Repowering 18' Potter

[BocaSeacraft]

I finally purchased the new motor and am bringing the boat in today to have it installed. Hope to be back on the water soon. Ended up getting a Suzuki DF90 for the same price I would have paid for a Tohatsu. Had to go 4 stroke. I will report back once I have some hours on the new set up.

[sidelock]

We're still waiting !

[BocaSeacraft]

Well, motor is installed and went for the sea trial this afternoon. I just want to say the guys at Drummond Outboard in Deerfield Beach did a heck of a nice job installing the motor. Joel and Zach are a great father and son team who really spend the time to get it right. First impressions of the motor are very favorable. I'm still in the break in period but the DF90 gets the boat up on plane with ease, even with 4 of us aboard (about 750#) and half a tank of fuel, all equipment, etc. It holds plane down to about 3200 RPM with the 14x16 Suzuki prop. At idle it is so quiet I can barely tell it's running. The wife and I are taking it out tomorrow for the day to put some hours on it and get ourselves familiarized with the new setup. I will report back once we get a chance to put it through its paces after break in.

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by BocaSeacraft

. . . I'm still in the break in period but the DF90 gets the boat up on plane with ease, even with 4 of us aboard (about 750#) and half a tank of fuel, all equipment, etc. It holds plane down to about 3200 RPM with the 14x16 Suzuki prop. . .

Another data point proving why "light is right" on the very efficient 18/20' SeaCraft hulls! Maybe someday folks will finally start to believe us old timers that actually ran these boats with 300 lb motors back in the 70's! My experience is that the poor balance with heavy 150-200 hp motors really hurts the amazing ride, load carrying and 12 mph planing capabilities that these boats were famous for back in the day!

[BocaSeacraft]

Had a great day out. Put about 7 hours on the new motor. This thing is sweet. Boat likes to run at around 4000 rpm (17 mph or so). 5000 is about 26-27. The motor gets the boat on plane instantly. With me and the wife aboard with full safety gear, fishing gear and about 20 gallons of fuel, we could hit 6000 rpm. The faster you go the lower the bow dips. The boat makes the captain feel very secure in all situations. We ran from Boca down to Fort Lauderdale and back. Stopped at the Nauty Dawg for lunch. The motor never missed a beat. I would highly recommend a Suzuki DF90 if you are thinking about re-powering your SeaCraft 18. Cheers!

[Terry England]

Perfect!

[bitsamonkey]

Looking good! I knew you would like that motor, it transformed the way my boat handles. It's great how flat it runs, right? I run the factory Suzuki 3 blade stainless 14x18 with a cup added. I can spin that prop right to the limiter. I usually cruise at around 4800 rpm 26-28 mph. Motor seams happy there. Enjoy and put as many hours as possible on it!