fuel economy

[Bushwacker]

Check out the Boating magazine test in the Literature section of the 20' Seafari with a 140 I/O. It got 5 mpg using 1969 technology level, and it'll cruise easily at 20-25 mph! If you can find a 20' hull with one of these in it, you'll meet your objective with a lot less $ than a new O/B! And yes, I'm averaging over 5 mpg with my E-Tec, but you can buy a lot of gas for what any of these new motors cost. Also, if you're not after a lot of speed, the 20' hull does fine with a 115 O/B, which should be a little cheaper to operate.

[Bigshrimpin]

DB - I still have it . . . I've been real busy. PM me and I'll send you some photos and description. It's rough around the edges, but could clean up nicely.

[dlb511]

Big. Sent you a PM. Thanks for all the info. guys. Appreciate the input.

[Fr. Frank]

If you've got the time to put in regular maintenance, and you don't mind getty oil or grease under your fingernails, the 130/140 Merc I/O on the 20' Seacraft is pretty hard to beat. A friend of mine in Juno has had a 20' Seafari for about 30 years, and consistantly averages about 4.5-5.0 mpg. He repowered in about '86 or '87, and just bought a complete replacement package - same 151 ci 4 cyl. Mercruiser.

For new outboards, I don't have the figures for the 140 Zuke, but the new 130 eTec is incredibly frugal on fuel, as is the new 150 Yammie and Merc 135 Verado.

I have a 90hp Merc Optimax 1.5L 3 cyl.that is adequate for my Seafari. I get about 4.5 mpg average, cruising at 23-24 mph.

For older tech, I really like the 115/130 Yamaha, and any 2.0 litre V6 Merc. The old 2.0 150 Merc may be the most economical V6 2 stroke out there. It surpasses even the new 150 Optimax and the eTec. Cons are the unreliable oil injection, and the massive amounts of smoke it makes at low rpms.

I'm a poor preacher, and I have always preferred outboards, but if I found a 20' with an I/O, I'd probably go that way as a preference, just for economical reasons. Especially considering there is now a 140/150/170 hp bolt-in diesel replacement for the 151ci engine Mercruiser that weighs only 23 lbs more than the original 130/140. 150 hp model burns 5-7 gph at cruise, or about 5-6 mpg.

[dlb511]

Fr. Frank.

Thanks for the info. That gives me a lot more options to consider. I don't mind the greasy fingernails, mine are mostly that way anyhow. I don't have any problem with maintaining the engine it is the outdrive that always seemed to be daunting. Out here there is little to choose from. I have watched Craigslist and Boat Trader for a full year and have not seen one Seacraft closer than San Francisco, and we average over 250 boat listings per day on Craigslist in the Seattle area. I will probably have to head for Miami to find what I want unless I luck out on a California boat. I really want a CC for flyfishing. We have a pretty good supply of Searun Cutthroats in my neighborhood and they are fun on the fly. It is all catch and release, but that is all the fun anyway. My plan is to get a boat I can use here locally during the summer months and then tow to the Baja in the fall/winter to fish the Sea of Cortez. Simple and reliable is what I need.

[Fr. Frank]

Regular maintenance of the sterndrive unit isn't too difficult. This is annual stuff should be done once a year OR every 100 hours of use, whichever comes first. For some people it's more often than once a year, for others 100 hrs takes years to reach. If that's you, use the annual service interval rather than the 100 hr interval.
This doesn't include the engine maintenance, this is just drive and drive operation maintenance.

• Lower unit oil change
• Replace water pump impeller
• shift/exhaust bellows check, no cracks and soft to the touch(Change every 5 yrs or 500 hrs.)
• Check all clamps on hoses and bellows
• Check sacrificial anodes. (always have 6 anodes)
• Check trim hoses and trim cylinder seals
• grease steering linkage
• Grease driveshaft coupler
• Grease u-joints
• Grease gimbal ring/transom mount
• Grease propeller shaft and re-torque prop to 55-60 lbs
• Spray steering rod and linkage with anti-corrosion coating (like Fluid Film)

When I managed marinas, I expected a mechanic to perform a complete standard annual sterndrive service, (that's engine, transom group and drive), in under 4 hours, and many performed the service in under 3. I wasn't/am not a mechanic, and I usually took about 4-5 hours to do the same service for friends and family. One of the biggest factors in service is accessibility, though. I'm now fat and older, and can't fit into some of those tiny spaces

[Bigshrimpin]

Tiny.
I find more Mercs on the used boats I have found than anything else.

There is a reason for that!!! Those pre-92 Yamaha's are all busted up with their shift shafts rotting out and frozen bolts snapping off.

[Tiny]

not looking forward to that day :-)

[Bigshrimpin]

DLB - I sent you some pics of the Master Angler . . . and it's now in the for sale section too with a 2.0L 150 Mercury. I don't have any fuel burn numbers yet . . . I'm guessing it'll be very close to 3.5mpg - 4mpg with flat calm seas. I'll let you know tomorrow