Need Help choosing engine

Chopppywaters · 26 August 2005, 03:16

Hey im about 2 days away from ordering my new RIBCRAFT 5.85

but i still am trying to decide on the engine. Its between the Honda 90 and 115 4 strokes....would there be much of a performance difference? I know the weight is signifcantly different and during those rough days the 90 will be better for handling and such but the 115 will give me that extra oomfff that im looking for

THanks

Hightower · 26 August 2005, 13:04

115

Jeff · 26 August 2005, 13:31

115 ................. :d

Chopppywaters · 26 August 2005, 13:34

heh ok

Chopppywaters · 28 August 2005, 00:20

will a 115 optimax go much faster/smoother/overall perform better than the honda 115?

roycruse · 28 August 2005, 00:36

When i bought mine - the salesman said i would quickly get bored of a 90.

So i thought ah f**k it - and got the biggest suzuki it would take.

Someone on this forum siad before.

Horse Power - Its better to be looking at it, than looking for it.

i.e. its better to have it and not use it than be wishing youd got a bigger engine everytime you take the boat out.

gavin · 28 August 2005, 00:39

Dont know about the difference regarding speed, the opti should be lighter, no valves, cam shafts, sump oil ,etc,
The opti will be more responsive especially on take off, probably rev a little higher being a two stroke.

What price are you paying for gasolene now with the two wars in the Middle East, prices have edged up in Europe now, will this be a consideration now in the US or does it matter.

roycruse · 28 August 2005, 00:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by roycruse

When i bought mine - the salesman said i would quickly get bored of a 90.

So i thought ah f**k it - and got the biggest suzuki it would take.

Someone on this forum siad before.

Horse Power - Its better to be looking at it, than looking for it.

i.e. its better to have it and not use it than be wishing youd got a bigger engine everytime you take the boat out.

I forgot - the other reason i ended up choosing the 140 was because those guys at suzuki managed to produce a 140 that weighed 3kg less than the 90 so i didnt have to worry about loosing some of the performance gained by the extra hp to extra weight.

Thats probably not the case with the hondas - i understood that the honda 130 was quite a heavy lump.

Still i met a guy out on the water the other day who swore by them - said he wouldnt buy anything else.

Chopppywaters · 28 August 2005, 01:14

prices are still around 2.50 USD per gallon here...its about 5 USD per Gallon in europe according to my fam in Greece

Chopppywaters · 28 August 2005, 01:15

forgot to add..my only real concern is rough water capability. Im not gonna get anything lower than a 115 because i do want to be able to open it up on a nice calm day and fly

but on those rough days we get around here i dont want to be landing stern heavy each time....Sand bag in the bow help? lol

Mollers · 28 August 2005, 07:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chopppywaters

prices are still around 2.50 USD per gallon here...its about 5 USD per Gallon in europe according to my fam in Greece

Try nearer £5!! especially when bought on the water, around the $8 mark.That's in the UK.

Seaharrier · 28 August 2005, 10:04

why not go for the Evinrude E-Tec 115 or 130? great power, reasonable on fuel and rather light.

roycruse · 28 August 2005, 10:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chopppywaters

forgot to add..my only real concern is rough water capability. Im not gonna get anything lower than a 115 because i do want to be able to open it up on a nice calm day and fly

but on those rough days we get around here i dont want to be landing stern heavy each time....Sand bag in the bow help? lol

If its weight you are worried about then heres some info that you may find usefull.

Honda 90hp = 169kg = 0.533hp/kg
Honda 115hp = 225kg = 0.511hp/kg
Honda 130hp = 225kg = 0.578hp/kg
Honda 150hp = 220kg = 0.682hp/kg

Suzuki 90hp = 189kg = 0.476hp/kg
Suzuki 115hp = 189kg = 0.608hp/kg
Suzuki 140hp = 186kg = 0.752hp/kg
Suzuki 150hp = 211kg = 0.710hp/kg

Optimax 90hp = 170kg = 0.529hp/kg
Optimax 115hp = 170kg = 0.676hp/kg
Optimax 135hp = 195kg = 0.692hp/kg
Optimax 150hp = 195kg = 0.769hp/kg

So if you want a 90hp i reckon honda is the way to go.
At the 115hp level The Opti wins it.
At the 140hp mark Suzuki wins being lighter than the 130/135 offerings from the others.
But the outright winner is the 150 Optimax.

So I would say you have a choice between The Optimax 150 or the Suzuki 140 or the 115 Opti depending if you want ultra quiet / ultra efficient or you want the maximum power to weight ratio you can possibly get or the lightest engine you can possible get. I cant speak for the fuel economy of these fuel injected 2 strokes - i understand they are pretty good these days.

roycruse · 28 August 2005, 10:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seaharrier

why not go for the Evinrude E-Tec 115 or 130? great power, reasonable on fuel and rather light.

I cant find specs for the new 115 and 130 e-tecs yet.

E-tec 90hp = 145kg = 602hp/kg

which does make it the best 90hp out of the ones i compared above.

Chopppywaters · 28 August 2005, 13:32

hmm ill try to see if i can smack a 115 opti on the back of it...150 seems to overpowered for a 5.85 meter boat dont you think?

Rogue Wave · 28 August 2005, 14:50

My first question is why Honda I would go for a bigger lump ie 15 or 135

I know a couple of guys with the 150 Optis and they are troublesome so i would consider a 135 opti.

Does the honda cary a five year warranty i America

Chopppywaters · 28 August 2005, 14:50

hmm i just called the guy for pricing and it seems Honda is the best choice for my price range with all the stuff im adding to the boat. He also said a Honda 90 is the perfect match for the boat, but what will the performance stats be like? I want to be able to go fairly fast on those nice flat days

and its nice and light at 169kg compared to the 115 (225kg). Will the 115 go significantly faster than the 90? Thanks a bunch

swginn · 28 August 2005, 14:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chopppywaters

150 seems to overpowered for a 5.85 meter boat dont you think?

No that seems about right!!

Seriously though with the 115 you should be happy enough, I find I only scare myself stupid with the extra 35hp from the V6 lump.

As you've said its rough water capability you're looking for and so what you really don't want is a stern-heavy setup. On a small RIB in particular weight distribution is just as important as power and so I would go for the lightest engine available to you, whilst still having enough power and response to get you out of sticky situations.

I realise you might have to get a honda as they are the engines that are packaged with Ribcrafts in the states IIRC?? If you do I would go for the 135 rather than the 115 as its surprisingly lighter and a better engine (its better looking too!!).

http://www.honda-marine.com/modelDet...delGroup=bf135

Seaharrier · 28 August 2005, 15:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by roycruse

I cant find specs for the new 115 and 130 e-tecs yet.

E-tec 90hp = 145kg = 602hp/kg

which does make it the best 90hp out of the ones i compared above.

http://www.evinrude.com/en-US/Engine...fications/115/

Evinrude E-Tec 115 and 130 = 167 kg
115hp = 0.68 hp/kg
130hp = 0.77 hp/kg

Chopppywaters · 28 August 2005, 15:12

Yes they still have the 5 year warranty here and they are partnered up with RIBCRAFT to give a nice price, (10,900 USD for a 115) I would go for the 135 but its 2k more and the guy told my dad the boat would be overpowered

lol so my dad is scared im gonna go WOT into the wake of one of these cruise's that come every now and then. (flipped my SIB the other day

)