Is 250 HP enough?

abayar1

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Thinking about putting one Suzuki 250 HP fourstroke on my 255 sailfish instead of replacing the old 150's pair that i have. Does anyone have this configuration and could give me some specs. What do yall think? What shaft length should i get?
 
More then likely you would need to go 5" longer then your present set up. A 250 might be a little underpowered for you, you would probably cruise at 20-22mph and top out around 35 would be my guess. what about a 275hp Verado? Or a Suzuki 300hp? They have been performing fairly well and might give you another 2 or so mph on the cuise and top end and fuel numbers would be similar to any comparable 250 out there. I would say your performence would be similar to a single engine 268 islander due to weight. There were some with single 250's, but from what I've heard, the engines go a lot quicker with that engine package due to the heavy load applied to a single engine.
 
No problem, I repowered my 1987 242 offshore in 2004 with a single yamaha F225 and am very pleased with it. I get excellent fuel mileage and can cruise around 25mph with a top speed of about 37.
 
If money is not a problem then go with the biggest engine your boat can handle. Running the bigger motor puts a lot less stress on the motor which will allow better fuel economy. If you ever decide to sell, a lot of people shy away from under powered boats. I looked for a few months and drove 800 miles out of my to find my Grady. All the boats I saw had 150's or 175's. I held out for the 200 and I am happy I did.
 
The GW 225 sailfishes all seem to have 300 hp (two 150s) so you will be competing with other 300m hp vessels when resale time comes. Recommended not to drop in hp; more ware and tear on the engine and higher gas consumption to push the hull. Go with a single Yamaha 300 hp in you can swing the expense. More importantly, what do the boat franchise dealers near you support? Professional marine mechanics from a franchised dealership are very important. Find out what they support and then make your decision.