Sailfish 272 Engines and Electronics

[dhurwitz]

Hi All

I have just purchased a Grady White Sailfish 272 at an excellent price and am very excited to get her engines and electronics upgraded!

With regards to engines i am looking at the latest generation Yamaha 225's or 250's. Has anyone got the latest model on their boats and if so what is the performance / fuel economy etc etc like?

In terms of electronics i will probably be going with the Garmin 6012 with a seperate furuno 585 sounder. The big trick comes in with how on earth to layout all the electronics, as the Garmin nor the Furuno will fit into the standard electronics hatches... If anyone has a similar sort of setup could you please give me some advice / upload a ploto of what you have done.

Many thanks!

 

[BobP]

Congrats, the Sailfish is a legend! One of only two models making Grady White what they have become today, IMHO.

Others will reply on motors, hope you realize you are talking upwards of $40K for repowering !
The new electronic control Fs are 225, 250 and 300 HP all V6. The original mechanical control F250 is still available and probably a $$ bargain relative to the newer motors.

 

[BobP]

By the way, super choice on the Furuno. Don't know much of the 6012. My 4208 is king for GPS.

You can flush mount by fixing the door on the console closed or plate it over, most don't go overhead anymore with such equipment, but the 6012 presuming 12 inch will not also fit - I bet. It may be too tall as well.

The 585 does have a nice single knob gimbal so I mount next to console on deck - console has 4208 and remote commander for Sony radio.

You may have some more room in your model, but the glass console can be modified (heavily) in width and height to accept both. Be aware of your field of view when going higher from the helm chair.

 

[CKJR]

Hi and good luck! what year is your 272? The max hp for the sailfish is 450 so a pair of the new f225's shoud be sweet. If you should need any specifics, my 98 sailfish has F225's on her.

 

[dhurwitz]

Thanks to all for the posts this far! Keep them coming...

CKJR: the boat i have acquired is the exact same year as yours what MPG do you get on your 272 with the F225's? what year are your 225's? What is the boats cruise speed / max speed?

Is the max 450HP figure as a result of weight? If so the new 250's weigh less than the previous generation 225's so in theory it should be fine? I have been offered good deals on the latest 250's (4.2l version) and the previous generation 225's (3.3l version).

How does your boat handle in poor weather? The weather in Cape Town from what i read is a little worse than what seems to be the norm in the US. A nice day out is 2 - 3m swells with 8 - 12kts of wind, but often we find ourselves fishing in 3 - 4m swells with 15 - 20kts of wind. Before this boat we had a locally built 22ft boat, which handled our seas ok (a bit wet and a few bangs here and there). I would guess the grady will be a lot more comfortable!

 

[Gary M]

If anyone has a similar sort of setup could you please give me some advice / upload a ploto of what you have done.

You might consider removing the lower electronics doors and flushmounting the new stuff. I did that on my Marlin and I love it! On my 1994 Sailfish, the stuff was inside the box but I was very limited as to what I could buy and put in there.

Flush mounting will give you many more options as to what you can buy and use. It also makes it easier to use as well as see.

Also, I was advised by a wise old-timer, to keep away from mounting any serious electronics, in the overhead compartments. Mounting it down low, keeps it in your line of sight as well as making it far easier to "use"......... and I did that.

 

[CKJR]

My sailfish has 2004 engines. I did call grady referencing your same question between 225's and 250 since same weight. the problem is that the hull is rated for max 450 hp. You might run into an insurance issue if you overpower the hull. max speed in the mid 40's at 6000 rpm's , My cruising rpm & speed from 3800 rpm to 4400 rpm, 25mph to 30 mph with a fuel economy from 1.5 to 1.7. when the engines were newer, i did see 1.7 to 1.8 mpg's, They have 600 hours on them now. I find the hull runs well with the power setup. i did prop the engines with merc's 4 blade 17" wheels in which i really like the offshore bite especially in a swell. If you need to call me, drop me an email and i will give you my cell#.

 

[fishingFINattic]

I have been offered good deals on the latest 250's (4.2l version) and the previous generation 225's (3.3l version).
!

I am curious what the numbers were on the 4.2l's 250's

I was told 50k after controls, gauges, labor, ect-

How about the F225's?

Tim

 

[dhurwitz]

Hi all

Thanks for all the input! I have decides to go with the yamaha f225fetx motors. I will keep everyone posted and post some pics / info on the motors once installed in about 2 weeks.

 

[dhurwitz]

I am curious what the numbers were on the 4.2l's 250's

I was told 50k after controls, gauges, labor, ect-

How about the F225's?

Tim

Hi Tim

I wish we could get the sort of prices in South Africa that you get in the US. I got a bit of a discount, but the list price of the f225fext motors I have ordered is approximately $65k.

Dale