Question regards to C-dory's engine

[Sacboater]

Hi all,
My name is Eric and I am new to this forum. After watching the C-dory videos on Youtube, I am very interested in this brand (22' cruiser). I notice that the boat's either equipped with one single 90hp or twin 40 hp engines.
Per your experience, which setup is better in term of fuel consumption and balance? with dual engines, can you run with one engine only? (I saw one video clip and the boat owner run with one engine)

I currently own a 1995 270DA Sea Ray Sundancer with twin engines. If one engine dies, I can't drive the boat.

Thanks in advance,
Eric

 

[bridma]

Hi all,
My name is Eric and I am new to this forum. After watching the C-dory videos on Youtube, I am very interested in this brand (22' cruiser). I notice that the boat's either equipped with one single 90hp or twin 40 hp engines.
Per your experience, which setup is better in term of fuel consumption and balance? with dual engines, can you run with one engine only? (I saw one video clip and the boat owner run with one engine)

I currently own a 1995 270DA Sea Ray Sundancer with twin engines. If one engine dies, I can't drive the boat.

Thanks in advance,
Eric

Hi Eric,
Welcome to the C-Brats forum. You ask some very good questions. C-Brats are passionate about their boats and have them set up the way they prefer. So you may receive conflicting answers to your questions. Most 22' cruiser owners run with two outboards. A larger main and a smaller kicker, or twin 40s or twin 50s outboards. The boats with twins running on just one engine, usually can not get up on plane unless the boat is very lightly loaded. But then the boats with kickers can not get on plane either with just their kicker. As for fuel consumption, my guess is there would not be a lot in it. Depends how you drive your boat. Some owners watch their gauges like a hawk to squeeze out the best MPG, some owners (like me) don't worry about it and just push the pedal to the metal. As for balance. Best balance comes with identical twin engines, plus they look cool. But then I am biased.
Martin.

 

[ssobol]

The other common setup is one big engine (i.e. 90hp) and a smaller "kicker" engine of between 6 and 20 hp. The kicker can be used for getting home in the case of a main engine failure. The kicker is also used by some people as a trolling motor instead of the main engine (it is happier at low speeds) and/or as a dingy motor.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Eric,

I am one of the main and kicker advocates, and really, there is no bad answer. My recommendation if you are going with a new outboard is to go with the largest HP main engine that is certified. Currently, that is 115HP, although a good 90HP engine is fine... If you went with something like the Honda 115, you would probably go for one of the smaller kickers (5 HP?) due to weight considerations.

If you're going with a used boat, I would recommend that you go with one that has a fuel injected engine. The carbureted engines work fine, but at altitude, you tend to lose HP.

Good luck in your search!

Steve

 

[thataway]

Welcome aboard. Your question is one of the most commonly discussed on the forum--and there is no one answer. For example:

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t= ... ngle++twin


I happen to be a one large and dinghy motor as the kicker type. Modern outboards are extremely reliable. A problem is usually fuel or electric. If you are careful and can trouble shoot those, 99% of problems can be solved.

If you try to run at planing speeds with a single 40 you will stress that engine--unless you change to a lower pitch prop. There were a few boats erupt with single 50's and most of those boats have been upgraded to at least a 75 hp.

My reason for a single is that the maintenance is less. One oil change, one impeller change etc. You need good fuel filters (Racor), and dual batteries anyway. I have owned mostly single engine boats during my life, and find a single engine outboard as easy to operate as a twin engine. But in the larger inboards, of course the twins are easier.

Your Sea Ray is a deep V boat, and the steering problems on a single engine will not transfer to the flat bottom C Dory.

 

[Sacboater]

I will do more research on this topic and properly I will go with a used one first. I love C-Dory because it is lighter and I can tow it almost everywhere with my small SUV (tow capacity 6500 lbs) and this boat seem very practical compare to the Sea Ray (it is too big and heavy to tow on the street...it is around 10000 lbs).
Thanks,
Eric

 

[hardee]

Oh boy.......... :lol:

After you have been around here a while you will get that....coming from me. I'm one of the twins guys. Yup, any old single and kicker can get you where you want to go, ...... they just won't look as cool

Good advice to watch for the electronic fuel injection engines. Carbs can be sticky.

Single and a kicker are OK, but you need to be sure that kicker can drive that boat, in the most adverse conditions, (ie wind, waves, tidal currents) never expect to be out in, because that could be where you actually are when you need it keep you off the rocks, out from in front of that tanker, or from going out with the tide. Now if you are never in any of those situations you can "get by" on an thing that will hang on the transom.

Oh yes, there are some on this site who will say even a single, without a kicker:shock: are fine, because maybe they were a general aviation pilot, and their Cessna 182 never had a kicker, and they take care of that single engine, and it took care of them. AS was noted earlier, the modern OB's are very reliable, SO............ it comes down to personal choice.

Single and a kicker will get the job done,

Twins will do the same and look cool while they are at it :lol:

Notice I didn't say any thing about the advantages of low speed, tight quarters maneuvering with twins, or the many admiring looks I get at the gas station pumps. But then, that is what you get with a C-dory with twins.

Good luck with your decision, and BTW, any C-Dory will get admiring looks.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[Chester]

Not only, as Harvey said, do twins look cooler, they look more important too.
On the serious side it's been reported that twins give better handling in some rough conditions. and you have the ability to maneuver using throttle modulation alone.
These boats are sensitive to weight on the stern. On our '05 22' Cruiser new twin Honda 40s weighed less than a Honda 75-90 with a kicker.

 

[breausaw]

Fish on, they took bait. It's single vs twins again! :crook :cry :disgust

 

[srbaum]

I've owned both arrangements. The twins do give you better boat handing at lower speeds, such as docking. One fact that has not been pointed out is that anything you stick in the water and force forward at anything above idle speeds causes drag. Having two lower units in the water doubles the drag over a single lower unit.
I agree that twins is cool, but drag is drag, no matter how cool it is.
Steve

 

[colobear]

Try using the search function with something like "twins versus singles". This topic has been discussed a lot. We have twins and like them. On one occasion we had to make it to port on one engine, about 10nm. I was completely confident with the setup and was glad to be going 8-9kts instead of 4-5 with a 9.9 kicker. I think the split between singles and twins is just about even.

 

[potter water]

I'm a twin engines guy myself. I always bring up the point that if you were flying to Hawaii, would you get on that trans pacific jet if it had one big engine on one wing and a little bitty engine on the other. I think not! However, it is a toss up on the 22's about which way to go. The other issue with twins is a small added amount of maintenance and quite a bit more money laid out to buy the twins configuration with twin controls, more complicated battery management and other stuff. So, those of us with twins pay quite a bit more for the reliability and cool and maneuvering advantages. But, if up front money isn't a big object for you, then twins definitely should be your choice. I've checked my MPG with twins against singles on the brat site, and it is hard to find any difference running a single 100 plus or twins of 50 hp each in terms of performance and MPG. In high winds and big waves, give me twins.

 

[hardee]

Fish on, they took bait. It's single vs twins again! :crook :cry :disgust

:lol: :lol: :lol: Shameless aren't we :wink: :wink: :wink:

:love :love my my :hug :hug2

:thup :thup

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

 

[Sunbeam]

Notice I didn't say any thing about the... many admiring looks I get at the gas station pumps. But then, that is what you get with a C-dory with twins.

Yeah, with my "fraternal twins" (single main plus kicker) they only admire the boat's gorgeous lines and don't really notice the engines. It's so sad and lonely. :twisted:

Eric: welcome to the forum! You unknowingly stepped into one of the "hornet's nests" of debates here. (But it's a friendly forum, and thus about as nice a hornet's nest as you could find.) I wanted twins when I was shopping just because I like the way they look. Which is a valid reason, to my mind. On the "rational pros and cons" pages I wrote out for myself, I could find just about the same number of items on either side. I think certain specific uses could probably find more items on one side or the other, but for most people it would be about even. However, the "go with what you think is cool" column is very important too, I think.

I ended up finding a bunch of boats with twins, but they were either just sold, or not in the condition I was looking for. Then a pretty little barely-used 22 with a single/kicker came along and asked me to take it home, so I did I told myself I could re-power with twins any time I decided I really wanted to. So far, I haven't, but that could change in the future. And while there have been times I wished I had them; there have also been times I was glad I had the single/kicker setup. So I think reality, for me, has so far matched up with my initial objective "pro and con" list. I still think the twins look cooler though

 

[Sea Wolf]

Twins aren't all they're cracked up to be-



Another twin advocate "Lookin' Good!" :lol:

Joe. :teeth :thup

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

"THEY took the bait."

 

[anchorout]

BY THE WAY, ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT A SINGLE AXLE OR A DOUBLE AXLE TRAILER?

(Putting a second line out.)

 

[DaveS]

Having two lower units in the water doubles the drag over a single lower unit.
Steve

Yeah but it is two smaller "drags" rather than one BIG drag. :roll: :wink :smilep :lol:

 

[Sacboater]

Thank you everyone for your feedback. Your information is very valuable for a newbie like me and I am sorry for opening another can of worm on this topic again
I wish everyone have a nice weekend,
Eric

PS: I am thinking on double axle but let see because I plan to get a used one first so whatever come with it...I am ok.

 

[thataway]

Don't worry these scruffles are normal near holiday weekends when the natives are restless. There are lots of questions---all good and also lots of good answers--not one is 'right". There are always alternatives.

 

[hardee]

Thank you everyone for your feedback. Your information is very valuable for a newbie like me and I am sorry for opening another can of worm on this topic again
I wish everyone have a nice weekend,
Eric

PS: I am thinking on double axle but let see because I plan to get a used one first so whatever come with it...I am ok.

Eric, Please don't take any offense. How could you know? It's OK, we are all following the 1 Rule, "Just be Nice" and we all have our reasons for our choices and they make sense to us. (Don't really have to to anybody else.)

Some of the other "interesting" topics:

Single or Tandem axles

Boat drain plugs, Inside or out side.

Fishing or Cruising

Wallas or Not

AGM or wet cell (batteries)

Try a search for an afternoon, or a couple of weeks of reading there. :lol:

have a great night.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon