New boat: One outboard or two

[finding_time]

a 60hp modern outboard has a service cost of about $500 every hundred hours why would you have two!.

Sorry this dosn't apply to the cat owners

[magicpudding]

People are talking about the extra cost of servicing, but have you thought how much it would cost (in donations ) to get towed back to shore from some of the places you fish? Only a handful of boats that fish heavy tackle in SEQ have a single donk. The only boat which has been towed in from the shelf lately was one of them. Go figure.

CJ

[billfisher]

Finding time,

Bad fuel not likely to cause a break down if you have water separating filters installed and drain them frequently.
Also a smaller auxillary does not cost much to buy or maintain.

[NQCairns]

I think all this modern motors are more reliable stuff is marketing, I have never owned an unreliable engine and neither has anyone I have known that was not the owners fault anyway or the mechanics for not being able to fix it first time.
If anyone would like to see a typical unreliable old engine I have one down stairs 1971 vintage V4 still in good working order (few electrical parts replacements about one bit every 10 years and one gearbox fix), should easily do another 500hours before the wrist pins need repacing, it's probably done over a thousand or two so far, I am sure 20 years ago the last owner was being told to buy a more modern relable engine.

With good fuel,spark,oil, propping and a warmup before engaging gear an typical engine should see on average 5+ years between breakdowns that were unavoidable. I suspect todays engine will prove to be less reliable over the next 20 years than the 80 models were till 2000. Actually I think they allready have shown themselves to be more unriable than any other decade of engines after 1965.
Go one engine and an auxillery. nq

[billfisher]

Nq,

You are right there. These new high tech motors perform better, but all the complex add ons do nothing to increase reliability. Also like the old motors they still rely on gaskets, seals and rubber impellars, all of which can fail with age.

[blaze]

the only time I have been stuck completely was when my brains box on my 78 model 70hp evi failed and the bloody fuel pump failed (just after a service) on my 4hp jonho aux. This all happened within 2k of the boat ramp. Nothing wrong with older motors.
To see where technology has taken us you only need to look at what vehicles are broken down on the side of the road, its the later model ones with all there fancy computers, the old buggers you could get going with a bit of foil outa ya cigi pack or a bit of tape and string
cheers
blaze

[troy]

hey sportfish now i think your suggestion of a 2 foot tassie chop being a new thread is an excellent idea .
lead the way son i will follow.
troy [smiley=cowboy.gif]

[blaze]

Hi Troy
Maaate we get real chop in tassie, not that calm water stuff of 2 foot, when we talk chop
sharp
steep
no back in it
and
unless its four foot we call it for
calmseas
LOL
cheers
blaze

[basserman]

blaze mate you also forgot to mention that the chop down there is litted with iceburgs

[blaze]

has been lately basserman, have to go out to the boat ever day with da ice pick to clean the hull down and thats on the trailer