Repowering 18' Potter

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by BocaSeacraft

. . . I'm still in the break in period but the DF90 gets the boat up on plane with ease, even with 4 of us aboard (about 750#) and half a tank of fuel, all equipment, etc. It holds plane down to about 3200 RPM with the 14x16 Suzuki prop. . .

Another data point proving why "light is right" on the very efficient 18/20' SeaCraft hulls! Maybe someday folks will finally start to believe us old timers that actually ran these boats with 300 lb motors back in the 70's! My experience is that the poor balance with heavy 150-200 hp motors really hurts the amazing ride, load carrying and 12 mph planing capabilities that these boats were famous for back in the day!

[BocaSeacraft]

Had a great day out. Put about 7 hours on the new motor. This thing is sweet. Boat likes to run at around 4000 rpm (17 mph or so). 5000 is about 26-27. The motor gets the boat on plane instantly. With me and the wife aboard with full safety gear, fishing gear and about 20 gallons of fuel, we could hit 6000 rpm. The faster you go the lower the bow dips. The boat makes the captain feel very secure in all situations. We ran from Boca down to Fort Lauderdale and back. Stopped at the Nauty Dawg for lunch. The motor never missed a beat. I would highly recommend a Suzuki DF90 if you are thinking about re-powering your SeaCraft 18. Cheers!

[Terry England]

Perfect!

[bitsamonkey]

Looking good! I knew you would like that motor, it transformed the way my boat handles. It's great how flat it runs, right? I run the factory Suzuki 3 blade stainless 14x18 with a cup added. I can spin that prop right to the limiter. I usually cruise at around 4800 rpm 26-28 mph. Motor seams happy there. Enjoy and put as many hours as possible on it!

[waterboy]

Me and my wife go to Naughty Dog for breakfast all the time. If you ever want to meet up let me know. Located in Boca also. Cheers on the new motor! I love my 140 Susuki.

[Beaver]

Nice!!! Looks great on the back of your boat. I'm looking forward to hearing some mpg reports.

[BocaSeacraft]

Well, we had the opportunity to head down to the Keys for a week with the boat. The boat performed flawlessly. We rented a house and kept the boat in the water all week so it was easy to just jump in and go for a ride. I don't have the ability to get real GPH or MPG since I don't have electronics to support that. I did fill the boat up before we left and when i put it back on the trailer there was still a quarter tank. We had it out 5 of the 7 days we were there and we ranged offshore to Alligator and over to Cheeca Rocks and everything in between. On the bay side we did the same. We visited Lignum Vitae and Indian Key State Park and had a great time. The Suzuki never missed a beat. I passed the 20 hour mark and reset the oil change reminder light on our way back from one trip. I had done the 20 hour service before we left. Very happy with everything. The boat did great in seas up to 3-4. As usual.