To Counter Rotate ....

[awesum]

or not counter rotate .... that is the question.

Some time back I bought a 23' Wellcraft CC from a guy that was basically giving it away. It has a pair of old 115 Mercs on it that I fully intended to replace when I could afford to. When I attended the boat show in Houston in January I asked a lot of questions about engines, horsepower, two stroke/four stroke, etc.....

I came across a salesman at Ron Hoover Marine that showed me a computer print out that said they had some 2006 Suzuki 115 four-strokes that were new but unsold. He said on the downside he didn't think they would be available in counter rotating. But they were reduced by about $1600 each which equals about $5000 less than a pair of new 2008 models.

Since that time I've posted on the 2cool boating forum and asked dealers about the necessity of counter rotation and have gotten a mixed bag of opinions.

An experienced Yamaha dealer told me that in a 23' boat I really didn't need counter rotation but if I were talking a 25' boat and 2 150 HP it would be the thing to do.

Others told me that with the speeds normally run in the GOM it would not be that noticeable and that I could correct any torque problems by either trimming the engines or trim tabs (which I do not presently have).

I'd like to hear some more opinions from those with experience in this area.

A guy can't ever have too many opinions I guess.

[Bret]

Well, my buddies in Costa Rica have the same setup on a 21 mako thats been stretched to 28ft. Twin 115 suzukis(johnson models) both standard rotation.
it does tend to pull a bit to the right at speed and will list a bit to port.. but other than that no difference. Trim tabs might correct the listing issue but Not sure if you can correct the torque very easily. Its not too bad, but noticeable. Hope this helps. A lot of the guides in 3rd world countries run their twins that way.. as they both use identical parts, gears etc..

[STx Fisherman]

I have heard that you get a better prop wash for trolling with counter rotation engines. Who knows.....

[Bill Fisher]

counter rote fan myself but i don't think it's a biggee from what you describe

i'd be more worried about the weight o'them two 115 four-strokes on a 23' boat......... fer sure, kill switches on a boat that little w/o counter rotating props if you're going out in the gulf (imo)

[MrBill]

If you can save 5K by using the same rotation, I say go for it. You won't notice it much with twin 115's. 200HP and above have so much torque, that you will notice the pull.

Clamp on's aren't cheap. I spent a few hours yesterday pricing them as I want to re-power. 250-300HP four stroke mounted with controls, tach, temp guage, tax etc., runs around 20 to 22K. I'm thinking of switching to Suzuki as everyone I talk to seems to have the least amount of problems. They also have 6 year warranty program going on right now.

Choosing a outboard brand is like choosing a brand of reel. Everyone has his own opinion. To be honest, I don't any major brand is more reliable than another. They seem to have price fixing between themselves. I believe that when you buy one, they have included about 10K to the price to cover all bases of major repairs.

It's the down time that always gets you. It's prime time in the fishing season and repair work always comes behind new sales. I swear if they know it is warranty work, they put you on the back burner. I also believe that they ship all warranty parts once a month to dealers to save money. The big excuse is always "Were waiting on the factory to send us the parts".

They sure don't give much for a trade in on your used one. I'm hearing anywhere from $500 to $1500. For $500 I think I'll just keep it and mount it a 55 gallon drum and make giant margarita's.

[fishr1989]

We have twin Suzuki 140's on our small boat, and have no problems with them at all. We can cruise at 26 knots, and have taken the boat as far as 60 miles offshore for a shark trip.

[awesum]

Thanks guys....

Originally Posted by STXFisherman

I have heard that you get a better prop wash for trolling with counter rotation engines.

Richard .... Aside from this site I don't troll much so I don't think that will be an issue to me. Probably the only time I will be trolling is around weed lines for Wahoo or Dolphin. In fact much of my trolling will be done with downriggers.

Originally Posted by BillFisher

i'd be more worried about the weight o'them two 115 four-strokes on a 23' boat......... fer sure

Interesting BF that you mention the weight factor. Initially I was not even considering four-strokes due to the heavier weight. Each time I mentioned that I got poo-poo'd by dealers, friends, etc. Actually the boat is pretty stout so aside from an unknown transom problem everyone says it should handle the weight just fine. The dry hull weight is 2400 pounds and the 2 four-stroke 115s weigh about 840 pounds. Is there a ratio of engine weight to boat hull weight I need to consider?

A couple of dealers familiar with the craft said they usually put 115s on these boats and have even outfitted some with 140s without incident. However, for reasons I'm not smart enough to know, the Suzuki 140s are only fractionally heavier than the 115s or about the same.

Originally Posted by Mr.Bill

They sure don't give much for a trade in on your used one

Roger that. I may end up trying to sell these 115s individually just to keep them from going to waste.

I like the 55 gallon drum idea too.

Originally Posted by fishr1989

We have twin Suzuki 140's on our small boat, and have no problems with them at all

What size/weight boat? Are they counter rotating?

[fishr1989]

It's a 2005 26' C Hawk Walkaround (deep V hull)

26 Cuddy
Dry Weight 3,750 lbs.
Max HP: 400

They are counter rotating, as far as I know, and we do troll from the boat as well