Repowering a 22 classic

C

Catch 22

New member
So I am just about to repower the Catch 22. I am buying a new motor and would like peoples input. I spend 95% of my time fishing/ cruising in Puget Sound. I do not care about top speed at all. All I care about is fuel economy and reliability. If you feel like taking the time, I would appreciate your input on the following. Let me know what you have and how it did for you. Obviously 22 footers would be most interesting to hear from, but all are welcome. THANKS!

Motor Make/ Model/ year:
Where did you buy it (if in the Puget sound area):
Customer service rating (1-10):
Cost new (if you wish to disclose):$
Fuel economy:
Reliability of motor (1-10):
Features you particularly like/ dislike:
Any other comments:
 
I have twin 35's on mine and thought if one of them ever failed I would look hard at the Yamaha 70. Would like to see how it does on economy.
 
I just repowered our 19ft with a new Evinrude Etec 90. It replaced a Yamaha 60 four stroke. We couldn't be happier. Call Scott at Kitsap Marine, he'll fix you up. Great people to deal with.
 
our boat came with a 90hp merc, 2005 I believe. I can't tell you the price new, but my mpg seems to stay over 4.

so far I would say its the most reliable motor I've had on a boat. I tend to cruise around 16-19mph and have topped out around 25 with one or two people on the boat with me on smooth waters.
 
Red Fox re-powered his 22 Classic with the Yamaha 70hp. He had a 115 Yamaha before. His objective was economy. He might have some photos or a writeup here.

For fishing (trolling) the Evinrude ETEC should get very good gas mileage. The ETEC motors also have a much reduced maintenance schedule and very easy winterizing, which can be done by the owner at any time. A winterized ETEC can be taken out midwinter on a nice day, used on the water, and then re-winterized at home by the owner.

Disclaimer, I don't own one.
 
Our twin 40hp Yamaha motors gives us about 4.5 mpg and plenty of speed to be comfortable... The key to these motors is they need regular use, I don't run mine often enough so I have had problems with the carburetors varnishing up... mine are 2003 models, newer models are all fuel injected and do not have the problems I have had.
Joel
 
Motor Make/ Model/ year: 2006 Suzuki DF150
Where did you buy it (if in the Puget sound area): Came w/ the boat
Customer service rating (1-10): Performance Marine is good
Cost new (if you wish to disclose):$Don' know; see above
Fuel economy: Don't know. No fuel flow meter
Reliability of motor (1-10): 9
Features you particularly like/ dislike: The thing is so quiet at idle, sometimes I don't even realize it's running. Compared to same hp Honda, the engine is smaller. I can do my own basic maintenance quite simply.
 
we put a 90 etech on our 22 right after we got it. it replaced a honda 90. we went with etech as I got a really good deal on it not from a dealer. i love the motor one down side is buying evenrude etech oil for it. other than that it has been a solid motor with no issues the last 3 years or so.

If it was me I would look at all the yami, honda, evenrude,suzuk ect and try and get the best deal. There are at times good deals to be had on used motors as well. at least thats what we did.
 
If I was purchasing new:
1. Honda 90 EFI for the 22
a. Factory 5yr warrantee best in class
b. Reliability best in class
c. Re-sale value best in class this offsets the additional cost when you sell it used later on

Chatting at the launch ramp or while guest berthing different marinas over the last 28yrs or so, people always drool over the Honda and complain about the $$$, some people who tried to save the $$ with different manufactures always wish they had Hondas.

My last 3 boats have been powered by Honda's 75, 90 or 150 HP, they WORK and they WORK WELL....
 
When I had my 1983 Classic I repowered it from 115 hp Johnson to a 90 hp Honda in 1997.
Honda gave 3 times better fuel mileage and handled the boat better.
My son has the boat now with the 97 Honda still purring away.
He runs all over Prince William Sound in Alaska with it.
 
The 90 Honda is a nice fit for the boat. When lightly loaded for daytrips I will get 5.5mpg cruising in fair seas at 14mph or so and running 3600 RPMs. Economy goes down from there as you add people and gear or try to go fast. I don't think I have seen much less than 3.75mpg in any usage though. Mine is a 1997 model with 1350hours and has been v. reliable (knock knock). I think a lower unit failure was the only major issue it's seen (knock again).

I know the boat was typically sold with a 70HP 2-stroke back in the day but unless you truly don't care about speed at all (like you're willing to go 8-10 when you could be going 13-16) and/or your usage is always lightly loaded I would be hesitant to go that low. Having run some bigger boats that were underpowered I much prefer having a little in reserve even if I rarely use it and especially if I can still get 5+mpgs.

I would be curious to hear more numbers from those with twin 40s or perhaps someone with a Yamaha 80 or 100. I don't know much about them but I've always thought the 90 Etec may be an ideal match for weight and power/efficiency. Perhaps the Tohatsu 90 TLDI as well.
 
I have twin honda 45s on mine and I would agree that 90 hp is a good fit for the 22. I can honestly say I have never felt like I needed more power - ever. My hondas are pushing 2000 hours and they are still dependable. In fact, other than normal upkeep that I do myself: valves, belts, filters, plugs, oil and filter, impellor, and whatever else), the last time the boat was in the shop was to get a window fixed. And that was 10 years ago. I'd say they are pretty good....But I really think the others are good too. I would say if you want a good motor, you need to be a good owner.
 
I like seeing the hours on some of these motors and hope mine makes it as long as well. we have around 320 hours on ours so it had been used very little before we came to own it. on our boat traveling back and forth across the straights in good conditions lightly loaded for a weekend with the family (wife and 2 small kids) we get just barley above 5mpg. And in bad conditions as low as mid 3's..

Sure beats my buddies sea sport at about 1.5-2 in almost all conditions
 
T.R. Bauer":2z3qo8t8 said:
It's really funny to hear people talking about how good 5 mpg is......and they probably drive a Prius....LOL....Sometimes you guys kill me :)
Click to expand...

when I opted for the C-Dory, the SeaRay I was looking at got less than 1mpg. we take a lot of 40, 60, and even 100mile weekend cruises. a 60 mile trip in the c-dory, probably 13 gallons of gas. in the Sea Ray, close to 67. that's a big difference when you take the boat out nearly ever weekend for the 6 months of boating season. even on saturday fishing trips I figure the C-Dory cost about $70 less per day to operate. with 27 days on the water last year, that pays for all of my motor and trailer maintenance this year and then some.
 
If I was repowering new, I would certainly check out the new fuel injected Yamaha 50s (I'm a twins guy). I have read that PNW south of the border prefer Hondas, north of the border, Yamaha is a biggy. So where your maint and repair shops are located would also be a factor.

Martin.
 
I appreciate all the input. Right now I am split between a 90 honda or 90 yamaha. May come down to price and trustworthyness of the dealer, as both motors seem to do so well.

Anyone know off hand the wieght difference?
 
Kevin, I'm glad to hear you're getting a new outboard. We love our fuel injected Suzuki DF90. But if you're concerned about weight, I would think about the DF70. We had a brand new 70 when we first bought our boat and it worked great but I wanted a little more HP.

But you know 70 HP was the power supplied with the classics and I think the Suzi DF70 would work out great on your boat! Just my biased opinion. :wink
 
Hey Kevin,

You probably already made up your mind but I started thinking about the weights of the various 90hp outboard motors and was surprised by what I found.

Etec 320 lb (this was expected from a 2-stroke)
Suzuki 341 lb (surprising)
Honda 359 lb
Yamaha 366 lb (surprising)

As Artie Johnson used to say on Laugh-In, "very interesting".

Peter
 
If I ever repower I would go with the Yam F90 , second choice Suzuki.DF 90. Both are very reliable and look great to.
 
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