Seeking advice on repowering a 2001 2300 dvcc

[Sea Jay]

Gonna bit the bullet and replace my 2000 Mercury 225 efi. I am looking for any info/issues others may have had repowering - specifically whether Suzuki or Yamaha 250/300s fit on the original Stainless Marine bracket. This boat is slipped so I am concerned about trimming the lower unit out of the brine. The Suzukis look pretty tall, so I’m wondering if there could be an issue with the engine bonnet hitting the transom. I realize weight will be another issue. Any advice appreciated.

 

[warthog5]

Thats a Medium V Hull [14degs]

It needs a 25in shaft engine.

Mine would not trim the Lower unit All the way out of the water.

Same deadrise, same med V..... '95 2530 / 300 Suzzy.

Didn't bother me, as the boat was trailered.

 

[Sea Jay]

Thats a Medium V Hull [14degs]

It needs a 25in shaft engine.

Mine would not trim the Lower unit All the way out of the water.

Same deadrise, same med V..... '95 2530 / 300 Suzzy.

Didn't bother me, as the boat was trailered.

Thanks Warthog5. New boat to me. I assumed that this was a DV because of the bracket and double strakes, but I haven’t measured the dead rise. I am leaning strongly toward the lighter weight Yamahas over Suzukis and thinking 250 - unless the 300 would be a significant advantage. Boat dealer is only offering the 300 with digital controls for an additional 5k.

 

[pelagic2530]

Thanks Warthog5. New boat to me. I assumed that this was a DV because of the bracket and double strakes, but I haven’t measured the dead rise. I am leaning strongly toward the lighter weight Yamahas over Suzukis and thinking 250 - unless the 300 would be a significant advantage. Boat dealer is only offering the 300 with digital controls for an additional 5k.

Unless someone added a bracket to a 23SE, all the 2300s are DV hulls. Especially if you have two lifting strakes.

 

[warthog5]

I agree with what Pelagric said.... It 1st looked from the pix not to be as steep of deadrise. Bracket alone has nothing to do with it.

They are easy to measure on the trailer. With a angle finder...Lay in on the bottom at the transom Port side.... Write that number down...Now on STB side. Write that number down.... Add them together and then divide by 2. This will cancel out if the boat is sitting on a angle.

A cheap one that works:

https://www.harborfreight.com/dial-gauge-angle-finder-34214.html


The Suzuki has MANY advantages over the Yamaha. Not that Yamaha's are bad engines, they would be my 2nd pick... But I just ordered my 6th Suzuki.

Suzuki is quieter.
Timing Chain..... Not a belt
Lower gear ratio...Swings a larger prop..... Think Bigger tires for better traction on your truck.
Lower price.

 

[Sea Jay]

Thank you both for your replies. Especially for the reminder about the timing belt in Yamahas. Pretty sure I’ve got the DV version on this Parker because she sleeps in the pole barn alongside my Albemarle dwinter and the deadrise of both sterns looks close. Kinda remembering the Albemarle is 24 degrees.

 

[Sea Jay]

Thank you both for your replies. Especially for the reminder about the timing belt in Yamahas. Pretty sure I’ve got the DV version on this Parker because she sleeps in the pole barn alongside my Albemarle dwinter and the deadrise of both sterns looks close. Kinda remembering the Albemarle is 24 degrees.

 

[gman1001]

1400 hours on my 2008 Yamaha F250 on my 98 2300. No complaints other than the lower unit sits in the water when tilted up. Actually this is more than a complaint! I need to remember once per week to clean the area with a stiff brush - also take out the plastic grates as barnacles LOVE to grow in the lower unit recesses. I've painted in there with anti fouling but it is not 100%.

Soooo, I'd strongly consider any motor that tilts motor out of the water 100%

 

[Sea Jay]

Thanks gman1001. Still wrestling with 250 vs 300. There is a lot of great info on this site about moving the center of gravity forward on this boat. I’ve already started down that road and I’m not afraid to put some sand bags in the fwd fish locker - trolling motor batteries are already under the front seat of console. I will be fishing quite a bit in the ocean and I pick my days, Will likely cruise around 30 knots, but would hope to be able plane around 20, maybe less if I get caught out there when the wind picks up. Any advice how the engine hp (250 or 300) might impact my application would be appreciated.

 

[gman1001]

Thanks gman1001. Still wrestling with 250 vs 300. There is a lot of great info on this site about moving the center of gravity forward on this boat. I’ve already started down that road and I’m not afraid to put some sand bags in the fwd fish locker - trolling motor batteries are already under the front seat of console. I will be fishing quite a bit in the ocean and I pick my days, Will likely cruise around 30 knots, but would hope to be able plane around 20, maybe less if I get caught out there when the wind picks up. Any advice how the engine hp (250 or 300) might impact my application would be appreciated.

Others on there will help for sure. I can only add that a Permatrim changed my boat completely. I now plane at much lower speed and the handling is much crisper. Adding that is a no brainer.

 

[Key Largo]

Others on there will help for sure. I can only add that a Permatrim changed my boat completely. I now plane at much lower speed and the handling is much crisper. Adding that is a no brainer.

I have a 23DVCC 2001 year bought in 2010.Repowered the boat, f250 36 knots WOT. Second engine f300 40 WOT. Boat has bottom paint on a mooring in the Keys. I keep the bottom clean. New fuel tank in 2016.

 

[Mpellet]

Thanks gman1001. Still wrestling with 250 vs 300. There is a lot of great info on this site about moving the center of gravity forward on this boat. I’ve already started down that road and I’m not afraid to put some sand bags in the fwd fish locker - trolling motor batteries are already under the front seat of console. I will be fishing quite a bit in the ocean and I pick my days, Will likely cruise around 30 knots, but would hope to be able plane around 20, maybe less if I get caught out there when the wind picks up. Any advice how the engine hp (250 or 300) might impact my application would be appreciated.

There is no physical difference in terms of size or weight between the Suzuki or Yamaha 250 and the 300 and not a big difference in price between 250 & 300 HP. I should confess that I’m not one to get hung up on “placards” so take that into consideration regarding my opinion and T
that opinion is, if you’re willing to buy a new 250, it doesn’t make any sense not to buy a 300. I hung a white Suzuki DF300APXX back in April of 2019 on my 2005 Parker 2520. As of yesterday my “new” engine has 1123 hours on it….

 

[pelagic2530]

There is no physical difference in terms of size or weight between the Suzuki or Yamaha 250 and the 300 and not a big difference in price between 250 & 300 HP. I should confess that I’m not one to get hung up on “placards” so take that into consideration regarding my opinion and T
that opinion is, if you’re willing to buy a new 250, it doesn’t make any sense not to buy a 300. I hung a white Suzuki DF300APXX back in April of 2019 on my 2005 Parker 2520. As of yesterday my “new” engine has 1123 hours on it….

Only saying this to be helpful… do you have insurance on the boat, and do they know/are they ok with the fact that the boat is overpowered?

Being overpowered as per the capacity plate (or the manufacturer’s design specifications; no, removing the plate is not an effective loophole) may make the boat “inherently unseaworthy” as per insurance rules. While in practice it’s perfectly fine and may even perform better, if you have an incident the insurance company can use that to deny a claim on the basis that you modified the boat to be outside the designer’s safe specifications.

Just a heads up for anyone contemplating increasing their installed HP. I know it’s done all the time, but it’s a little detail that’s worth knowing about.

 

[Sea Jay]

Thank you all for your valuable insight and advice.

 

[Mpellet]

Only saying this to be helpful… do you have insurance on the boat, and do they know/are they ok with the fact that the boat is overpowered?

Being overpowered as per the capacity plate (or the manufacturer’s design specifications; no, removing the plate is not an effective loophole) may make the boat “inherently unseaworthy” as per insurance rules. While in practice it’s perfectly fine and may even perform better, if you have an incident the insurance company can use that to deny a claim on the basis that you modified the boat to be outside the designer’s safe specifications.

Just a heads up for anyone contemplating increasing their installed HP. I know it’s done all the time, but it’s a little detail that’s worth knowing about.

That a popular missive that is parroted by someone in various forms on almost every repower related thread that I have ever read.

Yes I have insurance, yes the hull# and engine serial # and horsepower are printed on my policy and I was never questioned about it when I changed my coverage after repower with the insurance company that my boat had been insured with for 14 years when I repowered or the new insurance company I switched to 2 years ago. Hull #, engine make, model, horsepower and serial # are all documented on my policy.

I can’t prove one way or another if there would be an issue with a claim because thankfully I haven’t had one but I am not holding back any information from the insurance company and I wasn’t deceptive with the insurance company when providing the information they requested to insure my boat and is documented in my insurance policy. I have never been questioned at all by either of the companies that have insured my boat about rated horsepower or the placard.

Now a question for you, again I have heard & read the warning you repeated dozens if not hundreds of times in various discussions over the decades but do you have any actual 1st hand proof of this ever happening? Having an insurance company refusing to pay a claim based on outboard size, even when the size and serial # of the outboard is documented in the insurance policy/contract ?

 

[pelagic2530]

That a popular missive that is parroted by someone in various forms on almost every repower related thread that I have ever read.

Yes I have insurance, yes the hull# and engine serial # and horsepower are printed on my policy and I was never questioned about it when I changed my coverage after repower with the insurance company that my boat had been insured with for 14 years when I repowered or the new insurance company I switched to 2 years ago. Hull #, engine make, model, horsepower and serial # are all documented on my policy.

I can’t prove one way or another if there would be an issue with a claim because thankfully I haven’t had one but I am not holding back any information from the insurance company and I wasn’t deceptive with the insurance company when providing the information they requested to insure my boat and is documented in my insurance policy. I have never been questioned at all by either of the companies that have insured my boat about rated horsepower or the placard.

Now a question for you, again I have heard & read the warning you repeated dozens if not hundreds of times in various discussions over the decades but do you have any actual 1st hand proof of this ever happening? Having an insurance company refusing to pay a claim based on outboard size, even when the size and serial # of the outboard is documented in the insurance policy/contract ?

This wasn’t meant to be a confrontational post dude. If you’re happy with and confident in your coverage, that’s all that matters.

To answer your direct question, no, I do not have any personal experience with an insurance claim on an overpowered boat. Nor do I know anyone who does. I also don’t know that many people who have overpowered a boat.

I have seen, as you have, scores of people, a good number of whom *claim* to be insurance adjusters, accident investigators, lawyers, etc. (I have not independently verified their credentials) who all say the same thing, that if an investigation into an insurance claim reveals that the vessel was overpowered, that *can*, not necessarily will, be grounds for denial of coverage.

What I’ve never seen, is anybody claiming to be one of these individuals saying that overpowering a boat is totally fine and not an issue.

Another aspect here is that per long-understanding of maritime law, it is the responsibility of the owner/operator/Master of a vessel to ensure that it is maintained, equipped and operated in a seaworthy manner. Which doesn’t emplicitly STATE, but certainly IMPLIES, that it’s not the insurance company’s responsibility to verify that your vessel is seaworthy- it’s your responsibility to ensure that it is. Many a commercial insurance claim has been denied due to a vessel that was properly insured being deemed unseaworthy during an investigation- by nature of overloading, poor maintenance, improper manning, or many other factors.

As an experiment, why don’t you try calling your insurance company and specifically asking “hey, my boat carries more horsepower than my capacity plate allows. Am I covered?” If you’re not comfortable doing this, maybe ask yourself why that is.

At the end of the day, I’ve never met an insurance company that I trusted to decide things my way when there was a gray area… how confident are you that yours will?

 

[Mpellet]

This wasn’t meant to be a confrontational post dude. If you’re happy with and confident in your coverage, that’s all that matters.

To answer your direct question, no, I do not have any personal experience with an insurance claim on an overpowered boat. Nor do I know anyone who does. I also don’t know that many people who have overpowered a boat.

I have seen, as you have, scores of people, a good number of whom *claim* to be insurance adjusters, accident investigators, lawyers, etc. (I have not independently verified their credentials) who all say the same thing, that if an investigation into an insurance claim reveals that the vessel was overpowered, that *can*, not necessarily will, be grounds for denial of coverage.

What I’ve never seen, is anybody claiming to be one of these individuals saying that overpowering a boat is totally fine and not an issue.

Another aspect here is that per long-understanding of maritime law, it is the responsibility of the owner/operator/Master of a vessel to ensure that it is maintained, equipped and operated in a seaworthy manner. Which doesn’t emplicitly STATE, but certainly IMPLIES, that it’s not the insurance company’s responsibility to verify that your vessel is seaworthy- it’s your responsibility to ensure that it is. Many a commercial insurance claim has been denied due to a vessel that was properly insured being deemed unseaworthy during an investigation- by nature of overloading, poor maintenance, improper manning, or many other factors.

As an experiment, why don’t you try calling your insurance company and specifically asking “hey, my boat carries more horsepower than my capacity plate allows. Am I covered?” If you’re not comfortable doing this, maybe ask yourself why that is.

At the end of the day, I’ve never met an insurance company that I trusted to decide things my way when there was a gray area… how confident are you that yours will?

Ok so just repeating the narrative. Got it

 

[Key Largo]

This wasn’t meant to be a confrontational post dude. If you’re happy with and confident in your coverage, that’s all that matters.

To answer your direct question, no, I do not have any personal experience with an insurance claim on an overpowered boat. Nor do I know anyone who does. I also don’t know that many people who have overpowered a boat.

I have seen, as you have, scores of people, a good number of whom *claim* to be insurance adjusters, accident investigators, lawyers, etc. (I have not independently verified their credentials) who all say the same thing, that if an investigation into an insurance claim reveals that the vessel was overpowered, that *can*, not necessarily will, be grounds for denial of coverage.

What I’ve never seen, is anybody claiming to be one of these individuals saying that overpowering a boat is totally fine and not an issue.

Another aspect here is that per long-understanding of maritime law, it is the responsibility of the owner/operator/Master of a vessel to ensure that it is maintained, equipped and operated in a seaworthy manner. Which doesn’t emplicitly STATE, but certainly IMPLIES, that it’s not the insurance company’s responsibility to verify that your vessel is seaworthy- it’s your responsibility to ensure that it is. Many a commercial insurance claim has been denied due to a vessel that was properly insured being deemed unseaworthy during an investigation- by nature of overloading, poor maintenance, improper manning, or many other factors.

As an experiment, why don’t you try calling your insurance company and specifically asking “hey, my boat carries more horsepower than my capacity plate allows. Am I covered?” If you’re not comfortable doing this, maybe ask yourself why that is.

At the end of the day, I’ve never met an insurance company that I trusted to decide things my way when there was a gray area… how confident are you that yours will?

I have been asked the boats top speed a couple of times before they bound the policy.

 

[pelagic2530]

Ok so just repeating the narrative. Got it

Make the call, tell me how it goes!

 

[Mpellet]

Make the call, tell me how it goes!

When I repowered , I switched insurance companies not because my old insurance company wouldn’t insure my boat but because they only used a random book value which was not more then 65% of what the boat was actually worth on the used market. I switched to an insurance company that would insure my boat with an agreed upon value. I had a couple couple of exchanges with the broker to establish the policy that included some pictures and was required to provide vin/hul #s of hull, trailer and engine serial #s and specs. There was never any mention of any placards or horsepower ratings. I’m not gonna “make a call” to settle internet banter with a stranger but based upon my experience dealing with boat specific insurance salesperson, the horsepower issues did not appear to be an issue when the conversation started with “I just repowered my 2005 Parker 2520 with a new 300hp engine and I need to insure the boat for more $$ then my current insurance provider will agree to”.

Have a good Memorial Day….