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Posts: 412
Location: Waukesha, WI | what's better, 200HP at the high end of a 4 cylinder or low end of a 6? The 6 cylinder is heavier by better than a hundred pounds. From weight alone, the 4 cylinder could have the upper hand, but waiting to hear your thoughts.
Can anyone ballpark the difference in cost between the Optimax and Verado? Could DTS eliminate the need for a separate kicker motor or perhaps a Verado better at low end trolling? Put another way, is there a 200HP motor that could eliminate the need for a kicker and be cheaper or about the same price (maintaining/winterizing two motors doesn't sound appealing, but I'd do it if it makes the most sense)?
TIA, Mike | |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | I just bought a Lund Tyee with a 150 Verado on it, and there was an identical boat with a 150 Optimax there at the dealer...but I cannot remember the price difference, lol. I can call the dealer and ask--my impression (from some ballpark numbers they gave me on the first day I was there) is that the difference in price is a couple grand. But I seem to recall that the Optimax is actually about the same price as a Honda 4-stroke, so actually the Verado might only be a thousand or so more than the Optimax. But the Verado is definitely a bit pricey.
As far as the 4 versus 6 cylinder question--I wondered that myself when I saw on the Verado website that they were set to release the 4 cyl 200. It's an interesting question, as the formula for horsepower involves both the number of cylinders and the RPM of the engine. So if the 4-cylinder model is turning about the same RPM as the 6-cylinder, why is the horsepower the same? Of course they can do things with the intake timing to affect the *volume* of air/fuel actually going into the cylinder, and that would have a big influence on horsepower created.
It depends upon your hull I suppose, but I would personally go for the lightest model that gets you the horsepower you need; 200 horsepower is not that much for a 4-cylinder engine. In the world of aviation there has been a lycoming engine (only turning 2500-2700 RPM though) making 200 horsepower for many years--and it's a bulletproof unit. And if the 200 Verado 4-cylinder turns at the same speed as it's little brothers, then there shouldn't be too much concern with it staying together. It would be very interesting to A:B two identical hulls with the 4-cyl and 6-cyl Verado...just to see how they performed in terms of fuel economy, holeshot and top-end. If the fuel economy was significantly better on either engine (10-15% or more), then I would probably go with that unit regardless of weight (providing the hull could handle it).
Consider this though--my Tyee transom is stamped for 690 pounds total weight, so I could not put the 6-cylinder unit on the boat and still put on a 9.9 horse kicker. As it stands now, my 150 (and the 4-cylinder 200) weighs 527 pounds for the 25" shaft, and the pro-kicker is about 109 pounds if memory serves. So the two of them together weigh just about what the 6-cylinder 200 horse engine weighs, so I would be over the max transom weight if I went that route.
Good luck with your decision!
TB
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Location: Green Bay, WI | I talked to my dealer just now. They told me that, all things considered, the Verado is about $1500-2000 more for the same horsepower. However, Lund had a deal this year (2007) where the Verado buyers got $1000 off, and the Opti buyers only got about $500-600 off when buying a new boat. So the difference for a 2007 model-year Lund was only about $1000. That's also the difference between getting a Verado and a Honda, when I checked. But they have no idea what Lund will do for the 2008 model year, so those incentives might disappear. So plan on at least $1500 more for the Verado--but if there are incentives from your boat company, you might do better than that.
I also asked about any news on the 200 Verado 4-cylinder and my dealer told me that becasue the 2008 model year doesn't start until July 1, they have no definite information on the new 200 horse unit. Their reps have simply not detailed them on the new Verados yet...
TB | |
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Posts: 412
Location: Waukesha, WI | Thanks for the input. I was thinking of strapping it to a 19' Tuffy or Ranger. It seems that in my part of town there are more folks selling Mercs and my 90HP four stroke Merc has been real solid. | |
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Location: Green Bay, WI | Well, those are both great boats from what I have heard--though I have no personal experience with either one. But I do know that (for what it's worth) the JD Powers rating on the Ranger line has gone down a bit in the last few years; but I have no idea why. So you might check that out. But I have seen quite a few newer Rangers around Green Bay, so it doesn't appear that guys *aren't* using them. In fact I have seen more Rangers than Tuffy boats, if memory serves.
I guess you just need to shop for the best deal--on the combo. It may be that Tuffy will give you a better package deal on the Verado, while Ranger has a better deal on the Opti (or vice versa). It just depends on their incentives, I suppose. In fact the incentives might make the right choice obvious...
Good luck!
TB | |
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Optimax 200HP 4 cylinder or 6; Verado