Running on a single engine

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LUNDINROOF

GreatGrady Captain
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I just upgraded from a 246G Explorer with a 225 Optimax to a 283 Release with twin 250 Yamaha 4-strokes. I am pleased with the performance, both speed and economy of the twin engines but it has been a learning experience having to deal with two engines, two controls, two sets of gages etc. Most situations I have questions about are answered by trial and error and, so far, I have not taken out a dock or set anything on fire.

One question I hesitate to attempt to answer by trial and error is if I have a problem with an engine, will I be able to get on a plane using a single engine. And, if I can, will this hurt the good engine to run it like this for a couple hours in an emergency?

Do any of you guys/gals have any experience or opinions about running on a single engine?
 
only thing i can tell you is my tech said if i had to run on a single, lift the bad engine and don't run the hell out of the good one. it sounds like good common sense to me. ron
 
I know that with my 272 sailfish with the twin 225 yamahas EFIs that I can get up on plane with a full tank and 4 adults on board. You need to raise the not running motor before doing so. I would not want to run for hours like that as I am quite sure it puts a tremendous amount of stress on the operational engine but I would if I had to.
 
The engines are proped for twins and running on a single changes everything. Its not likley you'll be able to get up on plane without stressing the one engine.

I had a problem with one of my F-150's on a 268 Islander. I just looked up my Garmin track log and came in around 7 knots.
 
single engine

I hate to admit I've gotten in on one engine twice.....once due to failed battery and once due to ethanol issues (water separator was clogged). I ran in at about 8-10 sm or 7-9 knots, just took my time, not in a big hurry was lucky to be only 10 miles out...little over an hour I'm in safe and I can address the issue on dry land instead of in a rocking and rolling ocean. As stated before tilt the one motor out of the way and don't push it. Remember, your still going in the right direction, but if that other motor quits, you have major issues......Just take your time, break out the sandwiches, sodas, etc to kill the time.....most important thing is your life, and the lives of your crew. Do the smart thing......head in at slow, steady pace....if you are a good distance off shore, you might want to also alert the Coast guard, they will check with you every 30mins. Smart thing in case you lose second motor or all power....Can you get in on one motor.....YES, can you plane on one motor probably but would not recommend it and is it that important to possibly damage one of your $20K outboards....your call
 
I have a 272 sailfish with twin 200 hp HPDI motors. I can get the boat up on plane with a single motor running at 3400 to 3600 rpm. I would not want to do it for any extended legnth of time, but I tested my boat to see what it would do in an emergency if I really needed to do it.
 
If you carry spare props (both a left and a right hand) you could undersize them a bit. That way, if you encounter a long run on one motor, you have the option of switching to a smaller prop that would allow you to plane on one engine with somewhat less stress on the engine.

Changing a prop on the water is no piece of cake. And if you're not too far out it is probably wiser to just take your time coming in as others have said.

But if you're going to carry spare props anyway, sizing them to be able to plane on one engine gives you another option.
 
If you are below WOT RPM spec range (got ahead and try it on one motor other tilted up) you will overload motor and eventually self destruct.
 
Be VERY careful when raising one engine and trying to run on the second. I raised mine too far and because of the strain on the steering I popped a hydraluic fitting on the steering line, which of course left me with no steering whatso ever. Fortunatly a friend was only a couple miles away and gave me a tow. This was definitly operator error so don't make the same mistake I did.
 
So, you could plane on one engine?
I have a 268 w/ saltwater 2 2 strokes.
My guess, you may be able to get up on 2, then tilt one out underpropped as someone said.
Is that
Possible?
 
I tilted one engine out and with the tabs all the way down i did plane on 1 engine (F225). The issue as that the wide open rpm was 4500 rpm-not good. If i had lost an engine, i would run back off plane at 6-8 knots which is less strain on the running motor.
 
Hi - I remembered this plane-on-one thread and tried it today with my new-to-me 1994 Sailfish with 2006 E-TEC 200HOs. I wasn't sure it would work since my 1994 has 2-feet-less running surface than the 98 and newer models and there is another thread where Gulfstream owners reported they more-or-less couldn't plane on one:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19646&hilit=+plane

The E-TEC 200HO is a "big" 200 which is reported to put out 219HP. It is the same block as the 225 and 250 and should probably be thought of as a 225HP.

I tilted the port motor up and out of the water and trimmed the starboard all the way down and put the trim tabs all the way down. I gave it some gas and it went up to 12.5 kts and seemed to be stuck there and it seemed to feel as if something was dragging. Then I lifted the trim tabs up (bow up) a bit and that seemed to help - it got up and ran at 25 kts and 4800 RPM. During this whole experiment I didn't push the throttle all the way to WOT but was probably pretty close. (WOT is about 5600 RPM)

I had one passenger, fishing gear, 80 gallons of gas, and full water. The boat has a hardtop but the canvas was stowed.

I don't think I would want to do this in practice but it is nice to know I can if I need to.
 
Impressive, BUT as you mentioned I wouldn't make a habit of this. The load on the engine to pull that off is creating heat unlike no condition the engine was likely built for. I would consult with BRP to determine if this is safe, otherwise you might attempt this in an emergency condition and end up with 2 dead engines.
 
Impressive, BUT as you mentioned I wouldn't make a habit of this. The load on the engine to pull that off is creating heat unlike no condition the engine was likely built for. I would consult with BRP to determine if this is safe, otherwise you might attempt this in an emergency condition and end up with 2 dead engines.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean that to come off as an E-TEC boast or sales pitch - I just wanted to point out that the 200HO is more than 200HP - closer to 225HP. That and I had to trim the engine all that way down but the trim tabs up slightly. Having to trim the tabs up slightly was a surprise to me but it may make sense if you think of the drag they can generate. (I only did this once so it is hard to draw conclusions.)

I was almost but not quite at WOT and dropped off as soon as I saw 25kts and at that point, the RPM was 4800. In a more thorough test or real emergency situation, I would have started trimming the motor up at that point and gone WOT and probably got more speed and more RPMs. The manual lists full-throttle RPM range at 4500-5800 so even for this little test, I was apparently "in spec" at 4800.
 
Although there are certainly exceptions to any generalization, I think that any twin engine boat that is properly propped will find it difficult to plane on one engine. And if able to do so, you will be putting a lot of stress on it.

As noted above, you can carry a set of lower-pitch props so this can be done w/o overloading, but do you really want to change a prop out there?

I think it's better to just tilt one up, and come in at trolling speed. With a nice spread out, of course. :D

Brian
 
I wasn't implying you were boasting, I was sincerely impressed!

Since you are operating within the wot range, I agree you might be ok.
 
Luckily I have never had to come in on one engine but out of curiosity I have tried running on one engine on my Sailfish with twin F225s for a minute - One will not get me up on a plane and it does put a lot of strain on the single engine - as mentioned earlier if you need to run on one go at a decent speed to get you in and protect the engine
 
I've got to try this again. I tried a couple of times just after I got the boat and did not have any luck. Don't remember what all I was trying though.
Sounds like the trick is one motor out of water, the trim down and trim tabs down, then raise tabs eventually to see if it helps lift up and get out of the hole.
I am pretty sure though that when I tried it, I was full fuel in both tanks and recalling now, I had a bracket full of water that I have since sealed off, so it might have a chance now. However, anyone here have the bracket model and get up on one motor? Maybe not enough stern floatation/surface area.
 
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