My 1987 Fisherman 20

[spareparts]

dont waste your time with the 235(two thirsty five), a removable splash board will help that transom. Spectrum color.com may help with teh gel coat. BTW, where are you located?

[SkunkBoat]

Assuming your going to run in the ocean or LI Sound, better to have a 25" transom. Then get a 4 stroke motor.

You'll never get a perfect match of gelcoat because the boat has faded

[Night_Sailor]

Originally Posted by SkunkBoat

Assuming your going to run in the ocean or LI Sound, better to have a 25" transom. Then get a 4 stroke motor.

You'll never get a perfect match of gelcoat because the boat has faded

Well, why not go to 30". If I raise the transom higher is better, eh?

I don't know much about outboards. I work on inboard diesels mostly.

Why a 4 stroke? Is the fuel economy that much better? What can I expect to burn at WOT with a 150HP 4 stroke compared to a modern 2 stroke 150HP?

I'll try the gel coat first and if the color looks too bad, maybe I'll paint it with Perfection. I like black, navy blue, and pale yellow for topside colors.

I'd rather have simple white gelcoat because I plan to store it on a trailer and would like to lose the bottom paint. Bare gelcoat would faster and easier to keep up. At some point, I might get motivated and start sanding the bottom paint off. Does anyone else trailer store their boat?

Even with the gelcoat color slightly off, that is far better than the ugly rough yellow patch repairs it has now. I'll try mixing up a bunch of test batches and see what looks closest and give it a try. If bugs me I can always paint it. My experience is that painting always turns out to be a lot faster than gelcoat repairs--for me anyway. I'll think about that some.

[Night_Sailor]

Originally Posted by spareparts

dont waste your time with the 235(two thirsty five), a removable splash board will help that transom. Spectrum color.com may help with teh gel coat. BTW, where are you located?

I live in Easton, CT. Close to Fairfield. I typically sail out of Black Rock (Bridgeport) or Norwalk.

I know the 235 is a fuel hog. But if I can get it running I'd rather spend the money on gas than a car payment sized loan on a new motor. I might
consider a new motor though.

I'd love to feel, first hand, how the various motors perform. If there is anyone local to me, who would take me for a short spin, I'd be grateful, and kick in some gas money. I'd like to see what an ETEC 150 feels like, also the 225 and 250 HP/HO motors, and I'd like to see what any 150 4 stroke feels like in a V-20.

I'm more interested in the boat for a run-about than fishing. I got a real need for speed after delivering a GW 305 walk thru with twin Yamaha 300's. It would do 44mph on flat water and LIS has lots of flat water in the summer. I can't afford a 1/4 million boat, but I can afford to wave as I pass one.

There are a few harbors I have not been into yet. With a fast boat I could explore them day and night. I like Shelter Island, which is a long days sail for me, perhaps two. With this boat I could there in a couple hours. Also if I need a ride somewhere for a local job, I could get there and/or be dropped off there quick.

For fishing, I'd mainly interested in freezing up a supply of food for my dogs. They are high energy Porties, and eat more than you could imagine. I know lots of good spots for Blackfish, and Striper's. If I can get some charter work going, I could afford a new motor.

[Night_Sailor]

Here it is with the trailer reworked with new springs, hubs, tires, lights and wiring. I wet sanded the top sides and it cleaned up nice. Black mark is a cacamera defect.



The black mark on the topsides is from my camera.

I added the guide boards, and immediately regretted them. I think I need something higher than these.

[Destroyer]

Looking good. I like the looks of her. My boat is a trailer queen also, and there are lots of us here that keep them on trailers, so you're not alone.

As to your question about the 4 strokes, I have no numbers, but from what I've heard they are typically about 1/3 cheaper on gas for the same miles traveled. People like SpareParts or TheFermanator can probably give you better figures than that, since they work on them professionally.

As to your need for speed, I can tell you that my V20 with a 225 Johnnyrude can hit 50+ on a calm day, properly trimmed and with a light load, so you can wave at those 1/4 million boats as you pass them.

[SkunkBoat]

I have a cuddy model with a hard top.

My old Merc 150 2 stroke got me to 45-ish mph WOT when light.
Thats's when it started, which was always a problem with every 2 stroke i've ever owned...( read that as "I don't like 2 strokes")

My Suzuki 140 4 stroke gets me to 36ish WOT under normal load. I'm never light anymore... I find that fine for my use, entirely fishing. I love my 4 stroke and would never buy a 2 stroke again. Turn the key it starts,even after a long winter, it starts, 10 years old turn the key, it starts....no stinky blue smoke, great gas miles

If they had 150 4 strokes when I bought it I probably would have done that. I think a 150 is a perfect motor for these boats, maybe 175. You'll find a lot of guys here that love their 225 2 strokes but it seems like too much to me.But if you're looking to go fast, a 2 stroke 225 is probably best.

In these light boats, it has to be flat to run over 30mph without taking flight. They do ride well at 26 even in some crap.

As far as 30" shaft...I think that expen$e is only for twin applications. But seriously, I believe they stopped making this hull with a 20" transom around 1980, so that has to say something. I think you'll take a lot of water with that chopped transom, especially with no splash well and a big motor, as your boat is configured.