Fuel efficient hp

[WELLTIME]

I'm new to the site and have been reading the forums regarding various power plants pushing the V20. The minimum seems to be a 115 outboard vs a 350 GM with ??? HP. The V20 can be a master of many tasks, however, this is what I would like your opinions on: boating in the Chesapeake with occasional trips offshore (20-25 mi) with several beer bellied buddies on board:beer: (and otherwise loaded) would a 115 be sufficient? Would a bracket with a (115) improve the performance? The 350 would handle ANY squall the Chesapeake could throw at the V20 but the additional weight on the rear, fuel consumption, fuel tank(s) size, maintenance, etc. are also considerations.Fuel economy/speed with the occasional power to plow through a squall are important - I'm not looking to pass a 26' Robalo with 350+ HP hanging off the transom. And last, the 3.7 Mercruiser seems to have it's "special qualities" like me :sun:, but would a 3.0 4 cyl. I/O be enough grunt given the above? Thanks WT.

[macojoe]

IMO all that is needed is a 150hp, this will give you the push for you beer belly friens and pretty good gas miles.

as far as big seas, I don't care if you have a 100 or 300 hp motor, V20's are a stable platform, but they were never made to be a speed boat!!
They key to waves in a V20 is slow and steady when things get ruff.

[WELLTIME]

Macojoe, other than the "all seeing eye" thanks for the post. For your perspective and appreciation ... I had a Maco 25'. Beautiful boat off shore and in the "Chesapeake chop", however, a "wet" ride. When in a squall or off shore in "seas", full throttle was needed to plow from one sine wave to the next with a 225 Merc. . The V20 has a better bow flair and is shorter/ lighter. I would not intentionally go out in the same conditions as the Mako, however, as we know stuff happens. Just looking for the best package to keep me on the water vs the gas pump/repairs. Thanks.

[Seacrets]

What MJ said x2

[reelapeelin]

Agreed...150 OB is as balanced a powerplant for a V-20 as it comes...:nice:

[randlemanboater]

My Johnzuki 140 4 stroke will move my V FULLY loaded just fine, and it gets 5 mpg! :hide:

But to answer your question, WILLY's old V had a 115 on a bracket and he said it did just fine.

[HookedOnMarsh]

Since 150 seems to be about the best HP/MPG size to put on the V20, then what should I expect with a 175? I've seen these boats with 120 on the back and they still pull tubes like a ragdoll. Will fuel economy be worse or better in rough waters with the bigger motor since it has the extra HP over the 150? I want to go offshore with mine too out of Pass Christian, so I know I will be seeing 2-4 footers sometimes coming back from out there.

[macojoe]

I use to get 2.5 to 3 mpg with my 175 yamaha, Like with anything if you hop on it you are going to use more gas. Some motors are better then others, but if proped right and tuned well you will get 2 to 4 on most 2 strokes

[Vic]

I really like my 175 on a bracket. Gets decent milage and can move on when needed.

[Hammerhead]

Dunno if an I/O is an option but, I like the 165 inline 6 Cly. Speed wise it hits 40 with a light load but, I usually cruise at 25-30. In rough seas it's very stable if you take it easy,..usually about 20-22 knots. Maintenance is easy, and parts are plentiful.
Weight wise the I/O helps keeps the boat trimmed evenly at rest and high transom has never had a drop of water come over it.

When I needed to repower I'd considered a bracket with 150 Suki but, at 12K for the changeover opted to jus replace the 165.
1800.oo is what I paid for the new crate motor. 1000.oo to install.

[willy]

They will all work, my previous V Old School did well with a 115 Johnson and I never felt under powered, it was also very good on gas.
My current V has a 150 Yammie two stroke and if I was to repower mine I would opt for a 150 again. I have had the pleasure of running these V's with several different engine combos including a 225 Evinrude. They all have there advantage depending on what you do mostly in your boat. Power it based on your majority usage. All of them will do the other stuff within reason.
My 115 was on an Armstrong bracket and it definetly adds some perfomance but will be morte prone to balance problems with a larger motor on it. I saw that also on other V's.
With a notched transom a 150-175 would be the best all around in my opinion. Keep engine weight in mind on your search because beyond a certain point they will sit low with the thru hulls for the cockpit drains, especially if you have a few beer pounders in the back fishing.
On a bracket a 150 two stroke would be max with a good performing 115-140 two or four working well.
The two I/o's I sea trialed were nice, both had good performance, I did not care for them soley because they were not self bailing in the sense they did not drain overboard but instead drained into the bildge which I did not care for.
For performance and fuel economy I thought they were the best combination, Franco's V with the 350 was very fast he tells me, much more than the outboards he had been on and from what I hear they would be.
They of course are the original four strokes aren't they?
These hulls move out and are sea worthy but they are not built for speed, so there is definetly a point of diminishing returns. I think around 150 you start to get to the point where you have very small increases in performance after that.
If you swap out the beer bellies for some super models you will see an immediate improvement in performance, and a perpetual smile of course

[nipper]

I am very happy with my 4.3 litre (v6) mercruiser (chevy block) engine. Plenty of power and good on fuel. Delivers 190 h.p. at the prop.

[cterrebonne]

willy, do you remember franco's top speed?

[csvencer]

Ditto everyone with the 150 comments. I am running an 02 Yamaha 150 two stroke and fully loaded (six people, two dogs, full fuel, full cooler) hit 41 MPH WOT and cruise at 27-30 getting 3.1 MPG. With a lighter load (2 people, 2 dogs, cooler, fuel) I am seeing 43-44 MPH WOT and 28-32 MPH at 3.4-3.5 MPG.

-Svence

[willy]

And that is just about as good as it gets, more HP less MPG, very little increase in performance.
I am calling Franco this morning I will ask him about the top end and MPG to.

[reelapeelin]

willy, do you remember franco's top speed?


W/the three of us aboard I doubt it could achieve it's top speed :laugh:...
Heck, too much WIND resistance if nothing else...

[willy]

Called him and left message, he will call back sometime and we will find out, I believe he was in mid 40's with her though.

[willy]

Just spoke with Franco, he said his 350 I/O V20 cranked over 50 mph loaded on GPS, so they definetly run with the wind for that combo

[cterrebonne]

Just spoke with Franco, he said his 350 I/O V20 cranked over 50 mph loaded on GPS, so they definetly run with the wind for that combo

yeah thats moving pretty well.

[JKDOBE07]

My 86 v20 has the original 115 yamaha and it runs great. Last week i had 5 guys on it and it moved pretty well untilwaves and wind started. But she still moved great

[Steplift 72']

There's such a range of equipment and load on boats..... A very lightly loaded V20 will run OK with a 115 2 stroke, but a 150 will push them light or heavy. The boats with 200 or more horsepower will fly, somewhat over 50 mph depending on load and prop. The old Alim's were designed as raceboats, but in those days a raceboat had a totally different meaning than today. My 72' model ran well with 135 hp, but I didn't even have a radio or bilge pump so you could say light load to the extreme with only the factory twin 20 gallon saddle tanks. There's no more efficient bilge pump than a scared man with a 5 gallon bucket, and it still works even if your battery fails.

[RABBITFISH]

For what it's worth, I originally started with a 140 Suzuki, top end ran about 42, and that was with a light load. However crusing speeds were more in the 28 to 34 mph range. As the need for speed grew, I graduated to what I am using now, a 225 Yamaha 0x66 and wot runs in the low 50's which in my opinion is not very practical, nor do I ever run that fast. I generally run about 3800 to 4200 rpm and get my 38 to 42 mph out of that but there is a lot more throttle left.....When I run offshore in any kind of seas, I am only running what I need to stay on top and trimmed, usually about 2800 to 3200 rpm and 28 to 30 mph... I hardly ever use the rest of the motor's power. Also, looking back on early pictures of my boat I observed that it now rides a lot lower in the stern and with a couple guys in the back the scuppers are under.........Rethinking and looking back I would probably go down to a 150 or a 175 where I think the torque and hp would help to keep on plane and manage any loads, but still keep the overall weight in the rear a little more manageable. I am not sure of the weight difference betweena a 150 and a 225, but it seems like the weight on the back is critical.........

Tommy:nice: