23 CC Power Opinions - Page 3

RUSTYNTABATHA · #21 08-18-2006, 11:35 AM

THE SEA GRASS IS A BIG DEAL DOWN THERE. THE FLATS ARE MOSTLY PUSH POLE OR TROLLING MOTOR ONLY.THUS THE TICKET. UP HERE WE HAVE SAND BARS W/ NO GRASS SO PULLING THE BOAT OFF HERE POSED NO THREAT TO EEL OR TURTLE GRASSES.PLUS THE SAND BAR IS ACTUALY A ISLAND IN OUR PASS. LOOK @ THE CHARTS FO PERDIDO PASS ,AL THE ONE CLOSEST TO THE PASS... THAT WOULD BE IT. I WAS JUST IN LOWER MATECUMBE FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 4 SOMBODY HAD A REBUILT 20 CC I THINK YELLOW W/ GRN BOTTOM LOOK GREAT. WE GO TO THE KEYS EVERY YEAR AROUND THE 4TH MAYBE ILL GET TO STOP ON THE WAY DOWN FOR A DINNER W/ THE SOUTH END GUYS AND SWAP PICTURES.

goodpen · #22 08-18-2006, 03:52 PM

The more I think about what has been written on this thread and others, having a single might be the best avenue. I would rather have a setup where I do not have to worry about how much weight is in the back of the boat and always having to plug the scuppers or what a following sea is going to do to me.

I am still planning on raising the transom to 30 inches and I am also conteplating what to do with the wal between the splashwell and the cockpit. The pictures on this site sure do show a variety of styles.

Has Strick provided any performance numbers for the 250 Suzuki he put on his boat?

FELLOW-SHIP · #23 08-19-2006, 07:11 AM

This is what I did with mine used a part of what I had and customized it. Works great gives me more room and keeps the water out.

BEFORE

MIDDLE

AFTER

FellowShip
__________________________________________________ ________
Just for the Grins

laser · #24 08-20-2006, 12:10 PM

HI FELLOWSHIP
I redid my 23 that originally had twin I/Os with a bracket and twin 135s Ficht Rudes. I know what you mean about not trying to make something that it is not but when I was done it sure looked like the new 25 only mine was 1 foot longer. The ride was very smooth and stable and have been several times I was very happy to happy to have a full transom.
Professor - As far as twin vs. single these new motors are a lot of electronics. I was idling up the new river and shifted into neutral to see a manatee and when I went to go the port engine was off and would not restart - computer went out! I would not want to be 60 miles offshore with only a kicker that why I went with 2.

I'm amazed with the facination with HP!!! I have twin 135s and I wouldn't want to go any faster and most conditions I can't go WOT so why spend the extra $$$ for HP that's not used?

You are about to embark on a journey that most of us have done (and some more than once!) don't cut corners that you regret later because the cost is more later to put the corner back in! Go with the advice given earlier - it's your boat make it the way you want it and will use it - We are all here to help you with OUR opinions!! The beauty of these boats is that no 2 are alike - kind of like our children and we all love to show them off.

Have fun and enjoy the work. Be sure to document your progress so you can show off to us!

Bill
Owner of 2 - master of none

goodpen · #25 08-21-2006, 10:22 AM

I am not interested in high horsepower as I am in not making my motors work too hard. What I mean is, I want to get the most speed at the lowest rpm I can without totally overpowering the boat. With fuel prices the way they are, every mpg improvement we can make, the better.

Some, outbaord computers are like car computers, they don't kick in until the motor is up to temperature. My Honda 130 is like that, if you can get power to the essential components (i.e. high pressure fuel pump, injectors and spark the motor will run with a blown computer and main relay. Luckily when I discovered this I wasn't in the middle of nowhere but at my dock. But months later when I was in the Everglades NP Wilderness Waterway and the motor cut out and would not start because the HP fuel pump wasn't coming on. It was good to know how to jumper power to the HP pump to get the moter to run. Eventually I discovered the motor had a bad Engine Harness. This motor has an interesting history as to what may have contributed to the bad harness that I will have to tell someday.

Fellow-ship: Did you have a different idea initially on how to alter the splashwell wall. One of the pictures of your boat in the Gallery section show where the wall is cut down about 2/3s. Was that an origianl plan that was changed to the current setup? How is it moving around the cockpit with the current design? Does the short wall cause much of a trip hazard? It looks like you raised the transom height as well?

FELLOW-SHIP · #26 08-21-2006, 11:16 AM

Hi Professor

In the gallery the pictures were of a ongoing project. I did not take them with a mind set of steps to show others I just took some pictures from time to time as I worked. I didn’t even own a digital camera at that time. In fact, this web sight did not exist when I got started. Jayson and I where just doing our boats his up north and mine in Florida. He decided to do the web sight which we now all enjoy and all have benefited by (thanks Jayson). I did my boat kind of like a puzzle I would do so much here and then move to another spot and do something else depending on weather conditions, available materials, drying times, and projected time left in a day to do certain things. In the morning I might be putting one layer of ¾ plywood on the transom and in the afternoon sanding the paint off the hull. As for moving around the boat especially around the CC if I had to do it all over again I would have cut the CC down the middle and re moved 6-8” of the with so I could walk from bow to stern more easily with the rod holders on both sides of the CC and a 8’ beam is really not enough room with the original CC. As for the stern area that’s great plenty or room and there is no hazard in tripping over the splash well. It keeps the water in the splash well and it you want you can step over it to mess around the motor well no problems. As for the transom height the boat had a 30” transom height and I kept it that way.

In my opinion that is the only way to do for a single motor On the transom. If you go with twins or just like brackets I would only go with a flotation bracket Designed for Twins and use Either Light 4 cylinder 2 strokes or Any 250 you like. These three boat to motor set ups are Perfect for this boat. Now it is just a matter of personal preference. I will say though that you still should deal with the scuppers and move weight forward like I stated earlier to you.

FellowShip

_______________________________________________

My motto: Just for the Grins

goodpen · #27 08-21-2006, 02:20 PM

FellowShip,

What do you mean by "Deal with the Scuppers"? Moving the outlet from the bottom of the hull to the transom or raising the floor? My plan is to move the exit to the transom and plug the holes in the hull bottom.

Professor

FELLOW-SHIP · #28 08-21-2006, 02:53 PM

That’s what I am talking about running them through the back of the transom. If you go with just one motor you could keep them as they are if you move weight forward. I kept them as they are and works ok but again if I was going to do again I would run them out the back.

FellowShip

_______________________________________________

My motto: Just for the Grins

Briguy · #29 08-22-2006, 03:30 PM

Professor,

I tried to go with twin 115 suzuki's on the back of my '78 cc and it didn't work. Even with a 30" transom I took water over the back and those motors weigh 832 combined and I moved my batteries under the console. My current setup is a completely closed transom and a Mattson bracket. I also went from a fuel tank that was 155 gallons and 8 1/2 feet long to one that is 103 gallons and 5ish feet long thus moving more weight up front. I can keep my scuppers open but choose not to as too much water will end up in the boat. I don't sit stern low but I do wish my bracket had another 200lbs of flotation.

Long story short, I love my setup and would never ever consider going 50+ offshore with an open transom.

My opionion is to do the job right and get a good bracket and if you need the power get 150 or 175 Suzukis. I don't like the idea of you offshore with a single. Now the question-----are you ready to spend 30k on this project?????

PS you will love the ride of the SeaCraft even more with a bracket.

goodpen · #30 08-22-2006, 11:04 PM

I don't have issues going off shore with an open transom boat since upto this year have been going out in a 23 Regulator with twins alot further. Also around here there are alot of single engine boats making a 50 mile run to a reef just short of the stream. On the weekend it is like being on well used country road. All the reefs (mostly man made) are all in an easterly direction off the coast so there is constant traffic along the way. So it is nice to know that if you get in trouble you will be able to contact someone on the radio. Also one of the towing services here has quite the radio tower.

Right now the set-up will be for a single with a 30 inch transom with as much weight forward as I can get. After the boat is splashed and I get a feel for what the boat can and cannot do, I will re-evaluate the setup and make adjustments accordingly (which may include adding a bracket). After all its only time and money.

My current restoration plan is not as ambitious as some of the boats highlighted on this forum and hopefully I can keep it under 30K for the original plan. After that only the sky is the limit, right?