Repower 1998 Tigercat

Rega

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Have a perfect condition F26 that is ready for repower. Has twin Johnson FICTs on her that, despite all the clammer about what crap they are, have been good. Well over 1500 hours on them. Need suggestions on brands. HP, and price (ballpark) ---Thanks

Rega
 

gradyfish22

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Depends what cruise you would like to be around, not sure what HP you currently have. You could probably go as low as twin 150's and as high as twin 250's. There are a ton of options out there for you, not sure if you prefer any brand over others. You also need to decide between 2 and 4 stroke engines.

You could stay rude/johnson and go with an Evinrude ETEC 200's would probably be nice.
Twin Suzuki 140's would be great on fuel, but probably too slow.
Twin F150 Yamaha's may be too slow as well but would also be good on fuel.
Twin F225 Yamaha's may be a good match, the F200's are the same weight so you might as well get the extra HP.
If you can find some leftover Yamaha 200 HPDI engines, that might be a very nice match as well.
Twin Merc Verado's might work also, there is a 4 and a 6 cylinder 200. The 4 might not push the boat as fast due to a smaller block, but would probably be faster then any 150's. The 4 cylinder will be better on fuel then the 6, but the 6 might be a better match for speed while also providing decent economy. I know some may say buy Opti's, but if I went merc I'd splurge for the Verado's.
Twin Honda's may do well also, they usually perform very well on Cat's, but they are a little on the heavy side.

I do not think you should have any major issued with weight, but I would first call Grady White and ask them what weight your transom should be able to hold, that may limit your choices. Also, before you repower, no matter what you decide to go with, have the transom checked, given the boats age it shouldn't have issues, but I've seen boats with wet transoms that are not that old. Since the engines will be removed, this is thew most convenient time to have this work done, plus you wouldn't want to spend a good chunk of change and then have transom issues. Once you do this, you can use your weight and HP limits to see what suits your usage best. If you want speed over economy, go with a high HP engine, if you would rather have better economy, a smaller engine may be better suited.
These days, all the engines on the market are fairly good, but the most important thing is to find a dealer you are comfortable with. Look for dealers who will be able to service your engines, make sure they have a good rep and that you will feel comfortable with them servicing the engines, this may narrow your brands down a bit and help in your decision. Good luck, let us know what you decide and some fuel number's after the repower would be awesome!!!
 

Rega

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Repower Tiger Cat

Thanks Grady Fish! Currently the HP is 150 Fict Johnsons. Curious on what a ballpark price might be for 2 Yam 225 knowing that the entire controls will need to be changed form Johnson to Yam. A lot of great Yam mechanics here is Clearwater and I feel comfortable finding good service and repair. This is about a 60% dive boat, 20% fish and 20% sun-weekender so I don't necessarily need to go fast. We do drive her down to the keys via water (about 300 NM) a few times a year as well as skip across to Bimini (60 NM from Miami) so reliability and a decent fuel milage would be nice. You don't get into boating to save money but not getting jammed at the pump or mechanic is a plus. Let me know what a ballpark $ would be for Yams. Thank s again.
 

Rega

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reel soon

Had a similar issue with my Fict 150's but put the boat on a major diet, took all kinds of extra gear and crap off it and only filled up the tanks with what I could use (if I was just puttering around the bay). Has made a major difference. Also noticed that the T-cat likes to be well trimmed out and bow high. Try it and see what you can get.
 

Reel Soon

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Trim is key with the Tigercat in smooth water. Please, let me know how the repower goes and what engines you decide on if you repower. I'm interested in increased fuel economy without sacrificing power.