Repowering with OB - Hp?

[reelapeelin]

Originally Posted by mgarfield

I'm looking to repower my V20. Currently it has an older Johson 120 2stroker. It can pull up a younger skier and will do +-35 top end with 2 on board. Considering putting on a 150hp 4stroke, but not sure if it is enough Hp. Any expereince as to if 150Hp is enough to pull up an adult skier? Would rather a 175Hp but options there are limited it seems. It also seems a 200Hp 4 cycle is too big and heavy - not to mention price. Any suggestions/advice/experience -- Thanks

If you are repowering w/new outboard and pulling skiers outta the water is a priority for you, I'd tell you to drop the idea of 4-stroke and follow Tsubaki's suggestion of a 175 or 200 hp Etec...BRP really did their homework on these motors and got rid of a lot of 2-stroke problems...Lumberslinger dropped a 200 HP small-block Etec on his several years back and I think he'd agree...that motor will give you low-end torque you're just not gonna find w/any 4-stroker light enough to go on a V-20 hull...make sure your transom's in good shape...the boat is RATED for 200 hp, but some of our beloved old V-20s are suffering from the ravages of time and water intrusion in the tranny area...good luck and let us know what you do...

[spareparts]

don't forget about Opti's a 150 or 175 hp Opti would be hard to beat

[THEFERMANATOR]

IMHO #1 would be a 200HP ETEC from what you describe followed closely by an OPTIMAX(only rerason the ETEC is #1 is you can get more HP with less weight). For a 4 stroke I would go with the 175HP SUZUKI followed up by a 150 YAMAHA and then a 150 HONDA. The 150 YAMAHA is an under rated engine by most all accounts that is much closer to 175HP. I don't think the 140 SUZUKI would have enough bottem end grunt to pull up a skier very well. If your on a budget and don't run it alot, I would look for a good used 2.5L MERCURY 200HP EFI(not an OPTIMAX). But DEFINATELY make sure your transom is up to the challenge as these new outboards ARE heavier.