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I have 91 23' Contender Open with original 91 225 Yamaha (1000 hrs) on it. With 19" prop it runs wot at 5500 and 43mph with 2-3 people. Boat is perfect, but am thinking of repowering with Yamaha hpdi 250hp or 300hp and wonder if anyone has looked at same options. Speed, weight, fuel economy, etc. Not sure that I've seen any postings re 300hp on same boat, but am tempted as weight of motors does not seem that significant difference. I've had great success with the old 225 (only replacement was gear shifter rod-a bitch to replace, but no other problems). Is the Yamaha 300hp a dog? Saltwater only usage. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
PS No responses to this post on Contender forum which seems dead, but this forum seems to have tons of knowledgeable/active participants! Thanks again for any suggestions.
I have a 98 23 open and was wondering the same thing. But I keep kicking the thought of a 250 four stroke from Yamaha. I want to stay with Yamaha. I'm not ready yet but will maybe next year and don't know how long Yamaha will be making the HPDI motors. I didn't think you could get a 250HPDI any more.
I have a 23' Contender that is a newer, but it is the same hull. Mine has twin 150 Yamaha HPDIs and I would recommend getting twins over single power on this boat. The extra prop in the water and the weight of the second motor make the boat ride better, not to mention the added safety of twin engines.
i stop by the contender dealer in jensen beach whenever i'm down there because he's got a nice selection of boats on his lot. he says the F250 is the motor for that boat. when i repower my 23 that's what i'll do. 14, 500 for a single 250 vs ?? for 2 x 150? but i think i can get another 1000 hrs out of my 225ox. not sure i would agree with the boat riding better with more weight in the stern. but i'm sure the extra power feels good. add a couple mph on that run back from the ledge. what's your fuel burn with the twin hpdi 150's?
My 23 is currently propped for cruising (over propped). It runs 21 pitch props and the RPMs max at about 4400, but I can cruise between about 33-37 at ~2.5 mpg, ~13-14 gph, and at 3300-3700 RPMs. Even with the 21s, the boat will still plane on one engine. WOT is about ~50.
I repowered my 1999 23 Open after 1000 hrs on my 225 OX66. I bought a left-over 2003 F225 in April of 2004. I put 750 hrs on that motor prior to selling. I was happy with the F225, but agree that the F250 would be a great choice. I have a friend with the F250 that says his boat will run about 46 mph with a tournament load. My boat would run 40-42 mph depending on load. I don't personally know anyone running the 300 HPDI so I can't comment. Since I kingfish a lot, I really liked the noise level of the four stroke at idle, or lack thereof.
__________________ Eren's Addiction Too fishing team
Contender/Yamaha/Tailwalker Marine www.erensaddictiontoo.com
Ludachris on this forum runs a 300HPDI on his 23 contender. Hes pretty darn happy whith it. You can use the search feature (upper left corner of page) to find and PM him. Real numbers from a real boat.
__________________ Baitkiller= Accredited Marine Surveyor
Bait fear me, fish just laugh.....
The little Dutch boy was just buying time...
It's a 21 Contender. Your not going to see that great a difference in speed between the 250-4 and the 300. I'd like to see some real world data on the fuel burn. My rig averages 2.7 mpg. A quiet engine would be nice also. Flip a coin if your undecided...
i would not go with the 250 or 300 hpdi but would look at the yamaha f-250 ,suzuki 250 (or new 300 when their availiable) ,250 e-tec ,or the 250-275 verado. good luck
Thanks all for the info and suggestions. Glad to hear the different views and preferences. From my standpoint, I prefer single power due to weight and expense of twins, esp. on the Contender 23' open. As I've had great luck with Yamaha's in past and have all gauges, etc, I also think that I'll stick with Yamaha.
4 stroke F250 has gotten pretty uniformly good reviews. There seems to be little difference between 2005 and 2006 models (fuel filter assembly?) and thus, either would be good choice with preference to 2005 if better deals available.
250 hpdi not offered anymore, but assume that there are new 2005's out there. 300hpdi had problems initially in 2004, but upgrades seem to have solved problems for some people and assume that 2006 models have incorporated upgrades.
Difference in hp output btw 300 hpdi and F250 probably less than stated 50hp difference. Based on above responses and Contender site report, it appears that Contender 23' open with F250 does about 46mph loaded (49mph or so with 2 people??) at wot and with 300 hpdi does about 53mph with 2 people (50mph loaded???)
F250 seem to be around same price to purchase as 300hpdi (15.6k for 2006;13.5 for 2005)???
F250 will retain more value than 300hpdi and more likely to be way of new motor trend/environmental??
Engine Weights: Current 225 2stroke is about 470lbs (?); 300 hpdi is 545 lbs; and F250 is close to 600lbs. I will be going up 130lbs of weight on transom if I go with the F250. Will that change boat ride/worse/better/ or just not a noticeable issue?
Warranties: 3 yr standard on both, but is extended (2yrs? is there longer?) worth the money/security? About how much?
Where to buy?
Dealer: Seems unlikely that they can match internet prices, but do gain from connection to service.
Internet: Eds, Iboats, others? Will local dealer balk at installing/overcharge if not purchased through him? Are they required to do warranty service work by Yamaha?
internet is appealing but unless cost is critical i would price local dealers for the simple reason they will appreciate seeing you again for maintenance ,service etc. most of these shops are small and you'll develope a relationship with the staff. people will say this is not true but it is......its critical to find out which has the best rep for shop work. factor in shipping, installation, the gauges you'll find out later that you need and the price may not be that different.
Thanks for advice re dealers and Suziki, though I guess I just prefer to stick with Yamaha b/c of good past experience.
Gauges: As I have standard Yamaha gauges (multifunction, fuel, speed, psi,rpm, hour meter, etc) for my existing 2 stroke '92 Yamaha 225 ETXD, I wonder which of these I will need to replace, which can be plugged in w/o changes, and which can be plugged in with adaptors if I go to the Yamaha F250?
Years of F250: Am I right in thinking that 2005 and 2006 F250's are almost identical in terms of performance, durability? When do 2007 models come out, if not out already? Better to buy 2006 or 2005 when 2007's out? Any advice as to what types of discount I should be seeing for non-current years? As with most of my motors/cars, I generally plan on maintaining and keeping them for the duration, thus resale not that important a consideration.
Trim Tabs/Wedges: My exisiting 92 225 ETXD, 25" is attached directly to hull (no wedges) and boat does not have trim tabs. It ran fine without these on past setup, but I have seen in other threads the suggestion that the F250 will require/or runs best with trim tabs (Bennett 12x12's). Is this b/c of additional weight of F250? Am always reluctant to punch any more holes in boat and have concerns re additional risk of tabs interfering with fishing lines and swimmers getting in from transom, but would really appreciate hearing others advice re this so I can take advantage of real world experience. Am assuming the F250 would also be 25" as well and run same prop size (19")???
i was told that my 98 gauges all should work except maybe the tach. i do not know if this is correct and would be sure to have quoted in price of motor (package) if i was told they had to be replaced. i have tabs on my 23 with 225 ox. wouldn't be without them. you may not know what you're missing. tabs don't get in the way of anything. do you have a bracket or eurotransom?
92 Contender 23' open that I have has integrated transom with door. Do you have the Bennett tabs and is the 12x12 size the way to go for this boat? Thanks
i have the 12 x 9, work fine, but with more weight call bennet or see the bennet website good info. anyone have performance numbers with the F250 on the cont. 23 open?
Repowering options for 23' open Contender 
