had a boat that was 2 1/2 ft longer.you can’t expect a longer boat to turn as quickly as a shorter boat. As for other aspects of the ride I would defer to others but I love the room it opened up on my 23cc

[kmoose]

Originally Posted by wattaway2

Often wondered if the issue with a bracket boat not steering as responsively as a non bracketed boat was in effect you know had a boat that was 2 1/2 ft longer.you can’t expect a longer boat to turn as quickly as a shorter boat. As for other aspects of the ride I would defer to others but I love the room it opened up on my 23cc

I noticed a slight reduction in low speed turning responsiveness but I think that is more a consequence of the greatly increased motor height. With the O/B on the transom you have a lot more motor and skeg down deep helping with the turning. The performance gains from a bracket mount far exceed and slight steering response loss to which most would not even notice.