just got a 23, please advise

[fatalbert]

Hi folks, i found your board in doing some research before a boat purchase and have been encouraged to pick up an '85 23' Sceptre. The hull is great, has good electronics, and is a fish-ready package with the exception of 2 humongous, problematic, P.O.S. 200 hp Suzukis weighing the ass down. I want 'em gone and a new single 250, preferably a Yamaha. I would love to do a complete resto, but the boat has been maintained well enough to where i just (help me out here)can't justify it. Anyway, my questions are initially with regard to the repower and the transom notch. The notch seems a little low for my likes, especially in a following North Carolina sea while trying to slow troll. Can this be altered without a lot of grief and expense so as to raise the engine a bit? Also, would I need a longer shaft on the 250? BTW, I'm not a big fan of brackets, but if the benefits are worth it, I'd consider. Thank you all for your replies.

Proud New Owner

[squidrig]

What year and how many hours are on your suzuki's? Big fan of the bracket best part is the closed off transom. A flotation bracket might be a good call here considering your stern weight.

[FELLOW-SHIP]

HA FATALBERT
WELCOME TO THE BOARD SOUNDS LIKE YOU GOT YOURSELF A REAL BOAT THERE. I ALSO HAVE A 23’ MINE IS THE CENTER CONSOL DESIGN. AS FOR YOUR TWO QUESTIONS, I HAVE ONE 225 YAMAHA ON THE BACK OF MINE AND THAT’S ALL THE POWER YOU NEED. IT GETS UP ON A PLAIN AT AROUND 3,000 RPM’S AND CRUISES NICELY AT ABOUT 3,500 TO 4,000 THAT’S ABOUT 25-32 MPG TOP SPEED IS IN THE MID 40’S. ON MY BOAT I RE DID THE TRANSOM BUT DID NOT CHANGE THE HEIGHT IT WAS SET UP FOR A 30” SHAFT. I THINK THAT SHOULD BE THE SAME HEIGHT FOR YOURS. WHAT YOU DO IS MEASURE THE LENGTH OF THE TRANSOM FROM THE TOP TO THE CENTER TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TRANSOM WHERE THE DRAIN PLUG SHOULD BE. IT WILL BE EITHER 30” LONG OR 25” LONG. IF IT IS 30” THEN THAT’S GREAT, IF IT IS 25” LONG THAN YOU COULD HAVE SOME PROBLEMS WITH WATER COMING IN FROM THE TRANSOM. IF YOU DO WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT BY GOING WITH 1 250 HPDI YAMAHA THEY WEIGH ABOUT 550 LBS. THAT IS A LOT LESS THEN TWO 200 SUZUKI THAT GOT TO WEIGH ABOUT 900 LBS. YOU WILL SEE A BIG DIFFERENCE JUST BY GOING TO ONE 30’ EXTRA LONG SHAFT MOTOR PLUS THE NEW HIGH PRESSURE ARE GOOD ON GAS AND OIL TO BOOT.
FELLOW-SHIP [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[BacDoc]

I agree with squidrig - close the transom and put the motor on a bracket. The 23 is made for that combo.

[FELLOW-SHIP]

HA BACDOC
HOW’S THE FISHING UP THERE?? I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THE MULLET RUN DOWN HERE BUT STILL NOTHING YET THERE HAVE BEEN PLENTY OF OTHER TYPES OF BAIT BUT NO MULLET. LOOKING FOR THE SAIL FISH TO START SHOWING UP AS WELL AS SOME KINGS.
FELLOW-

[fatalbert]

thanks guys. I just went and measured, it takes a 30" shaft.

the suzukis are 85's and have @ 350 hrs, new rings and they'd be good to go for awhile, but my issue is weight/economy. The previous owner removed the in deck livewell and installed an extra 50 gal gas tank(60 miles to the stream), thus putting more weight astern. When I saw the waterline on the transom, it scared the shit out of me. I've pulled more than one (never a seacraft) off the bottom of our canals that were ass-heavy. The bracket/full transom sounds OK, but I'm going for that original look if I can help it. It looks like the "new" motor will be a '99 Merc. 250 EFI w/ 50 hrs. Another deal I couldn't pass up. At least the blue stickers on the Merc will match the hull. If all goes without incident, I'll only have about $10K in the COMPLETE package if I don't sell my other boat and go crazy with this thing. Sight unseen, what do you guys think, good deal or not.

[Billybob]

FA - You're saying $10k with the new 250 Merc, I can't see how this can be anything but a good deal, the motor's worth it.As far as the weight, you'll see that rear come back up with just the one horse, and just don't fill that transom tank unless you need it and then use it up first.I have a single 225 on my 23 and my transom rides noticably high.As far as the notched transom, mines only a 25" but I have that big splashwell.Water is always coming in, but it goes right back out - it's really no problem the only reason I would want to bracket it is to give me back some room in the cockpit, but really only 2 guys are gonna fish the transom at once bracket or splashwell, so it's not that big a deal. When I repower, I'll probably go with a single 250 and maybe bracket it then. Good luck.

[fatalbert]

350 total hrs, runs 55+.

I talked to my local dealer and he suggested a repower package of twin 130 Hondas or 140 Suzukis (4-strokes).Would make long offshore trips much more doable. Does anyone have any experience with either of these packages performance-wise? Hate to go into debt or anything, but what the heck.

[Bigshot]

How fast does she run now with the 200's? Sounds like a fun ride. Do they have 350 hours since psuedo rebuild or total?

[Briguy]

FatAlbert, I have twin 115 Suzuki 4 strokes on my 78' 23' CC. At 4000 rpm, I get 25-26kts and burn only 10gph. Even if I crank it up to 4500 rpm's for 30kts I get about 2.8mpg. My max speed is 43mph. If you went with the 140hp 4 strokes, you would probably touch 50mph. This package would let you cruise out 60 miles, troll all day and ride back on about 45-50 total gallons. I bet with the twin 200's you burn 90 gallons. That 250hp Merc is a gas hog. If you were going to buy it, make sure the dealer hooks up a computer(if possible) to the ecm and find out if it really has 50 hours on it. In addition, run a compression test. It should be up to factory specks. Lastly, weight with twins is always an issue. I am adding a flotaton bracket as we speak due to my low transom. It wasn't dangerous but I still want that extra peace of mind. Good luck with whatever route you choose and welcome to the board. [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]