2001 repower

luckydude

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I know. Tough call. The only one that comes in relatively quick is the Zuki 250. Kinda wanted something lighter.
I believe the Yamaha 250 is 562 pounds dry. Lighter is better if you can find it. I've heard that mercs are lighter but don't know.
I'm with Kyle, if your motor runs, wait it out to get what you want (and you want a 250 or even a 300).
 

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A few things that have been mentioned above would be that the maximum horsepower rating for the OP's boat is 250 hp, though if a 250 hp and 300 hp outboard are the same weight then I guess it would work? Idk, I honestly don't think there is much of a need to go over the maximum horsepower rating as Grady White's aren't really a speed boat, and I'm not sure if that could make for a problem with insuring the boat? I again personally wouldn't go with anything above the 250 hp rating, but that's just me, you can do whatever you want with your own boat, though it's just going to increase the price. I think the two biggest things that a 250 hp outboard will give you is slightly better mid range fuel economy numbers as well as resale value. When I was looking for a boat, I was trying to find one that had an F250 on it, but pretty much all, or at least the overwhelming majority, of the early to mid 2000's GW 228 Seafarer's had F225's on them. If you were to ever resell the boat, I think you'd probably have more interest from potential buyers with a 250 on it as opposed to a 225. To me,

I personally don't need to go over 40 mph, shoot I rarely ever go over 25 mph because whenever you do it just increases the GPH of fuel you burn. Some people care about having the maximum horsepower possible as well as top speed and those mid range fuel economy numbers, and again you'd probably get more interest in the boat as well as a higher selling price if you did resell it. I'm honestly kind of shocked that the Mercury is the same price or close to it, as compared to the Suzuki. I figured the Suzuki would be considerably less than both the Mercury and the Yamaha. As Ky Grady mentioned, I'd definitely call around and see who has what in stock and for what price. At the end of the day it depends on what you want to do with the boat and what your intentions are for the boat, whether you want to keep it for the long run, potentially sell it, etc. If you do plan on keeping it for the foreseeable future and don't mind waiting, I don't see any issue with spending a little bit more on the exact motor that you want to get. I just have the mechanical throttle linkage on my F225 and don't have any issues with it, though I would definitely consider upgrading to the fly by wire or digital controls. Say it is $5k more, if you kept the boat for the next 10-20 years then that additional $5k would likely be worth it in the long run. I again think it'll be mostly about what's available, when and for how much. Good luck and let us know what you decide on
 
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dutch45

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Anyone know if the mercs or Suzukis raise out of the water when parked in a slip? I know the yamaha doesn’t.
 

dutch45

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A few things that have been mentioned above would be that the maximum horsepower rating for the OP's boat is 250 hp, though if a 250 hp and 300 hp outboard are the same weight then I guess it would work? Idk, I honestly don't think there is much of a need to go over the maximum horsepower rating as Grady White's aren't really a speed boat, and I'm not sure if that could make for a problem with insuring the boat? I again personally wouldn't go with anything above the 250 hp rating, but that's just me, you can do whatever you want with your own boat, though it's just going to increase the price. I think the two biggest things that a 250 hp outboard will give you is slightly better mid range fuel economy numbers as well as resale value. When I was looking for a boat, I was trying to find one that had an F250 on it, but pretty much all, or at least the overwhelming majority, of the early to mid 2000's GW 228 Seafarer's had F225's on them. If you were to ever resell the boat, I think you'd probably have more interest from potential buyers with a 250 on it as opposed to a 225. To me,

I personally don't need to go over 40 mph, shoot I rarely ever go over 25 mph because whenever you do it just increases the GPH of fuel you burn. Some people care about having the maximum horsepower possible as well as top speed and those mid range fuel economy numbers, and again you'd probably get more interest in the boat as well as a higher selling price if you did resell it. I'm honestly kind of shocked that the Mercury is the same price or close to it, as compared to the Suzuki. I figured the Suzuki would be considerably less than both the Mercury and the Yamaha. As Ky Grady mentioned, I'd definitely call around and see who has what in stock and for what price. At the end of the day it depends on what you want to do with the boat and what your intentions are for the boat, whether you want to keep it for the long run, potentially sell it, etc. If you do plan on keeping it for the foreseeable future and don't mind waiting, I don't see any issue with spending a little bit more on the exact motor that you want to get. I just have the mechanical throttle linkage on my F225 and don't have any issues with it, though I would definitely consider upgrading to the fly by wire or digital controls. Say it is $5k more, if you kept the boat for the next 10-20 years then that additional $5k would likely be worth it in the long run. I again think it'll be mostly about what's available, when and for how much. Good luck and let us know what you decide on
agreed. The 300 is out for me. I’ve been cruising around on a 200 for years. I think anything over 225 would be quite noticeable. I bet the 200 I have now is really more like a 190. I do have them holding the DTS merc 225 because that was all I could get. However, the Suzuki 250 is only about a 3 month wait. I will decide this week which way I go. The 250 seems like the right move. The other caveat was I wanted a white motor, so that doesn’t help either. These repowers certainly have a way of snowballing.
 

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agreed. The 300 is out for me. I’ve been cruising around on a 200 for years. I think anything over 225 would be quite noticeable. I bet the 200 I have now is really more like a 190. I do have them holding the DTS merc 225 because that was all I could get. However, the Suzuki 250 is only about a 3 month wait. I will decide this week which way I go. The 250 seems like the right move. The other caveat was I wanted a white motor, so that doesn’t help either. These repowers certainly have a way of snowballing.
 

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agreed. The 300 is out for me. I’ve been cruising around on a 200 for years. I think anything over 225 would be quite noticeable. I bet the 200 I have now is really more like a 190. I do have them holding the DTS merc 225 because that was all I could get. However, the Suzuki 250 is only about a 3 month wait. I will decide this week which way I go. The 250 seems like the right move. The other caveat was I wanted a white motor, so that doesn’t help either. These repowers certainly have a way of snowballing.
Is the Suzuki available in white? I know that they do offer I believe most of their models in the white color, which is another reason I'd personally go that route. 3 months would put you at about June 1st, which for me personally I haven't even put my boat in the water at that point yet. Your money, your boat and your call though...
 

Don Davis

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Anyone know if the mercs or Suzukis raise out of the water when parked in a slip? I know the yamaha doesn’t.
Here is a picture of my DF250 Suzuki 30 inch shaft, it just touches the water
 

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dutch45

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Is the Suzuki available in white? I know that they do offer I believe most of their models in the white color, which is another reason I'd personally go that route. 3 months would put you at about June 1st, which for me personally I haven't even put my boat in the water at that point yet. Your money, your boat and your call though...
88B8A06B-A76D-4D25-9843-524706599C71.jpeg
 

Mustang65fbk

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Only a 3 month wait, has more power which you said you want, and it comes in white which you said you prefer... I can't think of any reason not to go this route. I'm guessing it's probably also the cheapest option and it comes with as good or better of a warranty than the other motors. I think you've made your decision...
 
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Repowered my 228 last Spring with a Mercury 250; it was the one I could get the quickest and the lightest.

Could not be happier; V8 has tons of torque and is so quiet. Put 100 hours on it my first Summer here on the Pacific in Oregon.
 
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Don Davis

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Repowered my 228 last Spring with a Mercury 250; it was the one I could get the quickest and the lightest.

Could not be happier; V8 has tons of torque and is so quiet. Put 100 hours on it my first Summer here on the Pacific in Oregon.
Wow a V8 in a 250, must be an incredible amount of torque and power, my Suzuki DF250 is a 3.6l V6 and I thought it had lots of torque.
 

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Is this a picture of yours?? So what did you end up doing? You went dark on us.
I have a merc 225 on hold. They had one in stock. Still haven’t decided if I want to wait. I’ll make my decision this week. It’s funny because I originally started with that 200 idea :)
 

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I have a merc 225 on hold. They had one in stock. Still haven’t decided if I want to wait. I’ll make my decision this week. It’s funny because I originally started with that 200 idea :)
The Suzuki 250 is about 3-4 months out. That one was spoken for.
 

Mustang65fbk

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The Suzuki 250 is about 3-4 months out. That one was spoken for.
What's the price difference between the Mercury 225 and the Suzuki 250? Also, do you figure you'll be using the boat in the next 3-4 months? Even if you did, you could always run what you've got until the new motor came in, if you did decide to go with the Suzuki. If I was in your shoes, if they could guarantee the Suzuki would be installed before July 4th well and that it was cheaper than the Mercury then that's the route I'd personally be going in. Just my 2 cents of course, good luck with whatever you decide on going with!
 

dutch45

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What's the price difference between the Mercury 225 and the Suzuki 250? Also, do you figure you'll be using the boat in the next 3-4 months? Even if you did, you could always run what you've got until the new motor came in, if you did decide to go with the Suzuki. If I was in your shoes, if they could guarantee the Suzuki would be installed before July 4th well and that it was cheaper than the Mercury then that's the route I'd personally be going in. Just my 2 cents of course, good luck with whatever you decide on going with!
The engine costs are practically the same between the two. The rigging is more on the merc. (Digital vs mechanical). I’ll get price and delivery on a Suzuki AP just to cover all bases. 3-4 months is what I was told to expect on Suzuki. Yamaha and merc are 6 months or more. I fish on my boat mostly. It goes in once the stripers start running in the spring.
 

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The engine costs are practically the same between the two. The rigging is more on the merc. (Digital vs mechanical). I’ll get price and delivery on a Suzuki AP just to cover all bases. 3-4 months is what I was told to expect on Suzuki. Yamaha and merc are 6 months or more. I fish on my boat mostly. It goes in once the stripers start running in the spring.
The Suzuki DF250AP has the electronic throttle and shift systems compared to the DF250T which I believe is mechanical only, and the DF250AP also has the optional troll mode available as well, which depending on your style of fishing might be a really great asset. Depending on the pricing and availability, if you could potentially get the DF250AP for less as well as sooner than the Mercury... that would be my first choice.
 

Ky Grady

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If your current motor is still running, go fish. Order the white 250 Suzuki with FBW and you'll be happy that you waited the 3-4 months. The 225 is adequate,,, but very happy moving to my F250,,, was well worth the wait.
 
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