MacGregorSailors.com

beene wrote:

Tomfoolery wrote:
I'm I'd love to get a 90 for mine.

Ah ha!

Thinking of giving me a run for my money eh Tom...

https://youtu.be/7Bn47Z6U9HE



G

The DF90 (like darrenj's) is my dream engine. The X may not be able to outsail the M as a general rule, but a 90 on an X hull, even with a dirty bottom like mine, should make for a speedy boat, for sure.

So I'm thinking about repowering my 98 26X with a DF90A. I talked to a dealer yesterday at the Tampa Boat Show and they asked what the boat was rated for by the manufacturer. All the documentation I have says 50 HP. The dealer said they would need a letter from the manufacturer to authorize putting the larger, more powerful motor on the boat.

How have people dealt with this issue?

Charlie

Seems to me that after some DF90 cruisen, your full should be pretty clean?

Tomfoolery wrote:The DF90 (like darrenj's) is my dream engine. The X may not be able to outsail the M as a general rule, but a 90 on an X hull, even with a dirty bottom like mine, should make for a speedy boat, for sure.

CFCassidy wrote:So I'm thinking about repowering my 98 26X with a DF90A. I talked to a dealer yesterday at the Tampa Boat Show and they asked what the boat was rated for by the manufacturer. All the documentation I have says 50 HP. The dealer said they would need a letter from the manufacturer to authorize putting the larger, more powerful motor on the boat.

How have people dealt with this issue?

Charlie

I would be interested in that answer also...

Try another dealer some care and some don't. My dealer didn't care about putting a 60 on but he refused to put transom wedges on.

By the way, is there some specific advantage to the Suzuki 90 for the Mac? (As opposed to any other brand) just curious since everyone on the thread seems to be looking specifically at the DF90A

Passed my first sea trials on Sunday. Bad day, big swells, high wind. I found a comfortable speed to be 20 kts.
(mostly due to spray) It sure was cool to see that bow wave move back (until it got us wet)

I went with 2 other sailing pals. We chased down an ore boat and beat it to the river. We went up river between 2 large steel mills and watched other ships load and unload. The river was a lot smoother, but several, large downed tree trunks and railroad ties floating just beneath the surface, kept me throttled back.

I gunned it once in the river and it was impressive. My friend (who often takes my out solo, remembered that we did not refuel as planned and, although he said we "had enough" when we started, now said we were nearly out.

I throttled back to 1000 RPMs until clear the river mouth and slowed it down to 500 RPMs and turned to home with a good tailwind (no mast, no sails on board).

My other sailing pal brought up the old saw about going faster v/s going slower, time v/ burn.

I stuck with 500 until we got just outside our marina harbor mouth (about 7 miles). Big rocky breakwalls on either side... and it quit. I cranked while shaking the tank under my seat until it ran enough to clear the narrow passage. Now we were in sheltered water with the biggest and most expensive yachts in the marina to our leeward. Having 2 sailors on board worked out well as the younger and most agile of the crew grabbed the boat hook and stood guard. I tossed the tank to the other guy and he wiggled the flop tube in the remaining ounce. We were able to make it to the other corner (plenty of good parking along the dock ends) of the marina and totally ran out at the end of our dock. We tied up and the younger one took the cans to the local gas station (gas dock was closed) and, on his return, made it to my slip.

My next sea trial (with full fuel) will be to motor up the mighty Calumet River that winds through the south side of Chicago and out to the western suburbs where it joins the Des Plaines to the Mississippi. I intend to turn around way before tank 1 runs out. I will probably bungee a 5 gallon "spare" to the aft rails just for security.

Someday I want to do that Calumet trip all the way to the Des Plaines and turn north to Chicago. The river comes out in Downtown Chicago at Navy pier. It's around 15 miles back to my Indiana Marina in Hammond. A total of 93 miles. It would be fun to spend the night tied to a skyscraper.

Andersson, keep some free time open. I was in Mich City Marina Saturday (by car), wish I had your number with. Could have stopped and said hello.

I just bought a 20L (5 US Gallon) Jerry can to strap under the helm seat for cruising, not many fuel stations in my sailing area, so that will give us some spare range, its 8 plus NM to the nearest fuel dock from our slip and and at least 3 of those cant be sailed due to narrow channel prevailing winds and tide, we often have to push out through 3 or 4 knots of current and prevailing winds down the channel and once out in the bay if the tides coming in we have to push into 1 1/2 knts in the bay and the head wind to get to the fuel dock.

Needless to say we dont go out without at least 1 and 1/2 tanks full

gyroplanes wrote:
I gunned it once in the river and it was impressive. My friend (who often takes my out solo, remembered that we did not refuel as planned and, although he said we "had enough" when we started, no said we were nearly out.

On my first trip out with the new E-Tec 90 a couple of years ago I ran a tank dry too. At full throttle I get about 25 miles to a 9 gallon tank. I was having too much fun and didn't remember to watch out. Actually, when the motor stopped it didn't even occur to me for a few moments that the motor could have finished the tank THAT fast.

Was the 20 knots with ballast? How was RPM?

The best speed I ever hit with two on board, mast up, and no ballast was 21.5 knots but that was with wind coming from behind. On a calm day with no wind or current I can just hit 21 knots without ballast. Put the ballast in and I get 18 knots, add six people and it drops to maybe 17.

My trials were in poor conditions. I believe I was around 4,000 RPM when I saw 22kts on the GPS.
At that throttle setting we were hopping the swells, it wasn't a happy ride (but fun).

Very soon I will do that river trip I spoke of (the short one). There is a stretch near the "sheds" that looked like a smooth, long, wide drag strip. I will probably get some accurate numbers there.

I will post pictures of the Suzuki 90 and Hydraulics install for those considering the upgrade(s)

I guess I have to put them up somewhere (Drop box "OK"?) and link to them?

gyroplanes wrote:I guess I have to put them up somewhere (Drop box "OK"?) and link to them?

I use tinypic.com . It's super easy.

Jeff