Repower 306 1999 Bimini Model

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foxdungeon

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Gents,
Looking at repowering. Currently have the original OX 250, s -2 strokes, they are bulletproof and still going strong. Weighing the options on coming to terms they aint going to last forever.
I'm getting 1.3 mpg at cruise spinning 3800 rpm -31 miles per hour.
Anyone out there repower, Brand? Horsepower and fuel consumption pros and cons? Added weight of the 4 strokes ?

thank you
 
foxdungeon said:
Gents,
Looking at repowering. Currently have the original OX 250, s -2 strokes, they are bulletproof and still going strong. Weighing the options on coming to terms they aint going to last forever.
I'm getting 1.3 mpg at cruise spinning 3800 rpm -31 miles per hour.
Anyone out there repower, Brand? Horsepower and fuel consumption pros and cons? Added weight of the 4 strokes ?

thank you
Click to expand...
Better fuel consumption is likely but that will take a heck of a long time normally to justify the cost of new motors. Weight and trim is another factor. Generally 4 strokes will be heavier (although some motors not by a lot)
Your fuel economy right now is pretty good for those motors.

If you repower with used motors, that is a whole other story since some model years and models may have exhaust stack corrosion problems.

On the plus side, the 4 strokes will be cleaner to run and a lot less noisy..
As to your comment about those 2 strokes not lasting forever, that is true but they might outlast your boat's life:)

If you plan on keeping your 99 hull for a decent time period and it is structurally sound ( and has newer gas tanks), new motors may be a good option. If you plan on selling anytime soon, you won't recoup your investment for new motors. The used boat market is in a downward trend. On the other hand, there are some attractive deals out there for new motors.

All that probably doesn't help answer your question clearly!
 
This topic comes up quite frequently and it seems as though the top 3 most popular brands that people repower with, in no particular order, would be Yamaha, Suzuki and Mercury. The most popular choice seems to be Yamaha, though they're also likely going to be the most expensive as well as have the shortest warranty period at only 3 years. Suzuki is another good option, is usually the cheaper/cheapest option of the 3 and comes with a standard 5 year warranty. Mercury is usually the lightest option in the bunch, also comes with a 5 year standard warranty. Both Suzuki/Mercury have a 7 year promotion going on right now until the end of the month, though.

- 1999 Yamaha 250 ox66 25" shaft - 460 lbs per Google
- Yamaha F250 DEC 25" shaft - 551 lbs - 3 year warranty - MSRP per the Yamaha website is a minimum of $30k per motor for the digital/fly by wire controls
- Suzuki DF250AP Digital 25" shaft - 639 lbs - 5 year warranty / 7 year promotional warranty - Can be found in the high teen to low/mid $20k price range
- Mercury 250 FourStroke Series Digital 25" shaft - 527 lbs - 5 year warranty / 7 year promotional warranty - Can be found in the high teen to low/mid $20k price range as well

Which would bring me to what you're ultimately wanting, how much you're wanting to spend and so forth... if you're wanting to save as much weight and money as possible, then Mercury would likely be the better/best option. If you don't care about the additional weight, I think I would personally go with the Suzuki DF250AP if/when I were to ever repower my own boat. Both seem to be great motors with great service and come standard with a 5/7 year warranty, depending on if they're running their promotion or not. If you don't care about how much you spend, your warranty, etc, then Yamaha is always another option. Not trying to bash on any brand or anything like that, I honestly just think that Yamaha is quite a bit more money for what you get, which is a shorter warranty period and you could pay upwards of $10k+ per outboard more than going with Suzuki/Mercury. You could always spend a few thousand dollars less per motor with Yamaha if you wanted mechanical throttles, though it looks like their cheapest mechanical throttled F250 is $28k, and you're still paying more for a imo lower performance/optioned product comparatively. It really just depends on what you're looking for, how much you're wanting to spend, etc. Best bet imo would be to find a reputable dealer in your area that you trust, has great reviews and what their product availability/pricing is like. Good luck!


 
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I'd ensure you have solid local engine support for post sales work. I think the Yamahas are the way to go, but cost is a factor.
 
I was in a similar situation a few years ago. After considering the cost of a repower, new gas tanks, and the additional weight of 4 strokes, I decided it wasn't worth the investment in a 28 year old boat. I don't know about your boat, but my scuppers were completely below the water line when my tanks were full.

It's probably time for a different boat.
 
Easy Runnin said:
I was in a similar situation a few years ago. After considering the cost of a repower, new gas tanks, and the additional weight of 4 strokes, I decided it wasn't worth the investment in a 28 year old boat. I don't know about your boat, but my scuppers were completely below the water line when my tanks were full.

It's probably time for a different boat.
Click to expand...
A man after my own heart. I'm a dollars and cents kind of guy, to where unless it's your "forever boat", one that you plan on holding onto for the next 10-15+ years and can justify the additional costs of a repower, it's likely a lot cheaper to sell your current boat and buy a boat that's already been repowered, if at all possible. If going through with a repower, as mentioned above as well as in this reply, I'm a dollars and cents kind of guy, and Suzuki imo is likely the best way to go in order to keep your repower expenses at the absolute minimum. An extra $10k+ per motor that you save is a huge savings upfront and will buy quite a bit of fuel as well.
 
Mustang65fbk said:
This topic comes up quite frequently and it seems as though the top 3 most popular brands that people repower with, in no particular order, would be Yamaha, Suzuki and Mercury. The most popular choice seems to be Yamaha, though they're also likely going to be the most expensive as well as have the shortest warranty period at only 3 years. Suzuki is another good option, is usually the cheaper/cheapest option of the 3 and comes with a standard 5 year warranty. Mercury is usually the lightest option in the bunch, also comes with a 5 year standard warranty. Both Suzuki/Mercury have a 7 year promotion going on right now until the end of the month, though.

- 1999 Yamaha 250 ox66 25" shaft - 460 lbs per Google
- Yamaha F250 DEC 25" shaft - 551 lbs - 3 year warranty - MSRP per the Yamaha website is a minimum of $30k per motor for the digital/fly by wire controls
- Suzuki DF250AP Digital 25" shaft - 639 lbs - 5 year warranty / 7 year promotional warranty - Can be found in the high teen to low/mid $20k price range
- Mercury 250 FourStroke Series Digital 25" shaft - 527 lbs - 5 year warranty / 7 year promotional warranty - Can be found in the high teen to low/mid $20k price range as well

Which would bring me to what you're ultimately wanting, how much you're wanting to spend and so forth... if you're wanting to save as much weight and money as possible, then Mercury would likely be the better/best option. If you don't care about the additional weight, I think I would personally go with the Suzuki DF250AP if/when I were to ever repower my own boat. Both seem to be great motors with great service and come standard with a 5/7 year warranty, depending on if they're running their promotion or not. If you don't care about how much you spend, your warranty, etc, then Yamaha is always another option. Not trying to bash on any brand or anything like that, I honestly just think that Yamaha is quite a bit more money for what you get, which is a shorter warranty period and you could pay upwards of $10k+ per outboard more than going with Suzuki/Mercury. You could always spend a few thousand dollars less per motor with Yamaha if you wanted mechanical throttles, though it looks like their cheapest mechanical throttled F250 is $28k, and you're still paying more for a imo lower performance/optioned product comparatively. It really just depends on what you're looking for, how much you're wanting to spend, etc. Best bet imo would be to find a reputable dealer in your area that you trust, has great reviews and what their product availability/pricing is like. Good luck!


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thank you for your reply. I see the Suzuki's a lot in the west coast of Florida where I am. Most likely the pricing, but I have a buddy that has had warranty done on Suzuki no questions asked. I'm curious about the vast difference in weight, combined that's close to 400 lbs. on the stern, Are the deck drains under water?
 
Recently repowered with Yamaha 300's from 250's, caught the 5-Year Warranty free like Suzuki, very happy, also lighter on the Transom some 150#. Yes, cost more, but more support in south TX. on Yamaha. I figure resale might be a little better, but love my Marlin and plan on keeping a while.
 
foxdungeon said:
thank you for your reply. I see the Suzuki's a lot in the west coast of Florida where I am. Most likely the pricing, but I have a buddy that has had warranty done on Suzuki no questions asked. I'm curious about the vast difference in weight, combined that's close to 400 lbs. on the stern, Are the deck drains under water?
Click to expand...

I have no personal experience in the matter, and would have to assume that adding any amount of weight will likely make the stern of the boat drop down some in terms of the water level and where the boat currently sits. That being said, the Mercury's at less than an extra 60 lbs per outboard are likely going to be your best bet in terms of additional weight gained. You might even break even in terms of weight as I imagine your current ox66's likely have dual oil reservoirs in the stern of the boat at 2-3 gallons per outboard and as mentioned, you might even break even in terms of weight. You could always drop down to the Suzuki DF200AP's at 529 lbs a piece and save over 200+ lbs of additional weight. That being said, you'd lose 100 hp overall, which I don't imagine you'd want to do with that big of a boat. Perhaps someone else will come along shortly and give you some additional insight on the matter? I'd also maybe maybe a phone call or send an email to Grady White and ask if they have performance bulletins for your boat with twin 200's, 225's and 250's outboards to see which is the best fit for you, which gets the best fuel economy and if you have a certain top speed that you're wanting to achieve.
 
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