Is Bigger Always Better ?

[tooned-out]

As some of you may remember , I am now having my pontoon built and it should be ready the first week of May or so. I debated on the power assist and ended up getting it , now my question is our boat is going to have a Yamaha F150 4 stroke on back,top speed
( 37 -40mph), is this plenty of motor or should I look into going bigger , can go up to a 250 but it seems I only gain in top speed
( 8 to 10 mph) and not necessaraly anything else, like a quicker hole shot, more pulling power for skiers,tubes ,wakeboards etc. I'm sure there is some gain there but, man oh man is it enough to justify the cost ( 8 to 10K ) from the 150 to the 250 ? We will normally be cruising around at 15 to 20 ( 90 percent of the time) and sometimes pull kids and need to get from one end of the lake to other a little faster, having only had inboards i'm not sure of the size, I also dont want to use more gas then necessary , so to me the 150 seems fine , but any other thoughts could sway me to go bigger( real thoughts not just the bigger is better argument ) or solidify my decision to stay with the 150.

[FloterBoter]

how long is the toon? we have a big toon and 140hp and sometimes i wish i had more power.
but if you can get 37mph i think you'll be happy.

[WaltF]

Bigger is always better.
Next question.

[dockholiday]

Depends on the weight of the boat. I get right at 40 with the 150 but mine is pretty light for a 24 footer, an has the strakes. I was looking for 40 when I purchased it, but just barely made it. Had to try several different props to bring it up. The thing is you are going to be cruising at say 30 to35 majority of the time. So you will be well within the range with a little left over. You will be as quick as most deckboat an other runabouts. On the other hand these new DFI motors are really fuel efficient. Might split the diff an check a price on a 175 just about positive that would get you to 40. Now 10k is something to think about, unless you want to get in a drag race with a bass boat. Might be able to come to an agreement with the dealer, if you are not happy with the performance of the 150 you can ratchet up to the hp that works for you.
I had second thought on the 175 an 200 but they are just about gone now.
doc

[tooned-out]

The boat I'm talking about is the Bennington in my Signature , 22 foot with a 2 foot swim deck , also has the ESP perfomance pkg. Dealer said it should flirt with 40 no problem. They dont have any there now to take out on lake to compare the differance between them. I dont have to decide till boat gets here though as far as motor goes , so maybe they will get some in before that. If the price was not such a huge differance I would probably just upgrade to a little more power but then it just seems like overkill, I wonder what Tim Taylor would do , I will have to make that grown-up decision soon.

[WaltF]

heh.. so i take it the ESP has the lifting strakes. Well that will help you for sure...


Biggers still better...

[JohnO]

I've got a 24' with a 175. I should have got the 200 (biggest allowed on my boat)

If you are cruising at a slower speed the bigger motor will run easier and probably use less gas at that speed, BUT when you need the extra power you will have it.

Just because you have a big motor doesn't mean you have to run full out all the time (even if it is fun to do so)

Get all the motor you can afford

[LTB Racing]

I have to agree with all that went for more power.....as a rule most (if not all) boats run better with the biggest engine possible....the 150 may be good when your out alone or with 1 or 2 passengers.....but.....when you load it down with a boat load of people and gear, then throw a tube or ski behind it you'll be wishing you had the extra ponies. I've never heard someone complain that they wished they'd gone with a smaller engine but I've heard many people say the opposite.
As for fuel and as someone said above you'll probably do better when cruising than the smaller engine will since the bigger engine is not working as hard. Good luck and congrats on the new ride.

[Woody]

.......Get all the motor you can afford

I have seen this more than once, and I believe it.

[woolznaz]

I cannot offer advice on the engine size, but I can tell you this.... that is going to be a wonderful boat. Bennington's ESP package is incredible and I love the layout of that RCW. Congratulations on the boat. I would love to see the pictures when you get it.

[BassFrequency]

get all the motor you can afford......

and then put two of them on the back

[Bamby]

Seems to be an awful price to pay for just a few MPH to me at least in this comparison.

150 HP. Top Speed 37.6 MPH @ 2.41 MPG

250 HP. Top Speed 41.0 MPH @ 1.89 MPG

Compare and see for yourself here: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outboard/pr ... s=outboard

[BassFrequency]

my 60 gets 4-5mpg at 18-20mph. how do these #s vary so much

[tooned-out]

Talked to stealer this morning and he says to go from the 150 to the 200 is around 4 grand, I may have to think serious about this one , I noticed that all of his R series Bennington 22 foot boats have the 200 on them, he said it doesnt matter until you have 7 or 8 people and full ice chests and then someone wants to ski or go tubing. I tell ya, buyin a car is nowhere near this much trouble or so full of big decisions, I may factor in cost per year and see what the loan will go up for the 200 for ten yrs.

[WaltF]

Its a tough call.. while bigger is better, money IS an issue.

For us, anyways, when there are 7-8 people drinking beer on the toon, we dont WANT to go tubing or skiing..

Whatever you decide, that toon is gonna rock!