22' model - best repower choice

S

san juanderer

New member
Most of the early models sold came with a 70hp 2 stroke motor which weighed 254 pounds. The 1989 factory flyer indicated this power achieved 32 mph at WOT at 7.0 gph. Cruise was 4000 rpm, 22.5 mph, at 4.0 gph, getting 5.6 mpg.

By greater than 2:1 ratio. The most popular repower is the Honda 90 hp, specs show this motor weighs 359 pounds. What sort of performance numbers for this motor ?

The only current 2 stroke motor produced is the E-tec. Looks like a fair number of 22's have repowered with this motor. It weighs 320 pounds. What are it's performance numbers?
Thanks for your help.
 
I dont have have any numbers but I just repowered my 86 22' angler with a 2019 honda 90 and installed a permatrim, the performance is absolutely incredible. way better on gas than the 70 merc it came with, top speed is around 35 mph WOT and that's at around 5700 rpm
 
The transoms have been sitting lower and lower in the water over the years with heavier engines being added. twin engines are especially heavy. The original design wasn't intended to have 450 lbs on the back of the boat. They can handle it, Ive had ours overloaded and it was fine but the less weight the better of course.

We have a newer generation Honda 90 EFI on our 22, and our comfort zone for cruising seems to be in the low to mid 20s mph, at around 4500-4600 rpm in smooth water. It being 359 lbs, it's a great choice and I've had good luck with Honda everything. You cant go wrong.

If I was repowering tomorrow I would look very closely at the Yamaha 115, as it's 377 lbs. That added 25 hp might come in handy on occasion when glassy conditions allow a higher top speed.

Another popular option is the Suzuki 115, which weighs 416 lbs. That's a bit more weight, but its proven to be a reliable motor. I know of one boat with this configuration that's made it to the Bahamas and back at least once, so that's proven itself as well.

I'm personally done with two strokes after decades of buying oil and changing plugs, but they do have a following so to each there own. :thup
 
When one says early models, I assume they mean the pre 1987 boats, which were a flat bottom right to the V of the bow. 1987 on the was variable dead rise and the same hull pattern is used in the boats day.

Light boat, is very unusual: Means one or two people no water and min fuel. We have cruised with food for a month, including a freezer in the cockpit, 3 batteries, and a chest with extra supplies--the boat handles well, but top speeds are diminished. Each of my 22's went to 30 mph with a 90. But when heavily loaded, and depending on altitude, cruising speeds were 17 to 22 mph.

If you are going to do any cruising, go with the 115. If not then with a modern 4 stroke 90. Permatrim and trim tabs help the boat's ride and performance.
 
In 2017 we repowered our 22 cruiser from a 75 hp Honda to a 115 Suzuki. We put over a thousand miles on the boat last summer fishing on the North end of Vancouver island and even with the increased horsepower we saw increased fuel savings.
 
Does anyone but me like the new 115 Mercury? It's really light and powerful. It isn't even that expensive....well in comparison. Plus Bass Pro is the service department for whatever that is worth.
 
I liked the specs and features compared to the other 115's.
Then I ran across a web site called Consumer Affairs, it was loaded with disgruntled owners. I realize that there are hundreds of happy owners who do not say how happy they are. Whereas someone who is having a problem is looking for someone to hear there agony.
So I have sort of dismissed it.
I think a manufacturer would be smart, to try to make sure there product owners are happy.
Are there any Merc 115 or 90 owners that would like to chime in ?
thanks
 
Alan asked me these questions in a private message, but I thought I'd also share them here for anyone else that might appreciate the data. Also, forgot to mention in my PM reply, that I also run a Permatrim on the motor, if that matters. Last summer while cruising the Inside Passage at displacement speeds (5-6mph), my fuel usage was 5-6 mpg. On plane heavy it was anywhere between 2 and 3. (Closer to 3 when the fuel tanks were closer to empty...Might also have been on the lower end due to barnacles on the hull. No bottom paint....) I was running the 3 blade prop then. (Otherwise I tend to run the 4 blade.) Normal on plane numbers for around here seems to average out to around 3.1 or 3.2 mpg. This is for Midnight Flyer, a 2007 CD-22 Cruiser, with a Mercury 115HP EFI 4-Stroke. (Note, my typical cruise or on plane speeds are either 16mph or 21mph. My top speed at normal light weights is around 32mph.)

What year is it ? 2007

How many hours have you got on it? 1,400. Purchased with 50 hours.

Has it been reliable ? Mostly. I did have a fuse link wire replaced soon after purchasing the boat used. I believe it was due to new battery's being installed with reversed polarity by the previous owner's shop (Sears) just prior to my purchasing. (The batteries were correct when I bought it, but my mechanic said reversing polarity would blow that fuse cable. Since the previous owner had just had new batteries installed for the sale, that seemed to be the most obvious case.)
At 259 hours I had to replace a pressure regulator vent line that runs through the fuel module. The shop I purchased the new vent line told me it was probably due to running fuel with 10% ethanol. However, the 2007 was suppose to support 10% ethanated fuel, so who knows. I replaced that myself and have not had a problem since. I still run ethanol during the summer, and only put non-ethanol premium in it towards the end of the boating season. Only other repair was replacing one of the pencil coils at 204 hours. Otherwise I perform annual maintenance on it, usually replacing the spark plugs, changing the oils, and replacing the air filter, up till last year when the new filters became more of just a screen. And of course also changing out the fuel and oil filters. I change the water pump every other or third year.

Is it the Command Thrust ? Not sure. The serial number is 1B500809.

What prop diameter/pitch are you using ? Quick Silver Black Diamond 3 blade, 14 x 11. And also Solas Rubex 4 blade, 13.25 x 13. Both aluminum. I tend to usually run the 4 blade. Seems to give me better hole shot and control. Both props appear to be pretty well matched for specs in reaching WOT.

Your general thoughts about it? I've been happy with it. Easy to find service and parts, especially here at home, with the manufacturer headquarters 80 miles east of here. :) I do tend to run at 100-200 hours a year. This past summer I placed about 400 on it with my cruise on the Inside Passage of SE Alaska, along with more local boating. I tend to run at planning speeds, but much of my Alaska cruise was at displacement speeds. I've also done some trolling. For usual cruising, I tend to run at about 4500 RPM I believe. IOW, it's pretty much ran at all RPM.s Everything still seems to run well on it. I have thought about what I would repower with when the time comes. I tend to think the 115 is a bit of overkill, and think a 90 would do fine. However, unless the 90 weighs a decent amount less, I'd probably just go with another Merc 115. Running high speed on the Mississippi River with some other boats during C Brat Gatherings, while I tend to be the fastest boat, I don't really pull that much more ahead of those running 90's. I've been happy with a single as opposed to twins, but I also have a 6hp Kicker. The boat came with a single, so that's what I have. No regrets.
 
Seems that a review of Consumer Affairs Reviews needs to be done.
Seems that they use peoples reviews for there own benefit.
That's not nice.

Back to your Merc thoughts.
thanks
 
Colby - that's good information and thanks for sharing and writing it up. They did an almost complete redesign of the Mercury 115 just a 3-4 years ago. They shed a bunch of weight, added cubic inches, increased efficiency, and made it easier to service. I honestly think my next boat is a Tomcat - been saving.
 
I am super happy with my 2015 90 CT mercury, I was nervous when I bought it being just released as a new motor built by mercury, 900 hrs later not a single problem. I do my own maintenance so its only had to go to the shop for a diagnostic ( 100$ ) 300hr service. The Command Thrust with the 15x17 prop gives the boat good lift on the aft of the boat allowing for a very heavy load. The fuel burn on a 2600 nm trip to Alaska averaged out to a liter / nm. cruising around 14-16 nm/h at 38-4200 rpms. Loaded down with dingy, 60 gal. fuel, 20 gal. water and three 6 gal. jerry cans plus all the extras it will still hit 5250 rpm. I believe the 90 and the 115hp have the same motor, the only difference is the size of the fuel injectors so the 115hp develops its power at the top end. I`m hoping the larger displacement motor on the 90 will give me years of service.

Jim.
 
Ditto on the above Merc comments, still loving my 2016 CT 90 with 430 some trouble free hrs. This current version came out in 2014 as noted above, larger displacement, lower weight, and the optional CT gearcase swings a big ol' prop. Also super quiet, smooth, easy to do regular service (Merc even sells handy dandy 100 hr and 300 hr maintenance kits with everything needed to do it yourself). The 90 hp is more power than I need, but you also can't go wrong with the 115 for same weight!

-Mike
 
I repowered my Rosboro 246 with a 300HP G2 ETEC. This was a big block motor. The 150 HP and lower are small block ETEC's. I never liked the two stroke motor. It uses less fuel but more oil. It has more odor than a 4 stroke. It is louder than a 4 stroke and at a higher pitch. It has a slight studder at half throttle having to do with the fuel delivery programming. I replaced twin 115 Suzuki's with the single 300. The weight reduction on the transom upset the handling. The boat would bow steer under certain conditions. There was a severe yaw to the left out of the hole. I had to add trim tabs. Oh ya, at 17 hours on the new motor a fuel line popped off and soaked the insulation on the inside of the motor cover, leaving me stranded. The cost of the new motor was $28,600 installed. I spent another $700 on the trim tabs.
I think a Yamaha 115 would be my first choice for a 22 Cdory.
 
San, I don't think you require a permatrim for your average cruising as it does cause a bit of drag on boat. The 90CT motor jumps on plain even if you don't trim the motor down. If you run the boat very light with one person it can actually torque the boat over to the right if you hit the throttle to fast. I installed a permatrim last year and found it steers better in big swells off the west coast, and at slow speeds I can plain effortlessly with heavy loads. I have fuel meters on the motor and the boat that are very accurate and I find that the permatrim cost a bit on fuel at higher speeds but I like it.

Jim.
 
I have permatrim on my boat, and it made a big difference in pitch of the boat. It use to ride pretty nose high. The permatrim allows you to get the bow down a bit more. Colby
 
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