one outboard or two?

[ERNDOG]

I was recently given an old hull (suppossedly a blackman).Its 23' and used to have an I/O,,now it has a big hole.I am looking for some opinions on one larger outboard vs. two smaller ones.It will be a no frills,center console fishing boat with range being the main priority.This being my first prodject of this nature,any info will be appreciated,especially advice from anyone who has experience with this type of prodject.

[chazwaza]

hi im charlie i have read your forum and i would have one main outboard and another little one on board in case of emergency.

glad to give my advice

[Willallison]

If range is your primary goal, then one o/b is generally less thirsty than two. A small auxillary as chazwaza suggests is a good idea as a get home.
I'm assuming you won't be buying the engine(s) new - in which case it may also be worth looking for a 2nd hand diesel sterndrive. It will use less fuel than any older o/b's you might buy...

[Thunderhead19]

I have seen a common scenario where someone opts for a single outboard and winds up working it so hard that they would have gotten better mileage and less maintennance cost if the used twins. Then they wind up switching over. All I'm saying is make sure you have the option of changing over later if you fall into this category.

[Willallison]

I think that comes down to choosing the right amount of power in the 1st place. Sure a single 150 hp o/b is going to work harder than a pair of them, but no harder than a pair of 75's which will give the same total power, but less performance

[BayouDude]

I would prefer to have two engines. If you are planning to travel far from shore I would rather have the peace of mind that i could get back home if one engine gave out for some reason. I have a friend who has a 23' parker with a single 225 mercury and he wishes he had went with twin 150's. You may burn a little more with twins but you will carry a load easier and jump on plane better, though I find a single larger outboard to be faster. I also prefer the manuverability of twin engines, in a tight spot you can walk right out and spin around in your own length with twins. I think it mainly boils down to cost when opting for twin engines. My father had a 25' Boston Whaler with twin 150's and we would fish the oil platforms 70 miles off the coast and only burn about 110 gallons per trip. Just my two cents hope it helps.

[mackid068]

Two is always better than one. Having 2 25hp is better than, even, say a 75hp (I know, more than double the HP) because of reliability and safety. If one engine "goes" than you have another to get you home. Get 4-strokes if possible to address thirst issues.

[boby boy]

go with chazwaza's idea it is functinal and provides a back up for safty. plus it is enjoyable to have a big outboard to show off.

[PowerTech]

That babys got some bow rail on it.

[tom28571]

2 engines = twice the probability of an individual engine failure.

Main sources of failure = fuel and electrical. Unless you have separate fuel and battery systems, both will fail from these sources at the same time. This makes the total failure probability of two engines greater than 2X as stated above.

Most reliable system for outboards is a good single and a backup with separate fuel and battery or manual start.

This is also the less expensive system.

The most reliable propulsion system is one that is well maintained and monitored no mattter how many engines.

[steigermike]

hey erndog good luck with the boat,if you plan on venturing offshore twins give you piece of mind,but factor in cost,the transom rebuild and bracket that would be necessary to hold the outboards,the larger fuel cell that would be necessary,and the fact that going offshore in a vessel of that size you would have to really pick your days. if it were me i would go with a single 200 or 225 yamaha and a kicker of about 25hp.

[enyaliosavatar]

Maybe if you spent less time on top of yo mama you wouldn't need to ask such silly questions. lol

Seriously, stick with what it was designed for.

[marshmat]

As Tom says, when outboards die it's most often because of crap fuel or crap electrics. And if either of these goes, both motors die within a few minutes of each other. If you want outboards, I'd choose a single main one just a bit stronger than you really need, and a side kicker that can push the boat to hull speed in a bit of weather. The kicker should be rope-start and have a portable fuel tank that you fill at a different gas station. A 300hp single will tend to use a bit less fuel than two 150s. But if you can scrounge up a diesel sterndrive that fits, it will burn less fuel than any comparable outboard option and will likely be more reliable as well.

[antonfourie]

If you are going offshore, two motors seperate fuel and electrics, unless you can swim / paddle real well, I have had to come home on one motor many a time when game fishing in SA