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I have a 1993 Dusky 256 Open. When I was out fishing last Saturday, I ended up throwing a rod thru the block of my Johnson 225 Ocean Pro (carbd 2 stroke) Since I have owned this boat (2 years) I have had nothing but problems with the motor. Turns out the guy that sold me the boat told me it had a 1999 motor, but in reality it had a 1993 Evinude Lower unit, and a 1999 Johnson power head - and was hooked together by a shade tree mechanic - and not done properly.
I know that it would be cheapest to buy a remanuf. power head, but I am leary to throw good $ at bad. So now I thinking that I want to get rid of it completely and put on a new 4 Stroke. Right now, the Suzuki DF250 seems to be what I am leaning towards.... also considering Yamaha F250. I like that the Suzuki has a 3+3 yr warranty, vs the 3 yr for the Yam. Do any of you have a direct comparison with the same boat and either of these two motors?? This is going to be a major expense, so I want to make sure I make a good decision... Thanks.
Both engines seem to get get favorable reports from their users. IMO, you should strongly consider dealer support along with price. Make sure that you have a local service outlet - hopefully the same dealer that sells and installs your engine. In our experience, this helps you get your right place in line when you need serivice. In our experience, dealers tend to strongly favor their own customers.
Call the manufacturer of the boat first, 4 Stroke power may not be ideal for your boat....they will tell you, grady recommends 2S power on all boats older than 01, we went from 4S (came with it already repowered) to 2S (etecs) on a marlin, and it made a huge difference, called grady and they confirmed what we thought......there are alot of threads on here of people redistributing weight via water and fuel tanks trying to rebalance their boats after switching to 4S.....just do yourself a favor and make a quick call....
i just went from a 1997 225 ocean pro that had a fresh power head . was and still is a great engine i sold it for 4k and
I bolted on a 2007 250 pro xs optimax . i gained 10mph at cruse . my friend has same boat as i do
his boat also had the old op 225 he went f225 then to the new f250 yami
we are both pleased with our engines i can spin a 4 blade the same pitch as his 3 blade my gear ratio is 1.75 his is 2.0
both are fine engines im glad i have the extra poneys to spin that 4 blade due to how heavy my boat is
i can plane at 3500 rpm he cant plane under 4k rpms
i cant go back to a 3 blade porp after runnunig the rev 4 on my boat the 4 blade rocks thanks sundance kid
i gained 10 mph cruse and im pretty shure the yami did also
milage is great on both engines
i have a friend with a lighter 22 ft boat that repowered with the suzi 250 runs real smooth lots of low end grunt but his wot is
slower than mine and the yami dude and we both are loaded for bears
and his hull is 2 k lighter and his boat is real light now but he has not fighured out props yet and its not broke in yet eather and im shure he has not checked cav plate yet and i have no cruse numbers on th suzi
its still early his boat need tweeking . get broke in and loaded and cav plate in right spot
no matter what brand you get the only regret of stepping into a new tech outboard is you did not do it sooner
i have allready put 100 gallons of gas through the opti that would have been a bunch more with the old engine
opti at idle .5 gph 225 ocean pro 2.75 gph at idle
4500 rpm 225 johnson 26mph at 17 to 21 gph
250 optimax 4500 rpm is 35 mph at 10 to 12 gph
the best i could get on plane with old johny was 13.9 gph if every thing right at 21 mph
without trying i can get 8gph with opti and have not really tryed to get better haveing to much fun at 35mph
im shure the yami has colse to same fuel numbers
i like them all and would own them all the opti just was the one for my needs and every one has different needs
just a fyi the f-225 yami has less power that your johnrude does i almost went that route stick with 250 or ther is the 300 suzi
__________________ If its on the back it better be mecury black because the race never ends .
2 stroke because 4 strokes are 2 to many and 1 is not enough
yes your suzuki has tons of toqure because its geared high enough to make a weed eater pull a house .!!!! Did you change your oil yet boy ???
either are great motors.check on who can work on them.i like the zukes just tough to find someone here that knows anything about them.in order if it was me.
I did something very similar over the winter, going from broken down old 2-strokes to Suzuki DF 200s, this is on the 31-foot Stinger. Love the difference that they make in the performance and reduced fuel consumption, but now I'm dealing with two problems.
Firstly, my selling dealer isn't doing as verbally promised pre-sale regarding dialing in the correct settings and whatnot. The props I'm running are a 3 x 16 x 23 and I'm seeing WOT of just 5100 with a light load and 4900 with a heavy load. It's been two months since I told the dealer of this problem, requested the trade-out to a 19-pitch prop that should put me a whole lot closer to the recommended 6000 WOT. Speed is good at 45+ mph, but I think that it could be a lot better with the right props. Point is, you want a trusted and established dealer to do the work, and get all your agreements in writing.
Second problem is the weight. This new 4 stroke pair add about 250 pounds to the tail, and sent my scuppers underwater. The old 2- strokes had the at rest waterline just below the scuppers, and the new pair dropped the tail by 5 inches. That's pretty significant difference and you might want to consider the lighter alternatives (Opti/eTec) if yours is presently close to the water.
On mine, I'm trying to add weight to the nose to offset the increased weight in the back. Initially, I have placed 160 pounds of ballast in the first two feet of the boat, and now the waterline at rest is about half-way up the scuppers. A few more pounds up there and it should all be good, but securing that load is a challenge. You might want to evaluate the boat's capacity to balance the increased weight at the tail. Maybe a big anchor locker can take the ballast...
I feel you're headed the right direction, Johnson, with the repower, just wanted to share the bad side of my experience, so that yours could be better!
Thanks for the input guys. I dont really believe motor weight will be a big issue for me, as the Dusky 256 has a max HP rating of 450hp. My bracket is for a single motor, and I want to stay with a single motor... From what I can tell - the Ocean Pro 225 weighed 450 lbs. Both the Yam f250, and the suzuki df250 weigh about 590 lbs - so yes, I will be gaining weight in the stern, but I dont think it will have to much of a negative effect. I do live in the Annapolis area - so if anyone knows of some local guys I should call regarding a re-power that would be great. Thanks.
I would seriously consider one of the di 2 strokes....etec or opti's first...., if i'm going 4 stroke, I'd go suzuki if there is a good dealer.....(only if)......find someone with your boat with a 4 stroke, preferrably someone who has repowered...., I'm just saying the difference in attitude in seas with the marlin was huge when we went back to etecs....
Nothing but good things with the Suzuki. With the 6 year warranty program right now, it's the only way to go right now unless you hold out for the fall boat shows and everybody else brings their warranties back up. I do love my Optis though, lightest of all the other motors, have been around the longest, bulletproof, and proven!
Savage, pm me, I think I can help ya out with your setup.
Better check on the 3+3 promotion. I think it ended on March 31. I think the Yammie and Zuke warranties are comparable right now. I was also researching the 2 engines and Suzuki will get my vote when the time comes.
__________________ "REEL ADDICTION"
24' Grady White Fisherman
If the warranty is done, get the Opti. Extra warranty would be the only reason to choice the Zuke over the Opti for me, then again, I love two strokes too...decisions decisions...
reel thing 25 - 4/26/2007 8:12 PM Better check on the 3+3 promotion. I think it ended on March 31. I think the Yammie and Zuke warranties are comparable right now. I was also researching the 2 engines and Suzuki will get my vote when the time comes.
"Gimmie Six" is running through the end of May.
You can buy twin 225hp Evinrude Oceanpros in the For Sale forum here for $3,500. You would have 2 spare gearcases, 1 spare powerhead and just about enough spare parts to last you 15 years. And then you would have 10k for fuel. You will never make up 10k in fuel savings or the longevity you would get out of 2 powerheads. Just my 2 cents.
Just be sure your transom bracket can take the extra weight of the engines you are thinking of putting on her. I think that Johnson 225 weighs 455 pounds. The lightest weight engines are the 2-stroke Optimax and 2-stoke e-tec. If Dusky thinks you can put that 4-stroke Suzuki or Yamaha on there, then check and see that your scuppers are above the waterline. Put a 150 pound person in the back and see how she sits in the water. Don't want to convert your self-bailing hull into a non-bailing hull.
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