#11
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Great thread guys, I really appreciate all the experience and info. I'm looking at hanging an outboard on my previously i/o 74 seafari, and have been seriously considering a Suzuki 90.
Steve
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"why are you buying such an old boat?" 1974 SeaFari V6 i/o, 1965 Bowrider 19' i/o, 1975 Sceptre 23' i/o, WS Tarpon and Hobie kayaks, 12' Starcraft tin boat |
#12
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Don't let Terry scare you off of going out to the Middle Grounds! It is literally the best grouper fishing in the entire Gulf of Mexico! (Lots of Goliath Grouper/Jewfish though, which you can't keep, even though I remember them as VERY tasty).
I ran my 1972 20' Seafari out to the Florida Middle Grounds from Cedar Key (210 miles round-trip) in front of three different motors: twice with a '77 120 hp Chrysler, once with a '91 XR4 150 Mercury, and finally, twice with an '06 90 Mercury Optimax. I never had a problem mechanically, but I did always take kicker motor. Like Denny, I never made a 100+ mile trip like that alone, but always in the company of other boats, usually with a larger (40+) Cruiser for a floating "hotel" while we were out there. Let's face it, 105 miles at 20-25 mph is a LOOONG ride. (I do confess to making the crossing to the Bahamas alone many, many times, though, in a variety of boats.) With my 120 Chrysler, I got about 3.7-3.9 mpg average at 22-23 mph. With my 150 Mercury, I got about 2.9-3.0 mpg at 25-26 mph, and with my 2006 20" 375lb 90hp Optimax, I got 5.7 mpg at about 25 mph. The 90 Etec I now believe to be a better choice than the Optimax, mostly because of the weight and much better reliability. Fuel economy is reportedly now as good or better, too. I have a parishioner with a new 2013 90 Etec on a 1700 lb Key West 186, and he insists he is averaging over 6.5 mpg here in Choctawhatchee bay. It's so quiet, that when we're fishing together I have to look back to see if the motor is running at idle, if the stereo is on. I also agree that you should raise the transom to 25" if you haven't already, and forgo the bracket. CG is very important in Moesly hulls.
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Common Sense is learning from your mistakes. Wisdom is learning from the other guy's mistakes. Fr. Frank says: Jesus liked fishing, too. He even walked on water to get to the boat! Currently without a SeaCraft (2) Pompano 12' fishing kayaks '73 Cobia 18' prototype "Casting Skiff", 70hp Mercury |
#13
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I've seen some intriguing performance discussion around here for the Etec 90 on a 20 footer. Also, added performance discussion regarding brackets. Which would have a greater impact on performance with the Etec 90 on a 20': a bracket or hydraulic jack plate? If one went with a 14" jack plate, would that forego the need for the added performance from the bracket?
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#14
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Quote:
Only my opinion, but I wouldn't trade the possibility of a 2-3 mph gain on the top end for the balance and handling the transom mount would offer.
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there's no such thing as normal anymore... |
#15
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How severe would the trade off be? The bracket with swim platform is a must for me, also considering a 90hp etec or suzuki for the most fuel efficient setup. Looking at a 24" setback
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#16
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I think the main trade off is simply in re-balancing the boat in any of the traditional ways. Slide the console forward a bit, move batteries or fuel tank forward or add ballast forward. Or better yet, get a couple of babes to ride with you and place them where you need them. Might be as simple as having 2 riders for of the console.
I don't think it would be nearly as dramatic as if you were moving the additional 100lbs of a 150 hp motor 2' aft, but some re-balancing would be in order.
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there's no such thing as normal anymore... |
#17
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Great thread guys. I'm still scratching my head. I have a 20' Overnighter with a hermco bracket installed. The liner on my boat is the same a the seafari with a different cap. I've enclosed the transom, moved batteries forward of the fuel tank and replaced the 47 gal tank with a shorter 35 gal tank. The 150's seem like overkill but I also don't want to be underpowered. I'm getting close to the point of buying a motor but can't decide which way to go.
To be honest I've never had this boat in the water, so I have no experience with its performance. Any input would certainly help. |
#18
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20' Seacraft Overnighter Re-power
20' Low-rider Safari (Overnighter) with Hermco Bracket -
Recommendation #1 - Get the 25" 115hp E-tec. They make 129 hp at the output shaft and use a 150 hp lower unit with 2.25 to 1 gears. They are the smallest engine you can get the I-Command gauges with and study everything you could possibly want to know. You'll need to by a couple of gallons of oil a year and need to add about $1.25 - $1.50 per hour of running time for the three year service interval. I think you may "touch" 35 MPH with a 15 X 17" wheel and will not use more than 25 gallons per day running daylight to dark. Recommendation #2 - Find a good Salt Water Series 130 Yamaha, Suzuki DF-140, V-4 130/140 hp Carb. OMC, or an older 150 hp 2 two stroke carb Merc., bolt it up and let it eat. Do you know how much gas you can buy for the possible 1 to 1.5 MPG you might gain for $6,000.00? You could run the Great Circle Route twice before you made up the difference! |
#19
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Quote:
Although I added a galley seat to my Seafari that added a little weight forward of the CG, I couldn't move the gas tank and of course there is no console to move. With the old 300 lb motor on the transom, I could easily plane at 12 mph. Initial trials with a new 429 lb motor set back 30" on a bracket, my min planing speed was up around 22-23 mph, which is absolutely unacceptable! After adding a stern lifting 4B prop and a Doelfin, I can again plane at 12 mph, but I'm sure those 2 items COST me more WOT speed than I gained with the bracket! A good friend of mine with the same boat just repowered with the same motor but no bracket, and he's at least 5-6 mph faster @ WOT! I don't really mind because I never run WOT, the boat rides great, still averages over 4.0 mpg, and I like the extra room and big swim platform. But if you're thinking of adding a bracket just for another 2-3 mph top speed, just recognize that there is a risk of losing more than you gain if you screw up the boat's balance! And a jack plate can still cause the problematic CG shift, but without providing the benefits of a swim platform and a big flotation tank to maintain static trim for self bailing at the dock! Bottom line is that adding a bracket on a 20 is not as simple as it looks and requires some serious thought and modifications to do it right, which is why we made my Pros & Cons thread a sticky in the Repairs/Mods section!
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'72 SeaFari/150E-Tec/Hermco Bracket, owned since 1975. http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...Part2019-1.jpg |
#20
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