Repowering with smaller engine options

[Ixneigh]

Hi everyone. So I think it’s new motor time. The tilt motor is bad on my etec, which also needs the lower unit rebuilt. That’s at least 3000 if I can even find anyone who will work on the etec. Rebuilt tilt motor is 6-700 and a rebuilt lower unit is 1500 hundred if I want do the install. They do not like the the etecs here in south Florida. My feelings, doing anything more to this engine is false economy.
I’d like to find a 20 hp, which was what I originally wanted for the boat, but I see none that offer power trim. Only tilt. Is this the same thing? To get both, it appears I’d need at least a 30 hp motor. I’m trying save weight on the back of the boat. The new 30 hp 4 strokes are almost as heavy as the etec 60.

Brand suggestion for self water? My Etec has some corrosion. On the bracket and lower unit. It appears it’s not that corrosion resistant. The “rated for saltwater use” sticker has not corroded away though.

Lastly, Is there a brand that’s compatible with the existing cables and wiring?

This is in prep for a possible Bahamas trip. I’d like to go there at least once in the boat before making a decision to sell or keep.

Thanks everyone!

Ix

[NiceAft]

When you say “Bahama Trip”, I believe you just brought in a different ball game. Will a twenty HP be the correct choice for crossing the Gulph Stream in potentially less than perfect conditions?

[Russ]

My understanding is tilt gets it out of the water. Trim allows fine tuning for better "trim" angle of the motor. Honestly, I've NEVER trimmed my motor. I always tilt/trim it all the way down or all up.

How many hours on that etec? Are you sure the tilt is totally gone?

A 20hp is going to run you about $3k I assume.

Suzuki still makes a fine motor. Mine has over 500 hours and is running fine.

Selling YOUR Mac will be a challenge as you have already modified it so custom. Adding a smaller motor will exacerbate that situation.

My vote would be to rebuild current motor. Probably not hard to do.

[rsvpasap]

After years of contemplating making the change, I put the Suzuki 60 and Suzuki 6 in storage and installed a Suzuki DF20ATL5 and a Suzuki 9.9 in their place. Note that the 9.9 is a "de-tuned" version of the 20, it weighs about 12 lbs less. As shown in the video, the 20 has remote tilt. The versions with model numbers "AT" have remote tilt

I have a number of reasons for for the change:

1. The new set up has a top speed of about 11 knots, in reality, I never go over about 7 knots, I'm a sailboat.

2. I'm often in remote areas and wanted motors that I could remove and replace by myself by hand without taking the boat out of the water.

3. I have two 17 gallon aluminum tanks. I wanted to maximize my gas mileage and my range.

4. Ultimately, there's a very high chance I will replace the 9.9 with an e-propulsion Navy 6.0.

[LordElsinore]

impressive that the 20 still gets you 11 knots. I assume that's lightly loaded and with empty ballast? I feel like my loaded down with a Suzuki DF60A only gets 13 or 14 knots max - not really that much faster. I'll have to jog my memory this weekend when I'm out

[rsvpasap]

With the Suzuki DF60AV, my 2002 26x gets about 15.5 knots with the ballast in, 17.3 with no ballast. I would not say the boat is lightly loaded.

The Suzuki 20 gets 11 knots WOT with no ballast. That is with a "just painted" hull.

[Ixneigh]

Re: selling. The boat owes me nothing. And she sails really well now. Especially off the wind. It would have to be another diehard sailor.

Re: rebuilding. The water pump was a bit tired but not shredded. The pee hole was just dribbling on last run. There’s probably corrosion inside. The lower unit needs to be completely replaced. The housing is pitted. There has never not been milky oil on change out. Even since new.
I tried to remove tilt unit but cannot remove the pins, a common problem. There is a lot of other expensive stuff to go wrong with a motor this old. The only thing that’s been replaced is the high pressure fuel pump. The brain box is seemingly a big issue. Not sure why it’s so failure prone.

Re: smaller electric motor. The thought crossed my mind. But I motor at just under hull speed a lot. Or maybe even at four knots if I want to see the sites. The boat, an M model, is also, I’ve come to accept, a good motor sailor. Shes dry, and easy to manage. I’ve been doing more of it, and I’ve been out in very subpar conditions, and she takes it in stride. The price I pay for having a shallow water boat. Frankly at this point, if I can’t stand up in it, Its too deep haha.

Re: crossing the steam. I do not go in less than perfect conditions. Flat calm. That goes for anything except a 35 ft keelboat. Returning, on steady easterlies, I’m willing to go in 10-15 knots of wind. I might miss the sixty in places like Rudder Cut. But the 20 will do.

As for the trim tilt. Thanks for the explanation. I do like to have the motor set for shallow water quite frequently. I guess I need the trim feature. Seems like none of the 20 hp motors have the trim feature. It’s an option on the so called midrange engines, starting at 30 hp. but then those weigh as much as the etec.
I guess one last option might be a rebuilt etec that’s been gone through by a shop. They really have a poor reputation in Florida, or at least the part I live in. None of the shops would even change the water pump on it. It would have to be from out of state, probably.

Ix

[Ixneigh]

Rsvpasap
What mileage are you getting?

[Russ]

It sounds like you etec has some wear on it. I imagine you use your boat more than most of us and have quite a few hours on the motor.

For under $4k, that Suzi 20 might be the ticket for you.

[Ixneigh]

It hardly ever runs full out. So probably not power head wear. But time wear for sure. She’s in the water more than half the year. Remember too, I’m on the hook all the time when the boats in the water. So it never gets flushed until it’s trailered.

[Ixneigh]

They still sell these motors. It would be a direct swap wouldn’t it?

[Russ]

It hardly ever runs full out. So probably not power head wear. But time wear for sure. She’s in the water more than half the year. Remember too, I’m on the hook all the time when the boats in the water. So it never gets flushed until it’s trailered.

Good point. And salt water, which probably cakes up in the head unit.

I wonder what resale value your etec has. Might offset the cost of a new motor.

[Ixneigh]

Well, eBay parts seem quite high. I’m not sure if they are actually selling them those prices, but they have a lot of inventory and they ain’t giving it away, that’s for sure.
If I replaced it with another etec, I’d have bunches of spare parts from my old motor.

[Ixneigh]

I took the lower leg off and took out the water pump. The impeller was a bit tired but not that worn. All the other parts looked ok. I ran a hose to squirt water up into the uptake tube and into the motor. The same amount of flow came out as with the water pump. About half of what it was when new.
I’ve had a couple people I talked to suggest that rebuilding the engine might be possible. It needs at least, the lower gear case gone through and seals and gears replaced. It has some significant pitting on the outside housing. The tilt trim probably really needs a new one.
Going through the power head, maybe an acid flush could restore the flow, maybe not. Not sure about the injectors, brain box, etc. the motor was running fine when I took the boat out.
getting the pins which hold the tilt trim unit on will be a challenge. I’ll try a torch today.

I’ve priced a Tohatsu 30 locally, installed price, at 7,800 dollars, more or less. It shaves 75 pounds off the back of the boat, but it’s still heavier than the 20. There seems to be some question as to weather I can use the power tilt which the 20 HP is equipped with, to tilt the motor up a bit to cross shallows at low speeds (4 knots s) I do that a lot. A twenty would be several thousand dollars less and would be much easier to do basic maintenance on.
I have a question for the person with the X model, who downgraded to a 20. Were you still able to go fast enough to empty the ballast tank?

Ix

[Starscream]

I have a question for the person with the X model, who downgraded to a 20. Were you still able to go fast enough to empty the ballast tank?

Ix

No data on that question, but if ballast emptying with a 20HP is an issue, it can be done with air or water pumps instead.