New (to me...) hurricane 533!

johnrambo · 12 December 2014, 15:18

Well, after three years of searching for a hurricane I finally got one

!

ex coast guard Zodiac hurricane 533 search and rescue with twin engine transom/spalshwell, 2 man jockey, self righting arch and rear tow post. I really wanted something in the 630 or 640 size, but hurricanes are rare here and this one came up for auction with all the options I wanted so I pulled the trigger.

Not sure how to post images but here goes:

picking boat up from coast guard...

I have located the 75hp engine and rigging that came off it, its a 2001 merc 4 stroke. Trying to decide between buying that back or outfitting with a set of newer twin 40's. Any thoughts?

The tubes also have a slow leak which I have not been able to locate (boat is now in storage for the winter). They are dirty but seem to be in pretty good shape. Hopefully just a leaky valve. I'll try refurbishing them in the spring. If required does anyone know where I might locate a used tube set for a 533? Not many 533's around but it seems to be identical to the more common 540 in every way.

johnrambo · 12 December 2014, 15:20

second picture was supposed to be this one...

jyasaki · 12 December 2014, 16:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnrambo

I have located the 75hp engine and rigging that came off it, its a 2001 merc 4 stroke. Trying to decide between buying that back or outfitting with a set of newer twin 40's. Any thoughts?

If you're looking for roughly the same performance, you'd have to go bigger on the twins; at least 50's, maybe more. Lot more weight, lot more stuff in the water.

Your boat is roughly the same size as mine (mines about 18') and I'm running a single F115.

Congrats on the boat, though; look forward to seeing what happens come springtime.

jky

tworotorturbo · 12 December 2014, 23:15

Nice! Does the ID plate say its a 533? I only ask because the 533 I had (and several others that I have seen) had a different hull shape...more like a shallow triple chine in the back end.

johnrambo · 13 December 2014, 14:46

I don't have the I'd plate, coast guard said they took it of when they converter the aluminum transom cap/splash well part from twin to single engine and it got lost. I do have the documentation for the original boat though and it says 533. I have found drawings for the 540 and it matches my boat in every way. I have also found some drawings for the 533s (solas approved) and that is a little wider then my boat, a little shorter, and has a cathedral type hull. I think at some point maybe the 533 became the 540?

johnrambo · 13 December 2014, 15:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyasaki

If you're looking for roughly the same performance, you'd have to go bigger on the twins; at least 50's, maybe more. Lot more weight, lot more stuff in the water.

Your boat is roughly the same size as mine (mines about 18') and I'm running a single F115.

Congrats on the boat, though; look forward to seeing what happens come springtime.

jky

The documentation says she is rated for maximum 90hp with a max weight of transom of 450 lbs. so twin 50's is going exceed both the horsepower rating and the weight limit. Seems like Even twin 40's are going to be close too or slightly above the weight limit.

I believe I have seen some 540's with 115hp ratings though. Maybe newer models were reinforced for the extra weight of 4 strokes.

tworotorturbo · 13 December 2014, 17:24

Yeah it looks like a 540, which is good because its a lot better than the 533 in rough water. Completely different hull design. I sold my 533 because it slapped too hard. It was nice and wide though. Your boat looks great! There has been a 540 for sale on ebay and craigslist here in California and I always wanted to pick it up but they are asking way too much. Keep us updated with pics!

jyasaki · 13 December 2014, 18:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnrambo

The documentation says she is rated for maximum 90hp with a max weight of transom of 450 lbs. so twin 50's is going exceed both the horsepower rating and the weight limit.

Sort of. Weight, well that's kind of a given.

As far as thrust, you lose about a quarter to third of the total rated hp when running twins, so twin 50's will give you the thrust of about 60-75 hp.

Don't know about the ratings on your boat or the newer ones, but I'd (personally) go with a single of near max rated hp (unless there's some compelling reason to do otherwise - long trips away from assistance, for instance.)

jky

johnrambo · 13 December 2014, 20:58

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A few more pics

Stoo · 03 February 2015, 21:57

Nice unit! A friend has an ancient old beast that's in a terrible state due to neglect, but it's a nice little boat.

I agree with John... go with the max size single she's rated for, unless there's a compelling reason not to, such as plans to circumnavigate "The Rock". When I got my 590 I went through this same conundrum and ended up with a single.

Basically you are trading off some piece of mind against much higher maintenance and running costs, a reduction in top speed, more weight etc.

In my experience (and I don't think I'm unusual) most "engine" problems are either battery or fuel related anyway, so unless you're planning on separate batteries and fuel supply, that "piece of mind" might be really small!

Peter_C · 04 February 2015, 18:19

I would say a single too for fuel economy and overall cost to get it running. Of course I also believe two motors are better than one, and a kicker would be fitted to the transom too.

johnrambo · 04 February 2015, 19:21

For twins I would be using seperate fuel sources and batteries. The boat is currently set up to hold two batteries and 2 portable fuel tanks under the seat. There are also strap-down locations for 3 additional portable fuel tanks(one on either side of the transom behind the jockey, and one in front of the jockey).

The shorlines around my part of Newfoundland are pretty nasty (100 foot cliffs, jagged rocks, rolling atlantic swell you get the picture) with rocky beaches few and far between. You are pretty much on your own. Not many recreational boats around, the coast guard can take hours to arrive on scene, and the water is cold enough to kill you in 5 minutes. So at the very least, I will need a kicker engine to keep out of trouble. The more I think about it, the more I think if you need to have two engines the why not have two engines the same size that can both get you on plane.

Most of the small boat fishermen here only seem to use single engines, but then again they dont tend to wear lifejackets either.

I will probably end up going with the Merc 75 for econmy reasons, but a set of 2006 Honda BF50's just came up for sale on the classifieds, which would be my ideal setup. Hmmmm....will investigate further. Price seems to good to be true.

Come on spring! The winter waiting is killing me.

-M

Bigtalljv · 04 February 2015, 19:51

A little kicker works too if you want some backup. Got room for that?

Jason

95gstnj · 05 February 2015, 15:39

Do the biggest single you can get. (90hp or higher if the weight allows it) and then get a small kicker like a 2-3hp. I've had many ribs in this size range and I'd really recommend a big single on a boat this size. And the kicker will push the boat along just fine at 5kts or so.

Just to give you an idea, a 3.5hp kicker on a 3000lb 6meter rib pushes it along just fine at 5kts. And you steer with the main motor just fine as well.

Sweet hull! I love the orange with black accessories

95gstnj · 05 February 2015, 15:49

I just re-read your reasons for twins. Twins are great for redundancy however they are heavier, significantly slower, nearly double the fuel, and double the trouble with maintenance.

For instance I had an sr6 with twin 70s and another sr6 with a single 150 and 3.5 kicker. The difference is absolutely shocking.

Twins were nearly double the fuel and significantly slower. AND the biggest thing was that a single 70 just barely, barely, barely got it to plane (lightly loaded) which is the main reason you want twins, to plane on one motor. If it can't plane, that 70 is no better than a 3.5hp.

The single 150 is quick, nimble, and a much more fun and useable boat. And you still have the ability to get back to safety with the kicker. Just slowly..

But if your main purpose for the boat is to go out in crazy weather (like 10+ft stormy seas) then I'd definitely go for twins. Just be prepared for bad fuel economy

johnrambo · 28 May 2015, 18:58

Well, the boat is out of winter storage.

Good news, the tubes where still full of air just as I left them 6 months ago! This is great as the coast guard told me they were quite leaky and I would need to top them up every day.

More good news, I had my fibreglass guy have a look at it and he said the decks and transom are solid, no rot. Perfect!

I have decided that for this season I am going to go with the single 75hp merc single that was mounted to the boat before it was sold to me. I can get it for a good price and it comes with all the other rigging that was removed from the boat aswell. I just want to get it on the water an use it as a basis for evaluation, next year I will make the decission to go up to 90 hp single or twin 50.

Before I mount the motor I want to remove all the metal work, strip it down, and repaint it.

I also need to clean up the tubes, they are filthy. What do people clean tubes with on this side of the atlantic? The guys at Coast guard say Spary 9 works pretty well. I really dont want to damage the tubes though as they are in better shape then I thought.

-Mark

Char · 01 July 2015, 07:02

Nice boat......I have a hurricane 530 with a yami 70 hp and its a dream !!! Looks very similar in many ways,engine splash well ,bow locker ,jockey seat. Enjoy! Look forward to seeing it change we are apholstering the jockey seat and new tube set next month .......can't see much room for twins on the backside there ......anyway you configure that you are going to enjoy pushing that throttle forward☺️!