Twin Suzuki 40's

J

jsimmons248

New member
I am considering buying a C-Dory 22 Cruiser with twin Suzuki 40's (4 Stroke) on her. Engine hours are about 600 to 700 I am told and have been recently serviced and run well.

Is this a good way to power the C-Dory? I see lots of them have a 70 or 90 HP with a kicker.

As far as I know Suzuki's are good engines and I am wondering how many hours, if maintained, you can expect before major engine work needs to be done?
Thanks! :D
 
There's a lot of debate on this site on the twins vs. singles with about half arguing on either side. Twin 40's or 50's are a fine way to power a 22 and a single 90 + kicker is also a fine way to power a 22. There's really no right or wrong answer in this case. I had twins on my 22 and would argue that if you do much offshore fishing, the extra safety of a twin engine setup will let you get home a bit faster if one engine fails. Others will argue that it's cheaper to service one main than two and that having the kicker out of the water when cruising protects it from getting hit and hence it's safer than twins were both engine can get taken out a once by one log. So it all depends on your perspective and your most common use but either way is fine.

There was also a recent discussion about engine life for modern 4 strokes. 2000-3000 hours for a well maintained and frequently used engine is a reasonable expectation. So 600-700 hours is only 25-33% of the expected life.
 
There are quite a few of us that have/had this setup, mine was a 2007 model and I loved the motors. Mine had about 375 hours and looked and ran as new. I did service them one a year. power wise no issues, it did make the stern a little on the heavier side, but trim tabs and weight balance take care of that problem. It would be the same issue if you had a big cooler filled with ice.
 
Twins aren't necessarily heaver than a main and kicker.
More important is whether you have a good primary fuel filter system what with today's corrupt gasoline. BTW they are easy to add to the inside of the transom between the fuel tanks.
 
I had a 40 HP 2006 Suzuki for four years with over 300 hours. Other than an initial wiring harness issue, the engine ran trouble free. The only issue was that I had to normally run the engine at 5,000 to 5,400 rpm to go 20 knots. The engine was so loud, I needed to use earplugs. It probably would not be a huge problem if people are riding in the cabin, but in the cockpit, I feel sorry for any passengers when you are running at a high speed. On the other hand, the engine was remarkably quiet at 2,000 rpm. So they are great for moving at hull speed. Finally, Suzuki 40's weigh more than other comparible engines becuase they use a timing chain, instead of a belt, and utilize a hydraulic chain tightening mechanism. Multiply this difference by a factor of two, and if you add a kicker -- that's more weight on your stern then with a similar configuration with Honda's or Yamaha's. Personally, despite what I stated, I loved the engine. At my marina, they used a 70 HP Suzuki for their shuttle, and had over 8,000 hours on her! The marina owner told me that all they ever did was basic maintenance and they had to change a starter once. What better endorsement could there be then that? Incidently, the 40 HP is EFI. I never ran into ethanol related issues. People with carbureted engines infrequently used had numerous issues at my marina. So whatever choice you make, whether it is a twin or single set-up, I recommend going with a choice that has electronic fuel injection. Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha -- they are all good engines. Stay away from carbureted engines, particularly in warm climates, unless you have a source for non-ethanol fuel, but that's my opinion.

Rich
 
Twins :!: :!:

I would go with it. BUT that is just me. BUT there are reasons.

Just look up "twins AND (almost anything here)" in the search system on this site. Enough there for a weeks worth of reading. And enjoy.

Your welcome :wink:

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

JC_Lately_SleepyC_Flat_Blue_055.highlight.jpg
 
Back
Top