BIG decision, 70hp or 90hp?

C

capt. meares

New member
I have decided I might as well repower my 22 cruiser while I have a little down time. I am sold on Suzuki and have my mind made up to go with them instead of Honda. My mind is not made up however on HP. I have done a lot of research and the technology has come a long ways on these mid range motors. The price difference between the two is about $1200. I do not care too much about going 35+ MPH, I don't water ski, and like the idea of even better mpg. Both the 70 and 90 are the exact same size and weight. I have been told there is very little notice in performance between the two. I don't see as many 70s on 22's lately. Does anyone have either of these motor on their 22? If so how do you like it? Thanks
 
I have a Honda 90. It moves my 22 at around 18 mph at 4K rpm with our normal load. I get about 90 miles cruising at this speed on each tank.

Flat out this motor will move my boat right around 30-31 mph at 5.6K rpm. But we don't often run that fast (did it a for a bit at the end of the season to get rid of the gas).
 
I have been in 22's with both 70 and 90hp motors.... I don't think a single 70hp is enough motor..... that is why you don't see many of them equipped that way..... I also rode in a 22' with a new 90hp and my twin Yamaha 40 's could outrun it...and get better fuel mileage..... so I REALLY feel that if you are going to use a single motor it should be at least 90 hp...
I gotta mention that Honda 90 motor I rode in was a dud... it was the worst Honda 90 ever...the owner finally just got rid of it...new and all, he could not stand it...what a dud... the dealer tried, even the factory man could not get it to perform...something was really wrong with that motor.

The 90 should do well, forget the 70...you can always throttle back if it goes to fast...

SEA3PO
 
I have the 22 with the 75 honda carb model if I had to decide now I would go for the 90 horse not sure what brand , I was lucky my 75 is a very good motor will run almost as good as a 90 . You can always use a little extra horse power never know
when that will help . The 70 or the 90 will get almost the same gas milage usally the 90 just turns a little faster. Boats seem to get heaver the longer you own one, a hole in the water you pour money and stuff in .
Richard
 
If I was repowering, I would go with the Suzuki 90. The Honda, and Suzuki 70/75 and 90's are about the same displacement. The difference is high end valve timing.

I also agree that the 70 is OK with a light boat--but with any load, you will want the 90. I believe it is worth the extra money.

About 30 mph is top speed for the C Dory 22 (You can push them faser, but they get "squirley" at higher speeds.
 
We had a brand new fuel injected Suzuki 70 on our brand new boat in 2005. Being new boaters, we didn't deal with the fact that we were over propped all summer, thus the motor felt very underpowered with the 70hp. When we finally changed to the correct prop at the end of the summer, the motor finally felt like the new motor that it was. The boat finally felt correctly powered and felt great! So my opinion is that it's enough power to power a 22 Cruiser. We also had a permartrim and really liked how the boat handled with it installed.

However...by then we decided that we wanted to repower to a brand new 2006 DF90 after the first season just for the extra power when we need it and haven't looked back. Absolutely love the motor. It has been very reliable and trouble-free (knock on wood) and provides enough power to get us anywhere we want to go. We also added the permartrim on the 90 as well. We really got used to the instantaneous reaction it provided for the tilt trim.

So in answer to your question, IMHO, 70hp will work just fine but I'd opt for the 90hp for the additional power. Plus I believe the newer models are much lighter than our vintage motor.

Good luck in your decision.
 
On SleepyC I have 80 hp, (actually twin 40's) and though it is extremely rare, there are times that you may need a burst of power for a short time. Yup, the twin 40's can do it but they are topped out (about 5400 rpm), so they are wound up occasionally. My feeling is that your engine will last longer IF it doesn't have to work at max level. Obviously at slow cruising, I am running al lower RPM, but even at my fast cruise, About 14 - 18 knots, I prefer to run at about 75% of max RPM, (at about 4000 to 4200 RPM).

I would go with the 90, and let it relax a bit instead of the 70 and have it running at higher speed and working harder. Might also save some in the fuel use area too.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

JC_Lately_SleepyC_Flat_Blue_055.highlight.jpg
 
Our 1991 22 Cruiser started out with a 2-stroke 70 hp Yamaha. Fine when the boat was not heavily loaded. But as we worked our way up to longer cruises and more fishing in BC and parts north, we loaded her heavier, and the 70 was clearly inadequate, especially with full fuel and water. We repowered with a 90 and it was just the ticket.
 
I have twin 45s. So far, they always have enough to get up and go even with a terribly heavy boat loaded for extended cruising away from the dock. I can't imagine not having at least around 90-100 hp in these boats for actual usage. With that said though, some people have run 70s and been satisfied. It probably depends a lot on what you are going to do with the boat.
 
I guess other things to consider would be if you ever decide to take the boat to a higher elevation. You could have just 50-60 hp available to you. Another thing to consider would be if you decide to sale the boat you might have less takers. My 22 has a 115 on it but mine is at altitude all of the time.
 
Boats, like people, gain weight with age.

To compensate, get the larger motor staying within the maximum
Mfg suggested horsepower to avoid insurance hassels like denial
of initial coverage or a claim should you have one.

Aye.
 
My suggestion would also be the 90. My first 22 did really well with a 70 but it was a 2-stroke and thusly much lighter. Now with the 4-strokes boaters also need to push the weight of the motors themselves. Sounds like the 70 and 90 are the same engine but the 90 adds some top end power. 90 will also be easier to sell should you choose to do so in the future. Best, Mike.
 
Well, I kinda had a feeling most everyone was going to say go with the 90. After taking into consideration everything mentioned, I decided to go with the 90. The deciding factor, (which was mentioned) is there is always going to be those 2 or 3 times a year where I will have to return over a rough bar unexpectedly, and in those moments I will be very glad I have a little extra power for dancing and juking over, through, and around the nasty swells of the mighty Tillamook Bay.

As far as Yamaha vs. Honda vs. Mercury vs. Suzuki, I have researched for months and punched all the numbers. My conclusion is in the 70-90 class, Suzuki is the best package for the money at the moment.

Thanks again everyone.
 
This comment is a little late in the game. That said, my comment is that the 70A and 90A are the same motor. Weight is the same (341 lbs), displacement is the same (91 in^3,) configuration is the same. You're paying the extra money for bigger throttle bodies and cams. That's the usual way of pricing outboards, not the motors real cost but pricing horsepower.

That said, I don't know of anybody ever complaining of too much horsepower, all else being the same. Go for the 90.

When we bought Journey On, the factory recommended the 135, I got the 150. I think the majority went the same way. Never been sorry.

Boris
 
I have a 22 with the 90 Suzuki and with the two of us not too dainty people on board usually for two weeks or more we are usually heavily loaded. Two Bears sits well below the painted on water line. I don't get the speed performance at rpm suggested in places I've looked, but when I run the boat & trailer across a scale I'm always heavier than the charts/ books / forums suggest.

I think you'd be sorry if you go the smaller motor. I also have noted that some are suggesting a 115 for the 22. If I were starting from scratch that is what I'd do.

Chuck
 
journey on":sa5jkgjq said:
SNIP

That said, I don't know of anybody ever complaining of too much horsepower, all else being the same. Go for the 90.

SNIP
Boris
Click to expand...

Agreed!

For a given load and "all else being the same", the larger motor doesn't work as hard.
That could be savings in fuel, maintenance, repairs - and more ponies when
you need or want.

Aye.
 
When I bought my boat, the dealer recommended a single 50 HP Honda. After testing the boat with a single 50, I knew it was under powered for my needs. I think they may have done this to keep the package price down for the boat shows. They offered an upgrade to the 90 HP, which included a 150 ft. chain anchor line instead of rope to balance the additional weight of the larger engine on the stern. I opted on the 90 and am very glad that I did. There have been times when the additional HP has been needed in fast currents and heavy seas. A little price to pay for the added safety.
 
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