Twin 350 yamahas would be my choice. The new 350's are good motors


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I have been wanting an offshore boat for some time, preferably a contender. Well after some time looking I found a 2005 contender 36' open with no engines. I talked to the dealer selling it and he gave me 4 motor options.

Option 1:
Triple 2006 verado 275s with 400 hours (about 30k less than the other 3 options. I'm not really a fan of verados.)

Option 2:
Brand new triple Suzuki 300's

Option 3:
Brand new twin Yamaha 350's

Option 4:
Brand new twin Yamaha 300's

Options 2-4 are all the same price.

I know the 36' contender is a big boat, but I've seen them with twin 350's and they didn't have a problem with performance and economy. The boat previously had triple 250 Yamaha four strokes that were taken off.

I'm wondering for the same price as twins is it worth getting triple Suzukis vs Yamahas? What kind of mileage can I expect loaded? She does have the fuel option so she holds 600 gallons.

Thanks for any input.

The 2006 Verados are Gen 1s, I'd pass & I have triple Verados on my boat

If it were my boat, I'd find a low hour set of Gen II Triple 300 Verados or a Twin set of F350s on TheHullTruth, or even Ebay. You can find some very reasonable pricing too.

Expect 1.0 mpg pretty much everywhere (hence 600 gal of fuel) The 36 wasn't the best design for efficiency, but its a tank & a beast in a head sea (get some curtains though)

 

My thought are the twin 300s are a way more efficient motor then the twin 350s. I know the 300s weight 200lbs less a piece. Just not sure if it's enough power?

 

My first choice would be Twin Merc 350 V-rods
Second choice trip 300 Zukes

Twin Yamaha 300s not enough power and the Yamaha 350s are having problems

 

twins over trips for me.... and i agree with J.R. id go twin verado 350's ,..... but seeing as thats not in your option.. id consider yam 350. not sure what the issues are jolly was mentioning - im not running yamaha's so i dont keep up. or if money is no issue go trip verado 250-300 like sureshot

 

If money is no issue go with twin 7 marine engines! Otherwise I'm a BIG zuke fan.

 

Those 275 Verados weren't the best motors put out by Mercury. I would try to find used Trip 300 Verados or go twin Yamaha 350s. The older Yamaha 350s had issues but I believe the new ones are running great. Gotta do your own research.

 

There is some extensive info on the hull truth about the newer Yamaha 350's posted by Freeman Boatworks..... Supposedly all fixed now


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

If you go twins Yamaha 350s or twin 350 Verados. The new yamaha 350s are supposed to be corrected and now be good motors. I believe Mercury now offers up too 8 years of warranty. I'm sure it'll cost some money for the extra protection but I'd definitely try fit it in my budget if I went Verado. That's a big boat I'd also look at torque numbers, prop options etc. Captain Eddie burger runs a 36 Comtender with twin Yamaha 350s out of Venice. Might be worth your while to reach out to him.

 

Captain Eddie burger runs a 36 Comtender with twin Yamaha 350s out of Venice. Might be worth your while to reach out to him.

fished with Capt Eddie couple years ago, he had 4000+ hours on a set of twin Yamaha F350s at the time. They are the absolute minimal power I would want on a 36 contender. If Yamaha has came out with a better system for the fly wheels then that is great.

. or if money is no issue go trip verado 250-300 like sureshot

I got to fish with Sureshot couple weekends ago out of Venice, those trip V-rod 300s on the Fountain are sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet !!!!!!!!!!!

 

yea but mercurys 350s I think are still 200#s a motor lighter than the yamaha 350s

 

A couple of observations and comments...

First, talk to "Joe S" here on 2cool about twin F-300s on a 36 Contender - he actually has that configuration. I think you may be a little underpowered but he can give you real world numbers.

Second, I don't know how the new twin Yam 350, new triple 300 zukes, and new triple 300 yammies are the same price. You're either getting screwed on the Yam 350s and Zukes or a helluva deal on trip Yammie f300s... Last I checked, there wasn't much difference in price on the Yam 350 and f300 so that a $20k difference in my mind... but that was a couple months ago...

I also think there is an ad on boat trader for a 36 with new trips for $97k or $127k, I can't remember which...

Moving to anything other than the existing engine type is going to cost you extra in gauges, etc.

That said, for offshore reliability, I would go with Yamaha all the way (and yes, I've owned both! Both were good to me but Yamaha reliability and warranty has been exceptional to us). Good luck!!!

 

Stay away from Gen 1 Verados. The boat is underpowered with 600hp, think about losing a motor and returning on one, now does a triple set up make any sense? You aren't going to plane on one motor with that hull, you'll be wishin you bought triples, and if you can afford them new Yamaha F300's is ideal. You can plane on two, w/23p props. You will get 1.2-1.4 avg loaded at 40mph, which ain't too shabby in a 36! Best of luck and let us know what you pull the trigger on.

 

I am with airkeith right here. I would not put twins on any boat this heavy. It doesn't matter what brand you buy you WILL have trouble at some point and its nice to know you have 2 motors left to get you home from out there even if you have to take a spare set of props and take a few minutes to swap them out.

 

Either trips options sound like the ticket to me. Im partial to suzuki but the yamahas are good motors too

 

Didn't initially notice the Suzuki option was for trips , if you plan on making those 100-120 mile runs that's the way I'd be leaning. Not exactly what you asked but honestly that's a lot of money(imho) to sink into a 36 contender. Not matter what you decide it should be fun watching it all come together, getting it propped right etc

 

I'd go with trip Yamaha 300s or zuke 300s.
I wouldn't put twins on that boat unless it were those 557s.
I like my trips...couldn't do twins..motors that is

 

I think I saw a 36 online that sounded an awfully lot like the one you describe. I believe they had one 36 that was listed as sold but had another on the way. It came with trip 250 Yamahas that the dealer sold, but the hull was offered with the repower options you described or something similar. Not that it matters, but I would love to find the right deal on a 36 Contender or Invincible. Glad you found one. I wish I had the means for a boat like that at 28, but it's also fun to live vicariously, so let us know how this story ends.

 

Well said sir. I am pretty you saw the same boat that I had found in Florida. But hey, being sort of single with no wife or kids... minus well do it now and not later, ha.

This story may not end till next year, we will see.

Thanks everyone for all the inputs. It is so funny how different the replies are on here vs the hull truth, lol.

 

I have owned that boat with the 600 gallon option. It is an awesome setup if you want to stay out a couple of nights. Fuel burn changes significantly with full tanks. Think trips is the way to go. 4000 pounds of fuel is a lot to push.

 

Tom Weber is correct - you don't want to burn gas to haul gas and 4000 lbs is a lot of weight to ANY outboard .....Contenders are built to be fast and efficient, but I certainly would not cross off buying the boat because of the issue.
The same with my boat but it is built to haul a lot of weight. (certainly not as fast) The point is that it's good policy to keep the tanks full.
If you choose to keep the tanks half full, condensation and other problems with the fuel are more likely to occur. Be aware of it and deal with it by knowing what kind of gas you buy (ethanol) and use conditioners. I know a guy who has his fuel and engine oil tested every 6 months as well as multi-stage filters. It doesn't matter how many engines on the boat if you have bad fuel.

 

Twin 350 yammies!
Let those big boys run you around at 45 mph without sweating!

 

if you have time to look around you should take a look at the 33T model its faster, drier and a whole lot easier to tow...

we have had ours since 2008 with almost 2500hrs of very reliable service from the 300 Verados,

we can run 45 on two engines if needed..

 

if you have time to look around you should take a look at the 33T model its faster, drier and a whole lot easier to tow...

we have had ours since 2008 with almost 2500hrs of very reliable service from the 300 Verados,

we can run 45 on two engines if needed..

Kevin, we think alike! I'd rather have the 33T with the 480gal fuel option for all those reasons. Thanks for the inputs, just finding a nice one is the hard part!

 

May be putting this on on the market in the fall.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

Out of those options, I'd go with the new trip Zuke 300's. 600g. That's bad ***. You'll never have to worry about fuel, bladders or drums. Good luck!!!

 

I have a 36' contender. Get trips!!!!! If you have any kind of engine issues it will take you 4 days to get back with 1 engine. I had 1 engine go down because of a head gasket last year(water in oil) and we were able to still troll and fish. We came home pretty heavy running 24knots.