Single or Twin??

[NootkaFisher]

Guys,
Looking for the pluses and minuses of a single 300 (with kicker) vs twin 150's. We usually do quite a few day trips on the East Coast and some offshore fishing on the West Coast as well. 23.5 ft Campion.
Thinking pretty hard about the G2 ETEC's with their 10 year warranty...
Comments welcome.
Thanks,

 

[bones]

There was an article on evinrude website that explained why twins where not necessary any longer. Made alot of sense, ill see if i can dig it up and post it

 

[agentaqua]

twins, definitely. Left and right turning - not 2 rights. Kickers are an alternative - but not as good as twins.

 

[trophywife]

i went with single 300 and a big enough kicker to move the boat in less than perfect conditions.. way more practical IMHO...

 

[1marko]

i second trophywife and if economy
and reliability isn t enough think
about the piece and quite of one
large stump puller compared to
two whining half pints....i can
hear twins comin for miles...

 

[eriks]

I second Trophywife too. These engines are very reliable now, not like the old days. It'll be lighter and less expensive to maintain. Very significantly, a single 150 won't get you on step either, so you'd not be getting home all that much quicker. It really is a no-brainer to me.

 

[agentaqua]

New - I guess you don't have to worry for a few years wrt general wear n tear n accidents. If you travel long distances - yes - you can expect the occasional problem with 1 of the 2 engines. With a kicker - it's a slow boat to China getting back. With weather concerns in addition - you'll wish you went with twins. At least it's a reasonable clip coming home. That's been my experience, anyways.

If you are looking for power in a single, may I suggest: http://www.boatingmag.com/building-seven-marine-outboard

 

[bigbruce]

If you can't get your boat on plane with one of the engines, you speed is going to be close to hull speed and it's going to be a slow haul getting back regardless whether you're on the other 150 or a kicker.

 

[agentaqua]

Ya - except Bruce maybe 2-4 knots with a kicker - 10-14 with 1 twin down. Makes quite a difference over long hauls...

 

[Sr SQ]

Both arguments have merit however, a couple things a single can't give you is low speed cruise and the slow speed tracking and maneuverability that come with twins.
A single of the same HP will usually give you slightly better MPG at cruise and slightly more top end than twins however its a fair trade to get the slow planing speed (22-23 mph) I can get with 2 x 19" pitch props and lots of tab on a rough day.
A large single on my hull will fall off plane aprox 5-6 mph higher and on the rough days it make all the difference.
I am able to muster 28mph on one engine but would only beat the engine like that if it was an emergency.
I the old days of outboards a v6 would burn a ridiculous amount of fuel trolling so a kicker was a huge savings but the new engines today make the fuel savings while trolling marginal at best.
Each to their own but I will never go back to a single.

 

[trophywife]

i can make 7-8kt- with a 20hp kicker.. bad wind and current ? 3-4 i hope

 

[gunnerlove]

I would never go back to a single with a kicker.

 

[BigBird007]

I would love to see a fuel comparison of a boat rigged with new twin 150's, trolling on a single compared to the same hull being pushed by a 9.9 trolling. My bet is that they are not that far off.

IMO if you are a guide and putting hundreds of hours on your boat each year, one big single and a kicker is the way to go. Most hours are put on the less expensive kicker that can easily be replaced at reasonable price more often.

If you are a weekend warrior like myself twins is the way to go. Boat control is much better at slow and speed. Once you get use to docking with twins you will never want to go back. No worries about tie bars, kicker steering systems, mounting brackets. I don't think they are any safer but you will get home faster than a kicker.

 

[Tidal Chaos]

I have had the unlucky fortune to be on a couple boats with twins and singles that have had to do the long trip in from the tuna grounds with a main engine out of commission, one year from 67 miles out (twin), another from 17 miles out (twin); another from 3 miles (single main); I know own a boat with twins and I am happy that I had another main when I lost an engine, 12-14 kn coming in from that far out is a far cry from 4-5 kn, the year from 67 miles out took us 10 hrs due to sea conditions on the way in with one twin down with a broken prop shaft ; with a kicker, we would have been closer to 20+ hrs. I will never go back to a single main and kicker unless I am going down to a 20' or less boat.

 

[agentaqua]

I have had the unlucky fortune to be on a couple boats with twins and singles that have had to do the long trip in from the tuna grounds with a main engine out of commission, one year from 67 miles out (twin), another from 17 miles out (twin); another from 3 miles (single main); I know own a boat with twins and I am happy that I had another main when I lost an engine, 12-14 kn coming in from that far out is a far cry from 4-5 kn, the year from 67 miles out took us 10 hrs due to sea conditions on the way in with one twin down with a broken prop shaft ; with a kicker, we would have been closer to 20+ hrs. I will never go back to a single main and kicker unless I am going down to a 20' or less boat.

Thanks for sharing, TC - EXACTLY my point too...

 

[Aces]

I second Trophywife too. These engines are very reliable now, not like the old days. It'll be lighter and less expensive to maintain. Very significantly, a single 150 won't get you on step either, so you'd not be getting home all that much quicker. It really is a no-brainer to me.

I make 14 kn on 1 twin. Limped back in from the tuna grounds in 2.5 hrs

 

[bones]

My 300 limp in no cooling, 8mph

 

[Sotally Tober]

Here is a YouTube video that does a twin vs single comparison.
Unfortunately you have to watch until the end to get any information.

 

[Sir Reel]

My Cousin bought a Campion 682 a few years ago and we pondered this very thing. We found Yamaha data that showed that twin 150's burn 20 to 30% more fuel than a single 250 or 300 at cruise.
We also found that a 300 burned less fuel than a 250 on the same boat at cruise. In the end he went with the Yamaha 300 and a Yamaha 9.9 HT kicker. He loves it.
Yes if you are going 67 miles offshore consistently then twins are a great idea. But if you just go 10 miles offshore once in a while then I don't think is necessary IMO.

 

[sly_karma]

Power to weight is better with a large single than twins. F150 = 487 lb. F300 = 602 lb. Plus double the rigging (weight as well as cost). Maintenance costs higher for twins. Purchase cost higher for twins. Certainly lots of advantages to twins as many have said. Complex question with as many answers as there are boats and owners.