reef ranger repower

[610]

hey guys I have a cruisecraft reefranger that i have been trying to decide what motor to repower with for some time now. the boat has had a 600mm hull extension done making it a 6m hull also the transom floor and stringers have all been redone and i am fairly confident that this would have increased the wieght of the original hull (approx 850kg) so i would guess the hull wieght would be 1000kg. I would prefer a 4stroke but am worried about the extra wieght with the 140 hp suzuki the only one in a similiar range to the existing motor(150 mariner) . My worry with this motor is that it might be a bit underpowered would be interested in your thoughts

[Goochi]

Hi 610, One of my mates had a Yalta 2000(6m) with a 2st Merc 150 and WOT it did about 64 kph. He changed to a Suzi 175 4st and WOT gives about 74kph. I have just repowered my Yalta 189, it too has a pod making it 6m down the centre. I put a hi tech 150 hp 2st on it and at first water test I clocked 74kph on the GPS. I put on a secondhand motor and only put a 150 on 'cause I couldn't find a 130 that i could afford. The Yaltas are heavy boats(helps make the ride soft) not too different from yours. How did the 150 Mariner go. I'd imaging the 140 suzi would be fine.

[FishHunter]

I have a 150 evinrude on my reef ranger and it does 70km/h with a prop thats too small I suspect it will get 75 to 80 with the right prop so a 140 will be plenty. I would just be a bit concerned about the 4 stroke weight.

[610]

the 140 suzuki 4 stroke from what ive read should be the same wieght as a 150 carby 2 stroke roughly 190 kgs. Thats why its the only 4 stroke that is an option other wise i would just put on a 150 or 175 4 stroke roughly 220kgs but im worried about the extra wieght.

goochi the 150 mariner is fine im just worried about the 140 as i have a friend with a cruisecraft outsider 550 with a 140 suzuki and while it has great holeshot it struggles with top end speed and always sounds like it is labouring at a good cruising speed although we think this could be solved with a different prop but not really sure

[Reef Cruiser]

i am putting a 175 suzuki on mine it is a std cruise craft reef ranger ...i went though all the weight probs so i rang cruise craft and spoke to the man himself who designed that boat all them years ago and he saaid to me a 140 sukuki whould be a little under powered and said to me a 175 suzuki whould be a good motor choice for that boat ......wynnum marine his son owns that business in bris and he told me the same thing and has fitted these motors before with no probs at all ????we allways ask these questions so i though go straight to cruise craft and ask them it was good having a chat to the person himself and he gave me all the time i needed and answered all the questions i asked ... i was going to put a optimax on it a 175 but a suzuki was the better choice for fishing ....the motor i have on it now is a 150 carb 99 mod which is good but i whould like a little more ? i like the 175 becouse is has variable cam timming and a 2 stage gear box ..... i hope this helps

[Goochi]

Hi 610, I note what Reef Cruiser has said. But gee, my Yalta flies with a 150 on it, I can't imagine that your hull would perform that much differently. A 175 is a BIG motor. RC talked with cruise craft - I was going to ask if you knew what the recomended Max HP or transom weight was for your hull. The Yalta was 150 when it was built, that's what I have now. I upgraded from a 115 which from the other 189's I've seen around was a pretty standard setup. I never struggled with the 115, in it's best days i managed in the low 60kph range. I know a guy who has a 90 on his 189 but it's too small - working it's guts out all the time. Your mate with the 140 better check his outboard setup - no way should that combo struggle, the 4's should rev out to about 5500. I'd be thinking he should make 65kph plus. By the way, my 150 weighs 200kg but with the bouyancy of the pod I don't even notice it. Cheers Goochi.

[deckie]

Maybe a few easy and cheap things to do to help decide. If it costs bugger all to get it right rather than sweating over a decision then whynot. Advice is great but you;ve made significant modifications so worth checking.
What was the original hull weight and HP rating ?
Measure the transom width at waterline.
Was the pod a pro job ?..and do thy have the necessary qualifcations to formally reclassify the hull's HP rating ? Ring them up maybe ? I imagine many shipwright/engineeers will also like to pass on taking that type of responsibility and who could blame them.
Can you throw her on a weighbridge so you're not guessing the increased weight...u might be pleasantly surpised who knows. Cheap way of helping the decision making process yeah ?..especially when u consider the price of repowering new.
For a rough guide you could probably work to the old safety standards hp rating...Length x Transom Waterline Width x 16 -67 x 1.34 = HP. Guessing it'd come in about 150-170. Simplest is to simply go with the original maximum HP rating and that'd cover any potential insurance issues already...but you;re right to at least wonder whether a 140 might now be a bit sluggish. The pod means you SHOULD be able to go higher and retain the integrity but is there any real need to go over maybe 150HP especially when they're probably a lot heavier anyway ? Remember when the original hull was rated the donks were rated at the flywheel and 140 modern hp might be equivalent to the older 150 hp anyway. So knowing if say i was originally rated to say 150HP ?? and bearing in mind the original hull weight and the new weight u get, do some basic research on the true output of say a modern 150HP rated at the prop compared to a 150 at the flywheel. Obviously check and factor in the motor weights of old/new/2stk/4stks. You're saying you have a 150 mariner 2 stk on it ?..what model/age ?
What was the weight of the current motor compared to say the 140 suzi ?
Might be irreleavnt i dunno, but maybe the 140 suzi is similar actual output to your current 150 currently. It'd guess it'd be a huge advantage if u can stick within the original rating.

I'd start by getting some TRUE numbers like the weight/length/transom width/deadrise and maybe compare to a modern rig with similar numbers and see what they whack on their boats in terms of 4 stks...only a rough guide of course. Then do a search for anyone who has done a similar pod mod on a simialr/same rig and try to track the guy down for a phonecall. If nearby who knows you might have a excuse for a ride covering his fuel/time. Once again its cheap prep work considering the new price. For peace of mind whynot make it more of a calcualted decision so it takes away a bit of the guesswork and great unknown.
Been on a couple and all i can say is a 150 on the original hull makes them truly ming along so you're used to that and wont want to go less perfprmance now or you'll be dispponted. Don't the guys doing these pod mods offer something in terms of re rating the hull ?

[Reef Cruiser]

weight in the 150 and 175 suz are the same and the same with the opti 150 to 175 ....when the boat came out new max hp was 200 hp ....i am only going to a 175 becouse the fuel ecom will be better than a 150 hp and it has variable cam timming and the 150 hp does not ...at the end of the day iam not looking for speed just all round ecom and with your boat with a pod on it from water line the boat should sit higher in the water ....if it is done right ...but ha a 150 hp suz whould be good but i know a 175 will give better fuel consumption and if you are going to keep the boat for many years to come the fuel will only cost us all more ????????????? but ha if i had to row a boat to go fishing i would my boat with the 150 merc carb mod 99 does 76 kms now

[FishHunter]

Max power is 200 old time hp on my hull. A modern 150 is the equivalent of a old time 185 and my rude 150 weighs around the 150kg mark according to brochures i have found
on my boat for my purposes the 150 flys if i was buying a new motor i would be looking around the 130 mark. Its cheaper lighter and uses less fuel.

[Reef Cruiser]

Max power is 200 old time hp on my hull. A modern 150 is the equivalent of a old time 185 and my rude 150 weighs around the 150kg mark according to brochures i have found
on my boat for my purposes the 150 flys if i was buying a new motor i would be looking around the 130 mark. Its cheaper lighter and uses less fuel.

i50 kgs i thought it might be heaver than that

[Reef Cruiser]

so how has the fishing been fish hunter i have not been out much since the cyclone to busy at work ... but ha i will post some pics soon i am getting a stainless steel hard top made up it should look good

[Swanie1975]

hi, my 96 suzuki 2smoke weighs in at 181kgs (or it did till it just blew up doh!) im replacing with either a suzi df140 or
WAIT FOR IT ----- ETEC 130? decisons decisions... its not an easy one and you need to go for a ride if at all poss in
similar sized boats with your chosen outboard options. the guys on here are great with offering to help out and you cant
beat an on the water test to compare the brands for power, torque, noise and smell (if any) the more research you can do
the more confident you can be in your decision but IMHO the last thing you want to do is end up with your boat going
slower as it will really spoil the feel after all your hard work.
cheers ryan

ps great looking rig

[Reef Cruiser]

ha i would love to put a 140 suz on my boat they are a great motor ..but under powered for my boat ..i live in north qld and build sheds for a living and a lot of the time build for pro fishing people who use they boat to make a living and they all rave about the 140 suz ..most of them have had there boats for years and have had many motors on them and they love the suzks some have done 15000 hrs on them with no probs so that says it all ... my prob is that to get it serviced i have to go to carins 130 kms away ....what they like most is the trolling speed does not change in choppy water

[deckie]

Hey fishhunter...is it that much HP difference ? Honestly not sure. I was figuring maybe 10% but thats a huge factor.
So if he's been running an older 150 2stk by that reckoning a 140 suzi would actually be effectively adding 20hp of performance on a weight for weight basis.
Dunno why i thought they were rated around 150...if they were originally rated to 200hp he's got no worries whatsoever and every option under the sun.
Great refit of yours by the way.

The other little thing i recall about donks is the leeway given in HP...i.e a 140Hp can legally be between maybe 135 and 145. The way i always thought is a derated larger capacity means they'd be more likely to be at the upper end coz there's no advantage dropping lower...whereas an uprated small capacity motor could be legally called a 140 but they may have stretched it and only maybe 135 hp in reality. Might be off the mark tho.
Great refit of yours by the way ...classic rigs.

[FishHunter]

Hey fishhunter...is it that much HP difference ? Honestly not sure. I was figuring maybe 10% but thats a huge factor.
So if he's been running an older 150 2stk by that reckoning a 140 suzi would actually be effectively adding 20hp of performance on a weight for weight basis.
Dunno why i thought they were rated around 150...if they were originally rated to 200hp he's got no worries whatsoever and every option under the sun.
Great refit of yours by the way.

The other little thing i recall about donks is the leeway given in HP...i.e a 140Hp can legally be between maybe 135 and 145. The way i always thought is a derated larger capacity means they'd be more likely to be at the upper end coz there's no advantage dropping lower...whereas an uprated small capacity motor could be legally called a 140 but they may have stretched it and only maybe 135 hp in reality. Might be off the mark tho.
Great refit of yours by the way ...classic rigs.

Thanks. I did some research a while ago and the numbers bandied about were that much, 20 to 45hp can easily be lost through a gearbox