Which twin outboards for Revenger 29?

[Magnum]

Phil Morris at Revenger has suggested a few options for the non-stepped hull twin outboard Revenger 29 I may be ordering next week, and here they are :-

2 x Mercury 225 Optimax
2 x Evinrude 225 E-TEC
2 x Evinrude 250 E-TEC
2 x Yamaha HPDI 250
2 x Suzuki DF250

My preference is for 2-stroke and price wise there's not a huge amount in it except for the Yamahas which are quite a bit more expensive.

I know everyone has their favourite, but what do you think? Or is it a case of any option will be fine?

[donutsina911]

I'd go for the twin 250 etecs...

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by donutsina911

I'd go for the twin 250 etecs...

And me - if you want 4 strokes then suzuki but ETECs if I had the choice - and may as well be 250s as they weigh the same - you may not want the top speed but throttling back they will be less stressed.

[Hugh Jardon]

check around for 2005 engines and see if you can pick up a bargain there, not sure you have to worry about cost as much as i do but every little helps, i got a stonking deal on my engine but also got some very keen down to the bone pricing, pm if you want to know who was doing some great deals

Originally Posted by Magnum

Phil Morris at Revenger has suggested a few options for the non-stepped hull twin outboard Revenger 29 I may be ordering next week, and here they are :-

2 x Mercury 225 Optimax
2 x Evinrude 225 E-TEC
2 x Evinrude 250 E-TEC
2 x Yamaha HPDI 250
2 x Suzuki DF250

My preference is for 2-stroke and price wise there's not a huge amount in it except for the Yamahas which are quite a bit more expensive.

I know everyone has their favourite, but what do you think? Or is it a case of any option will be fine?

[allegria]

I was told by a chap on the yamaha stand at LIbS that they were dropping there range of 2 strokes at 150hp in europe. Not sure if thats the same for the bigger engines or if that's a sign they may follow soon.. .

[Milan]

Magnum if you live in Cheshire then you are very close to me i have an Etec 225 on my rib which I bought from Ian at Liverpool Power Boats i can only tell you they are a fantastic engine if you fancy coming over to see it you can PM. me and I would sugest talking to Ian about these engines he pointed me in the right direction

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by codprawn

... and may as well be 250s as they weigh the same - you may not want the top speed but throttling back they will be less stressed.

[Magnum]

I'm leaning towards a pair of 225 Optis. They are well proven, light and I am told are supplied with good instrumention although not sure if this is the SC1000 system? Price is good too.

[Rogue Wave]

the smartcraft system also interfaces superbly with Navman electronics.

http://www.navman.com/marine/product...aft/index.html

[Hugh Jardon]

i have done a lot of research on the current engines and i think you can do a lot worse than optis, they are proven as you say, Etecs are the latest technology but they are not strides ahead of optis in terms of performance, economy etc, i have reviewed quite a few reports from the usa and quite often optis come out on top for economy, equal for performance or an etec 1mph faster so i think a lot of it comes down to personal choice. For me etecs have not gained a significant advantage in terms of design and performance over the optis to warrant the risk. Personal view I know...

it seems the large 4strokes like verados are very thirsty especially at speed, very expensive, and very quiet but also not as fast as optis, that is why etec are happy to market against verados as they can perform better than verados but not optis!!!

some folks have said about the noise levels but i actually do like the noise i must say.

ask for a price for a pair of 2005 optis and look for a cracking deal, i know there are some out there, was a 2005 225 at the boat show

i purchased a 200 opti for my rib in dec

the smartcraft gauges etc are superb and feel free to ask any questions you like on em and with other engines you pay more for smartcraft gauge type functionality

also go for the gen 2 binnacle type controls and ultraflex top of the range cables

good luck

Originally Posted by Magnum

I'm leaning towards a pair of 225 Optis. They are well proven, light and I am told are supplied with good instrumention although not sure if this is the SC1000 system? Price is good too.

[Rogue Wave]

have you had your Opti in the water yet Hugh?

[Hugh Jardon]

not yet, it is not pdi'd yet and tubes dont go on until the end of the month, but cant wait i must say

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

have you had your Opti in the water yet Hugh?

[Rogue Wave]

did you used to run Opti's on your previous boats?

[Hugh Jardon]

no, is a honda on my hard boat, had suzukis, evinrudes and have a yamaha but will be my first time with an opti but have driven a few boats with optis now so like them

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

did you used to run Opti's on your previous boats?

[Turbodiesel]

I would go for the Opti's but then i would say that of course.
The other thing thats worth thinking about is what sort of back up you will get after you buy the engines. Which dealers are near you, and can you get parts quickly if you need them? etc etc. I think after sales serivce goes along way.

[Milan]

a significant advantage in terms of design and performance over the optis to warrant the risk. Personal view I know...

What risk they both as far as Iam aware come with a three year warranty

[Mollers]

Surely a pair of " Silver Centurys" would be the way to go on this Revenger.

[Hugh Jardon]

i was looking at the suz 175 and etec 200 small block both due out now or early this year, both unproven, that was the risk i refer to. I suspect both engines will go on to be stonkers but was happy with an opti. price and backup were other good reasons to go for them

a few dealers have shyed away from etecs because of the history around evinrude over the last few years

Originally Posted by Milan

a significant advantage in terms of design and performance over the optis to warrant the risk. Personal view I know...

What risk they both as far as Iam aware come with a three year warranty

[Chris Murray]

Hugh,

You may be right about the 2.6 litre E-tecs but they look like the perfect twin engine set-up to me. Much lighter than the 3.3's and a good deal smaller, thanks to the 60 degree V configuration.

Logically, they ought to use less fuel than their bigger block cousins but no doubt someone will correct me on this!

I have the 2006 Evinrude catalogue in front of me. Weights for the 25" versions are:

250 (3.3 litre) - 238kg (534lb)

200 (2.6 litre) - 194kg (427lb)

That's a weight difference of 42kg (107lb) per engine

In a twin set-up, the smaller block engines will be over 15 stone lighter!!!

I hope this is usful info!

Chris.

[Hugh Jardon]

the weight saving and promise of being new technology were strong reasons to consider these engines but i would have kicked myself if they proved to be thirstier and more unreliable than an opti

plus dates on when they would be available were all over the place with nothing firmed and i did not want to be in a position of waiting till may/june for an engine and missing out on some fun

plus was not a big deal as i may go for building a bigger model at some time

Originally Posted by Chris Murray

Hugh,

You may be right about the 2.6 litre E-tecs but they look like the perfect twin engine set-up to me. Much lighter than the 3.3's and a good deal smaller, thanks to the 60 degree V configuration.

Logically, they ought to use less fuel than their bigger block cousins but no doubt someone will correct me on this!

I have the 2006 Evinrude catalogue in front of me. Weights for the 25" versions are:

250 (3.3 litre) - 238kg (534lb)

200 (2.6 litre) - 194kg (427lb)

That's a weight difference of 42kg (107lb) per engine

In a twin set-up, the smaller block engines will be over 15 stone lighter!!!

I hope this is usful info!

Chris.