opti , etec zuki

[ozbee]

the 300 zuk. is becoming a far better fuel miser than the collection of 250 di and fourstrokes on the market it seems in the heavier boat market in single outboard configurations .

on the last trip we had a companion 7 mtr fisher with a 225 optimax .mine is a 300 zuk on a 680 patriot . previous trip we had the same boat as mine but with a 250 fourstroke. .
on the same trip my 250 etec would use 320 litres of fuel

the 300 zuk came in at 240 litres of fuel

the opti max came in at 330 ltrs of fuel

yamaha 250 came in avg around 270 litres

there is a few things to consider and that is it was calmer when we went with the opti ..speed wise we sat on 30 knts rather than 25 knts which may of dropped it just out of there cruising range. they said at the end they preferred 25 knts whether the patriot cut the chop a little better or that's it cruise speed .

my 250 etec liked 25 knts though litres per klm didn't change much faster or slower. so i feel the opti is similar to the etec

it seems the four litre block of the 300 is carrying better than the range of 3 litr 225 /250 blocks for this range of size boat

all boats were filled up straight after the trip

[Mindi]

Yeah Suzis are good on fuel arent they...this isnt a comparison like yours but anecdotal. One day last week went out with a charter guy in a 25ft Bertram Centre Console from Noosa , filthy day, 20-25 from the south and steep swell, punched all the way to Susnshine Beach and then gave it up as a bad bet and came home ...about an hour on the water I guess but dirty conditions. The twin Suzi 175s had used 24 litres between them... errr.... thats pretty damn frugal in a 4 tonne boat. I think every charter operator at Noosa River uses Suzuki now but may not have seen them all. Maybe they like the dealer tho..?

[gofishin]

Those figures seem pretty good for the big zuke. What distance are you talking for these trips?

[chop duster]

ozbee,
doesn't your 300 have a fuel flow meter? what are the figures at what rpm's / speeds. Does your mate with the opti have smartcraft (fuel flow device) as well. I would find these figures much more useful myself. Too manyvariables to take into account with the old fill her up at the end of the day.

[bigjimg]

Ozbee If your able to i'm with Chop Duster.But otherwise fairly significant differences there.My 135 opti averages between .9 to 1.1nm per litre.Jim

[ozbee]

im still waiting for god dam lowerance to supply the gps engine management cable as im not a true believer of self measurement jobs without gps connection. the reason i can compare it is the same fishing spot and course i go on a regular basis .

i have done the plotted course dozens of times in the etec when i had the management system.

this is not about bl bla this motor is better than another but shows how little variables can change a outcome . but some patterns are emerging

5 knts difference maybe all it takes to pull down the fuel economy of the opti yet the etec speed was not much a factor in fuel rate /distance.

four strokes seem to have a bigger sweet spot than di ,outside that area its much the same

remember i am comparing different hp motors and it would be fair to say a 250 four stroke zuk would be the motor to compare against. i felt a 250 hp fourstroke would feel sluggish in holeshot compared to a di

is it smart engineering by Suzuki by gearing down and swinging a larger prop delivering a higher fuel economy at cruise though more poorly at wot i would guess. the difference is 1.5 inches per revolution compared to the etec

or is it that 250 hp maybe underpowered for this size boat though the yammy was not far behind in fuel figures.

[honda900]

Ozbee,

have you noticed a difference in performance for the etec and the 4-, ie gets on the plane quicker etc?

Regards
HOnda

[ozbee]

the holeshot difference between the 250 etec and 300 zuk is about the same.

the difference between a 250 yammy and the etec is quite large . the etec makes the yammy look still till it gets up. the yammy fuel overall rate is better.

i would guess it is the gearing down more and the hp with the zuk but interesting point is that even though the zuk is geared down more the rpm at 25 knts is the same as the etec . the extra 1.5 inches of pitch gives more speed hence lower rpm so the same outcome.

it is at this point the sweet spot emerges

the etec at 25 knts good day medium chop 1kl/lt

300 zuk is 1 to 1.4 kl /lt. remember i have to do this in overall trip till that cable turns up so some lower speeds will be in there while the top is at that speed.

this is where i get that 80 litres per trip saving though.$$$$$$$$$$$

next point does this point to 200 hp motors being squeezed to 250 with some fuel economy lost be it four or two. are 250 under cubed.

[Jabba_]

im still waiting for god dam lowerance to supply the gps engine management cable as im not a true believer of self measurement jobs without gps connection. the reason i can compare it is the same fishing spot and course i go on a regular basis .

i have done the plotted course dozens of times in the etec when i had the management system.

this is not about bl bla this motor is better than another but shows how little variables can change a outcome . but some patterns are emerging

5 knts difference maybe all it takes to pull down the fuel economy of the opti yet the etec speed was not much a factor in fuel rate /distance.

four strokes seem to have a bigger sweet spot than di ,outside that area its much the same

remember i am comparing different hp motors and it would be fair to say a 250 four stroke zuk would be the motor to compare against. i felt a 250 hp fourstroke would feel sluggish in holeshot compared to a di

is it smart engineering by Suzuki by gearing down and swinging a larger prop delivering a higher fuel economy at cruise though more poorly at wot i would guess. the difference is 1.5 inches per revolution compared to the etec

or is it that 250 hp maybe underpowered for this size boat though the yammy was not far behind in fuel figures.

Hey Ozbee,, IRC One off my first PM's to you I think I said that a Big 4st would be a better option on your rig... Looks like I was right.... Love those Suzuki's

Personly I think #1 250hp is just not enough grunt for the 680 Patriot... I also think a 300 E-tec wouldn't be any better then a 250 because it still swinging the same size diameter prop.... The Suzuki is the gun, because the diameter off the prop is providing a bigger area off thrust..

[ozbee]

yes your right there jabba just cost me a extra 20 grand to find out

nice snapper you got there you better save one for me point one up to swim this way . those bloody zuks are so quiet . i do miss that deep low noise grunt those big etecs make bit like the old v 8 days showing me age now

[Skusto]

just out of interest how would the 300 yam go against the zuke?

[chop duster]

all reports from the USA show the big yammy chewing the gas, then the suzuki and verado 300's. Not to mention the weight.
Would be good to hear from someone with first hand experience tho.

[White Pointer]

G'day,

Engines compared to engines is misleading unless the hulls and weights are very similar.

On the same score, trimming the boat can make a big difference to hull efficiency and taking load off the engine.

And finally, there is the ultimate variable - the person at the helm.

I have a Suzuki 175HP on a 6M plate boat and I love it. I have been amazed at the difference that different drivers achieve driving the boat because they don't trim it for efficiency as well as comfort. I've also had people on the boat who could do it brilliantly and who taught me. The difference is staggering and is the difference between "I will buy this" and "It's a dog".

It ain't just the engine, by a long shot.

Regards,

White Pointer

[rat_catcher]

all reports from the USA show the big yammy chewing the gas......

Yeah I have read the same thing.....seems to be a general feeling of the Yamaha F350 not being all it was cracked up to be! Whereas the Suzuki DF300 is being touted as a crackerjack engine.

Although over here they are almost NEVER fitted as singles!

[rat_catcher]

Personly I think #1 250hp is just not enough grunt for the 680 Patriot...

I totally agree...before the 250hp and 300hp engines came on the market the 680 Patriot was typically fitted with 225hp 4-strokes and there have been quite a few reports that 225hp is underpowered on this hull.

I have a Signature 702L with a Suzuki DF250 and would NOT want any less power.