Considering a another repower

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SBH2OMan

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Hey guys,

Looking for feedback on a motor/bracket combo based on others' experience.

Back in 2011 we re-powered the 2330 with a Honda BF225 and from a reliability and easy of use standpoint, it has been a GREAT engine. After dealing with years of unpredictable behavior from the OX66 250 it replaced, it has been so nice to be able to head off shore to the islands without a single care about the engine. It's currently mounted to the original early 90's Armstrong bracket (narrow, very little flotation)

Now we have about 650 hours on the motor, and we're thinking about making some investments in the Parker we've really grown to love. The only complaints with the current setup are the following:

1. Slow getting on plane, and only planes at high speed.
Despite having a metal hydrofoil (not one of the cheap ones - the "good one" but I can't remember the name of it) and a 13p three-blade stainless prop, the boat is so ass-heavy that it struggles to get up on plane, and will only plane out smoothly once we get up to 20+ mph. At anything under 16-18 mph (statute) it just drags the motor through the water and throws up a big spray.

2. Scuppers sit below the water line
When we have more than 1/2 tank of gas and a couple of guys fishing in the back, the deck is flooded with an inch or more of water at the transom. Luckily we can usually fish barefoot, but its a pain not being able to wash the deck when we're stationary (bloody water just pools on the deck)

3. Lack of "oomph" when we need to get moving in a hurry
Now Parkers aren't meant to be fast boats, and we know that. But there are occasions when it would be nice to be able to "floor it and get the Hell out" of certain situations (like when a sudden swell comes in and you're a bit close to boiler rocks, etc). Coming home into a big head sea with green water washing over the house, I've had a few situations where the ability to climb up an oncoming swell had me wishing for more ponies (or a jet engine, in a few cases..)

4. Steers like a 1959 Lincoln Continental Limo
Not sure if this is a prop, motor, bracket, or other issue, but I would hope that we could somehow improve on the handling characteristics of the boat. I know twins would make a big difference, but that's just not in the budget.

So.... Right now we're thinking about a larger flotation bracket that would provide 100+ lbs of buoyancy with a full-width swim step, and a 250 or larger motor. Some have suggested that Suzuki's are good because they "swing a bigger prop" but I don't really understand what that means.

The boat lives in a marina, so corrosion resistance is a big deal for us. Also warranty coverage is important. We've had a couple of issues fixed under Honda's warranty, including a recent ECU swap that would have otherwise cost us close to $800.

Unfortunately Yamaha is not a good option for us, as there is no local dealer, but if it is a vastly superior option, we'd consider it. Re-using the Honda controls aren't really important, since we don't actually even use them. All our instruments are NMEA 2000, so the motor needs to put out clean NMEA2000 signals.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you guys might have based on your personal experience!

-Brent
 
That motor in my opinion is plenty for that boat, I believe that 13p prop is way off, you should be in the neighborhood of a 15x 17p-19p prop
 
The OX66 on my boat will keep my 2520 on plane as slow as 9 kts in sloppy seas.
The reason it does so well is because I replaced the old 12x12 Boat Levelers with a set of 24x9 Bennett tabs.
The difference in performance was like night and day. Raising the motor gave me another performance boost.
She hops on plane quickly now with these simple tweaks.
As big and heavy as this boat is, I've seen 34 kts on a new spring bottom in calm water at WOT. Not too shabby for an old school 2-stroke.

The bigger flippers allow me to get on plane quicker, and keep her there when the seas get sloppy and I have to slow down.
It also makes trimming her at speed much simpler than before the upgrade.

Hondas are good motors, tho they do tend to be on the heavy side of all the brands.
While I believe a flotation bracket and more horsepower would be good for you, I would try bigger tabs first.
Evaluate the cheaper option, then go where your wallet takes you. :wink:
 
HOTPURSUIT":2gpx6iif said:
That motor in my opinion is plenty for that boat, I believe that 13p prop is way off, you should be in the neighborhood of a 15x 17p-19p prop

I agree... Were gonna need pix's and more specific info on your setup. MPH top end...... Engine RPM Top end.

Tabs? That boat screams for at "least" a 18in wide tab.
 
Thanks guys. The tabs won't fix the "ass under water" problem which is one of the biggest gripes. But here's a bit more info:

The tabs are the originals with the original Boat Leveler setup. When I use them it helps get on plane, but as I mentioned they don't do much to keep the scuppers dry.

The engine has been moved up and down one and two holes in each direction and the best performance was where she's at today. (A few years back I posted all the stats here - I'll dig it up). The prop is a Honda (Titan) which are notorious for being mislabeled regarding pitch. All I know is we tried a 15p and could not get her past 5200 rpm with two guys and a light load.

Top speed in calm seas is about 31 mph (statute) at 6000. Best fuel consumption is at about 4900 rpm and doing about 26 mph. At 4500 (where Honda says peak efficiency is) the boat is not going fast enough for a good plane and the MPG is about 1.7 (statute). At cruise with a moderate load we average about 2.0. Light load and lightly textured calm seas she'll hit 2.2 and touch 2.3 mpg

edit:

Here's the thread where I posted actual performance numbers. I also have MPG numbers somewhere - I'll try to dig them up.
 
I should add that with the Ox66 and 17p Mirage 3-blade she jumped on plane much more quickly and with 100 lbs less weight we didn't have the wet deck problem. We didn't have a good fuel measurement system but IIRC she would average about 1.4 mpg and burned a gallon of oil for every 30 to 40 gallons of gas. (She over-oiled pretty badly despite me changing all the oil-related bits)
 
I would say that the motor is fine but the weight on the transom is the problem. Can u move some weight to the bow or add weight to lift the stern
 
As to the scuppers letting in water, that Honda is heavy but no heavier than the same F Series Yamaha's of the previous vintage anyway. About 580 to 590 lbs. The new Yam F225/250/300 would all be about 70lbs lighter. I don't think that is cutting enough weight to fix your problem though? I agree that you may want to look into doing a redistribution of the weight on your boat as in getting anything stored in the back moved into the cabin/forward. I'm curious if they moved the scuppers up higher or did something to correct this on later models. I've not heard this complaint from other 2320 owners? As to the power/weight, you took a step backwards for sure, especially hole shot, going from the OX66. If you do repower, I would either put a Suzzuki or the 4.2 Offshore Yamaha 300 on it and call it done. Not sure of the weight of the Suzzuki but I know the 300 Yam would cut about 70lbs from your current Honda weight. Tabs will certainly be an improvement as would using a Permatrim. I've beat those two suggestions to death here as you may have read from mine and others post as well so I'll leave it at that. Good luck.
 
If your looking to repower don't leave out the evinrude. They have great incentives for repowering and there light.
 

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The big issue is that the fuel tank is under the back deck, and there ain't much I can do about that weight. :). I've considered cutting into the deck inside the pilot house to mount batteries, but that compartment is pretty wet so I don't much like the idea of putting both batteries below deck in a damp compartment that has bilge water sloshing through it (although that is the case with the current mounting location in the transom).

Those Evinrude are 2-stroke right? I just don't want to deal with oil.
 
Update to the topic - I jumped in the water today and inspected the scuppers, which are the ball type ones (Sea Choice, I think). They were clogged with tiny mussels. They are NOT easily removable for cleaning so I had to just jam my pinky fingers in there and ream out as much as I could, then spin the balls around to re-seat them. They are about 5 years old, so they are due for a replacement.

Does anyone know if the TH Marine ones can be retrofitted to the existing mounting plates from the Sea Choice ones, or will I have to wait for a haul out to replace the entire assembly?

I also noticed that the inboard "flange" on the through-hulls were basically just falling apart - I pushed a bottle brush from inside the cockpit, and the flanges just crumbled and exposed the material they are bedded in. Looks like I might be in for a complete through-hull replacement this winter when I haul her out to do the bottom paint.


Also, here are some performance numbers for the current motor:

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Numbers collected in calm seas, Permatrim installed, one person aboard with about 70 gallons of fuel and light gear load.

Cruise MPG is 2.1 to 2.2 heading "uphill" with 3 guys and dive gear, turning 4200 to 4400 and 22 to 26 mph (statute).

Interestingly, when its calm out, I can wind it up to 5000 rpm and 29-30 mph and still get 2.2 to 2.3 mpg. It feels like the plane gets up out of the water much better around 28 mph
 
When you perform your scupper replacement project, you might want to consider replacing those brass inserts with PVC pipe.
Dale posted a 'how to' in the projects area how he did his on his 2520.
Once you replace the inserts, put on a set of TH Marine ball scuppers as they are removable for cleaning.

The brass inserts are replaceable, but you will need the flanging tool to do them properly.
 
Thanks. The actual through-hulls appear to be white plastic, so I wondering if that's already been done... I'll post pics on a separate thread tonight.
 
Yes. That is the one. 1/4 turn to remove, clean, and re-install.
 

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I re powered with an E-Tec I love my decision, I had a great first season with it. Very fuel efficient ton of power and relatively quiet.
 

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Megabyte":ysd28fhl said:
Yes. That is the one. 1/4 turn to remove, clean, and re-install.

Yes...... Do not buy the Rabud units.... They have to be rebeded each time they are removed. Note..... TH marine units will fit exactly where the Rabubs were.
 
Megabyte":3rjrcfst said:
Yes. That is the one. 1/4 turn to remove, clean, and re-install.

Just received them in the mail. The outlets are TINY -the round inlet size is 1-1/8" and the square outlet is 3/4" x 1"

With just two of these, I am a bit worried about the deck draining when a big wave breaks over the house and suddenly fills the cockpit with a few hundred gallons of water...

That doesn't happen often, but it does happen from time to time when I'm beating into swells coming home as the weather is turning...
 
When you are running, those ping pong balls are wide open. They only close while at rest.
 
Yes, that's the way my existing ones are supposed to work. I think they have much larger outlets, but I'll check when I go to the boat today.
 
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