Thunder21
Well-Known Member
I picked up this Commander back in September and you guys might remember me asking for advice on how much HP to go with etc. I ended up losing all the pictures of the glasswork but basically the original engines were twin Mercruisers so we started by filling the holes and glassing another inch to the inside of the transom. The Commanders transoms are 2.25 inches thick to start with but I figured a little more wouldn't hurt. Next I had a local guy build and paint a twin engine pod and I went shopping for a set of engines. I couldn't find a lower hour set of used outboards and I felt everything was either overpriced or had high hours so I decided to go new. I found a good deal on a set of new fly by wire Suzuki 200s. I wanted to go with something larger but I honestly couldn't pass up the price. To bump up to a 225 would have been 7k more per engine.
Heres a pic of when the pod and engines were first mounted
This is how it looks now. I've since installed a 12 inch Simrad Evo 3 at the lower helm and a 7 inch Simrad Evo 3 on the flybridge. I also added rear steering and a sonic hub 2 and a few speakers to the inside of the cabin. I' ve been going through everything making sure it all functions correctly and so far so good. The boat also came with a Espar diesel heater.
I've been playing around with props and have decided on the 18.5 Suzuki 3 blades. The boat honestly preforms awesome with these engines . I was a little unsure if the twin 4 bangers would be enough for this hull but it doesn't feel underpowered in the least. With a full tank of fuel I can cruise anywhere between 26-31 mph and the rpms are in the 3900-4500 range. The best mileage appears to be at 4200 RPM, 2.25MPG at 28MPH. This was on a calm day in the inlet. I've never seen a twin outboard 26 Commander so I was a bit nervous spending this much coin on a bit of a unknown but it turned out awesome and I couldn't be happier with it. Full disclosure, I cant take credit for any of the work. I basically just stroked a cheque for most if it, except the electronics install.
Heres a pic of when the pod and engines were first mounted
This is how it looks now. I've since installed a 12 inch Simrad Evo 3 at the lower helm and a 7 inch Simrad Evo 3 on the flybridge. I also added rear steering and a sonic hub 2 and a few speakers to the inside of the cabin. I' ve been going through everything making sure it all functions correctly and so far so good. The boat also came with a Espar diesel heater.
I've been playing around with props and have decided on the 18.5 Suzuki 3 blades. The boat honestly preforms awesome with these engines . I was a little unsure if the twin 4 bangers would be enough for this hull but it doesn't feel underpowered in the least. With a full tank of fuel I can cruise anywhere between 26-31 mph and the rpms are in the 3900-4500 range. The best mileage appears to be at 4200 RPM, 2.25MPG at 28MPH. This was on a calm day in the inlet. I've never seen a twin outboard 26 Commander so I was a bit nervous spending this much coin on a bit of a unknown but it turned out awesome and I couldn't be happier with it. Full disclosure, I cant take credit for any of the work. I basically just stroked a cheque for most if it, except the electronics install.