to be a cdory skipper

[maxwell eaton]

I have plans to purchase a 25. I would like to install twin 90's rather than a single. Can anyone enlighten me as to any disadvantage or reason outside of additional cost to not do so? Further, I am thinking of buying new, am I crazy? Thanks for any advice. Max

[dotnmarty]

Max-Whichever way you go, new or used, you're not crazy, just in love.

[JamesTXSD]

[matt_unique]

[DaveS]

[DaveS]

[dotnmarty]

I remember that some years ago our senior technical advisor Les summed it up by saying something like"in sum, the twins look spiffy".

Here's one of Les's other comments on this subject from 2007


"If you ask a person who is an avid hiker how you should outfit youself you're likely to get a list long enough to preclude carrying it without some conditioning. If you ask and audiophile what you should purchase for a sound system it would likely scare your wallet to death. The gist of this is the more time one spends exposed to a particular pursuit the more one is exposed to specific situations; if you solve the immediate one you're off to solve the next.

My point is that someone who's been boating for a long time will have 100 different reasons for choosing a specific setup in order to respond to problems or observations of the past. Someone just starting might have a couple of reasons based on what they've read, heard, or studied.

Twin engines only offer an advantage to those folks for whom they seem to offer advantages. In other words, it's situational to some degree and a personal choice to a large degree based on experiences of the past (good or bad).

To respond to your question regarding the ability to run at planing speed on one engine...it generally isn't vital. If it is in your particular operation (and I can think of valid situations) get twin 135/150's (not a good choice on the CD25 however). The arguement for twins versus a single in this situation isn't that one of the twin engines can run home at normal cruising speeds but rather you can run at a much higher speed than on a kicker (after all you do have 90hp available versus perhaps 15hp) but more importantly, in my opinion, because of the reserve horsepower you're able to deal with much stronger currents, inclement weather (say lots of wind), and waves. I can say with certainty that there are many times when a CD25 on a 15hp kicker can not make headway due to headwinds, headseas, or contrary currents. This would ordinarily never be the case running on a single 90. You're also likely to run about twice as fast on a single 90 versus a kicker which halves the travel time if you're going to find technical assistance.

Now the real question is...how much this all means if where you boat you're seldom 15 or 20 miles from any safe haven? Especially given, with today's modern engines, that it's highly unlikely that one will fail you in the first place.

And then there's the question of money. The CD25 runs perfectly fine and quite nicely on a single 135hp or 150hp engine. A typical 150 will cost in the neighborhood of $12,500 (this will vary a lot depending on what the dealer includes in the price; mostly this number is just here as a relative indicator). Since, to the best of my knowledge, no manufacturer is making a 25" (extra long) 75hp engine the next logical choice for twins is a pair of 90s. With this setup you're going to chew up the better part of $20,000. There's a high likelihood that you'd add a kicker to the single and that would add in the neighborhood of $3000 to bring the single/kicker total to $15,500. Still, a $4,500 difference which is a bit more than what an installed C-80 system with radar runs. So, given that the single main engine will never likely suffer a breakdown (it's certainly possible, just not probable), that you do have a kicker if you need it, and that the difference in the price of the twin versus single/kicker setup would pay for the charplotter/gps/depth sounder/radar setup which would you rather have if you don't boat miles and miles and miles from the nearest place of safety or technical assistance?

What changes the flavor of the whole debate is location and perception. If you're boating offshore or in places like southeast Alaska where you have to be self-sufficient then I believe there's an awfully good arguement for twins. It's a bit like a belt and suspenders and that's where perception comes in. Unless you're getting paid for it I assume you're out in the boat for pleasure. If that's the case you want to have fun and that includes (at least in my household) keeping the family happy too. Therefore, if you feel better (happier, more comfortable, etc) with twins hanging on the stern that's the better choice if for no other reason. If you think they just look great and cost difference isn't a factor that's as good a reason as any (they are for fun after all). They may make docking and handling in tight areas easier but that depends as much on the operator as the fact that there are one or two engines on the stern.

If you fish a lot (and slow troll as we do in the Pacific Northwest) there's a pretty good argument for a single and a kicker, especially if you like to be in the cockpit and set up a rear station to control just the kicker (the steering at the second station controls the main engine which is tied to the kicker for trolling but the shift & throttle, key switch, etc controls only the kicker in this scenario).

Bottom line...if you have a situation based on operating location or strong personal preference you already know the answer for you is going to be twins. If you're not sure it's a pretty sure bet you don't need them. You may still choose to go that way if the money difference isn't an issue, if you like the idea of it, if you like the looks, etc but it's hard to make the arguement that they're really as important as they might be for, say, offshore or remote area operations. Really, there is no right or wrong and truthfully not much in the way of a technncal reason for choosing twins versus singles since the boat operates well either way (though from a very technical standpoint the single engine is better for the reduced weight on the transom).

Underscoring the bottom line...make sure it makes you smile. I see absolutely no reason to spend the kind of money it takes to purchase a boat these days if it doesn't bring a smile to your face everytime you see it. Get what makes the most sense for you and your family. All a talking head like myself can do is add color commentary."

Boat Les (no more)...on Whidbey Island