225 4 stroke weight for 23cc

[corbinj43]

The added weight of the Suzuki DF225 makes my 23cc ride a little low in the back at slow speed. I only had 70 gallons of fuel on the boat during the breakin and initial runs. Up on plane, it's fine. I am worried about 35 gallons of water in my transom livewell offshore. Has anyone used ballast in the front? I don't want to get too heavy, but don't want to be low in the back after burning off fuel.

[Reel Smoker]

jlc,a full transom and a positive flotation bracket would take care of the weight.

[salvagefirst]

Yep, The 4000 thousand dollar fix!

[Mark]

Yep, The 4000 thousand dollar fix!

I think Reel Smoker's suggestion is based on experience, not a flippant reply like some of of the others. There are some on this board who are willing to spend to get it right.

[salvagefirst]

Im sure jlc wants to spend another 4 grand on top of the 13 grand or more he spent on a 225 suzy.What are some of the other options available,relocating the livewell, moving the console forward, moving the fuel tank forward. I too am faced with the same problem on my 23,but i want to retain the original look of the boat without going to a bracket. What about the new 23s that are coming with verados well over 600 pds but yet these boats are not tail heavy,other than a composite transom there seems to be very little differance

[corbinj43]

I already have a full transom with an Armstrong bracket done by Mike at Wildfire. I talked with him today and he suggested putting some ballast up front. This seemed to solve my problem. Next step it a 4 foot sea. Will advise how this is working out.

[Finster]

What about the new 23s that are coming with verados well over 600 pds but yet these boats are not tail heavy,other than a composite transom there seems to be very little differance

I am sure they are stern heavy, how could it not? You can only lighten a boat up so much before you totally screw up how it handle's in a moderate sea.
The big topic in the marine industry is the weight of the new motors. Most of the hulls on the market aren't designed for the weight of these motors. But their not going to tell you that. What are their options? Sell you a boat without power? Redesign their boats? I don't think so.

It's all about the bling...

[Ed]

JLC-

You could always recore your transom with weight saving materials like Corecell or Coosaboard. If done correctly, I think you could shave off the majority of the weight difference of your old 2 stroke versus the new 4 stroke. If you do it yourself or under the guidance of someone with experience, you would also save yourself some $$$$.

Ed

[FELLOW-SHIP]

There is some more consideration that has not been talked about on this thread, which will help.
The length of your shaft there is a 5” height advantage on the 30” shafts that can help out a lot. I am not saying this will solve any scupper problems but it will help on water coming over the stern in a notched transom. All the new 23’ are a 30” shaft.
Another thing that I don’t do is back up in the open sea.
When drift fishing I turn the motor to the port of starboard.
Use a sea anchor when needed. I like sea anchors and will attach one on the bow and one on the stern to slow down my drift. I know this is not a total fix but by moving things forward as much as possible plus these things it does make a big difference.
If you have a Potter hull with the scuppers in the bottom of the boat check out “THE VORTEX” thread I use them and they definitely work.
Plus in marginal conditions I will have some one fishing up in the bow of the boat which makes a great movable ballast which at the end of the day will help wash the boat and pay for gas.
FellowShip [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]