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Author Topic:   15 foot Sport with new power

Roarque posted 06-05-2002 04:15 PM ET (US)
Just picked up my (1976) Sport 15 with a new 60 HP Suzuki 4 stroke. Traded in the Merc 65 last month. Had to put it in the water even though it still has ice cubes floating near the dock. Dead calm with a slight drizzle. Started it. No choke (fuel injection). No pumping the fuel bulb ( I forgot, OK. Listened carefully. Yes it appeared to be running. Very very quietly. Let it warm up on the mooring and then took it out of the marina and into the open water of Lake Joseph. Made sure the trim was down but not all the way and feathered it up to a plane. A nice purr in my ear and quick to respond. About 25 mph. What the heck, its Monday, no one else within 1000 yards, I floored it. The Whaler jumped like a trout and headed towards the horizon like I did when I was putting up the eavestrough in 1977 and interrupted a wasp nest. I checked the speedo and it registered 42 mph. Fast enough for my ticker. Eased it off to 32 and tried to wipe the smile off my craggy face. Wow.
whalernut posted 06-05-2002 04:50 PM ET (US)
Great to hear the good news!! I believe that those Suzukis are getting very high marks from the forum users, that may just be the best 4-stroker out there??? The only bad thing is the lack of dealers, I know you say just buy the Evenrude model, well here is the catch 22-the Evinrude models don`t have the great warranty that the Suzukis have, but they are the same engine. Jack.
ShrimpBurrito posted 06-05-2002 06:31 PM ET (US)
Roarque -
One of my primary reasons for getting a 4-stroke would be noise reduction. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the 2-stroke, how does the noise level compare?
Roarque posted 06-05-2002 09:53 PM ET (US)
Noise reduction is excellent. At idle, you hear nothing and at 4000 rpm you can carry on a conversation with the person sitting beside you without raising your voice. The overall impression is the the engine is very smooth, and very quiet.
The Suzuki came with a 2 year warranty and was priced $750 US less than the Johnson that I used for shopping purposes. I believe the Johnson to be a twin with white paint.
Bigshot posted 06-06-2002 02:52 PM ET (US)
How does she sit with 340lbs on her tail? my bud has a 15' Palm Beach which is the biggest hunk of crap ever molded into a permanent form. He wants me to find him a 15' Whaler and drop his 2000 60hp Zuki on it with a jack plate. Glad to hear it works well.
On the flipside, did you know you have to break-in an engine before you run it like that? Did you also know that if you did not follow(to the book)the break-in guidelines, the computer records everything that engine does(forever) and you probably just voided your warranty.
Lastly, Johnson is the white twin, Evinrude was the blue twin until this year.
Roarque posted 06-07-2002 12:43 PM ET (US)
Big Shot: The physical size of the Suzi 60 versus the Merc 65 ( circa 1978 ) took a while to get used to, but in the water she sits just fine and the two pieces look like they were made for each other.
The warranty issue is a good point. The marina that installed the 60 told me that they took it out for a spin right after they finished and THEY told me that the top speed was 46 mph. They are a certified dealer and I'm sure the chip recorded that effort as well as mine. But your e-mail will remind me of the conversation that I had with the mechanic at the marina.
Thanks
Greg
masbama posted 06-07-2002 12:49 PM ET (US)
Don't these engines weigh 359 lbs out of the box? That is what the 2002 Johnson brochure states and if it and the Suzi are the same.......
NEVER SCARED posted 06-07-2002 12:50 PM ET (US)
The guy who installed the engine should know better, but hearing this doesnt surprise me. I've been in a lot of boat yards where the prefered tool was a hammer! Ask him if it was a 10 hour spin before wot!
Bigshot posted 06-07-2002 01:09 PM ET (US)
I think Johnson adds the prop. Suzi claims 338lbs. I would talk to that dealer and ask WTF they had my boat WOT when it should be idled for the first hour, then under 3500 rpms for the next 5 or whatever it is.
jameso posted 06-07-2002 01:22 PM ET (US)
How did the ice get in the water?
jimh posted 06-07-2002 01:36 PM ET (US)
The comments about engine break-in procedures remind me of a story. It is a little off topic, but indulge me.
Back in 1973 I bought a FORD Pinto right off the dealer floor for $1900. At the time I was living in Connecticut, but I bought the car while visiting in Michigan because the prices were much lower in the Detroit car market than on the east coast.
I got in the car and drove it back to Connecticut. I followed the owner's manual recommendations, keeping the car below a certain speed for the first so many miles, varying the speed, etc. By the time I got back to Connecticut, I was over the break in, about 800 miles total.
The PINTO had a 4-cylinder engine which I believe was from Ford's English subsidiary. Needless to say, this engine and car were not known for their longevity or great performance. After the limited warranty period ran out, I removed all the emission control plumbing on the engine, and began experimenting with the ignition timing. The engine was a marvel of simplicity and was an excellent way for me to learn the rudiments of engine mechanics, tuning, repair, etc.
Like many things British, the electricals were a mess. The engine would consume ignition breaker points in a few months. I got so adept at replacing the points, setting the gap, and adjusting the dwell timing that I could do it in 20 minutes. I changed the plugs frequently. The automatic choke was yanked and replaced by a simple manual choke. For a car in the early 1970's when most were running horribly under the effects of crude anti-pollution controls, that little PINTO was a smooth running machine.
I never had one problem with the engine. It never leaked oil and it ran beautifully, although I do recall the rubber timing belt broke one night and left me stranded at about 75,000 miles. Once that was replaced the thing ran fine again for another 25,000 miles.
While it is nothing now for a car to go 100,000 miles, in those days, and particularly with a cheapo car like a PINTO, it was not unusual for the engine to die at 35,000 miles or less, i.e., about 5,000 miles out of warranty.
I attribute the unusual break in procedure (running continuously for 800 miles) as part of the success in getting so many miles out of that crude little 4-banger from Britain.
Well, just a story, but tangential to our discussion of how to break in your new outboard.
--jimh
Bigshot posted 06-07-2002 02:16 PM ET (US)
So what you are saying is the next boat I buy should be in Maryland and drive it home:)
Jay A posted 06-08-2002 09:53 PM ET (US)
I've got a Suzuki 200hp on my "big" boat. I had in the past an Evinrude and Merc. So far into the second season this Suziki is head and shoulders better than the other two! In a few years I'd like to trade it in for a 4 stroke of similar HP. What I really like is the oil injection,a 1 gallon tank inside the motor-no pumps, less mech. that can go wrong.
jimh posted 06-09-2002 12:51 AM ET (US)
Most anybody's 2002 outboard beats a 1980's outboard. Better to compare new-to-new to see how they stack up.
For a season or two, Suzuki had the market for 4-stroke EFI in mid-range. Now Mercury has similar products, Yamaha probably will by next year (they're still carbureted).
Highwater posted 06-09-2002 11:34 AM ET (US)
Am I correct in my understanding that the Mercury 4-stroke 60 hp engine weighs 100 pounds less than the Suzuki and Johnson engines?

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Author	Topic: 15 foot Sport with new power
Roarque	posted 06-05-2002 04:15 PM ET (US) Just picked up my (1976) Sport 15 with a new 60 HP Suzuki 4 stroke. Traded in the Merc 65 last month. Had to put it in the water even though it still has ice cubes floating near the dock. Dead calm with a slight drizzle. Started it. No choke (fuel injection). No pumping the fuel bulb ( I forgot, OK. Listened carefully. Yes it appeared to be running. Very very quietly. Let it warm up on the mooring and then took it out of the marina and into the open water of Lake Joseph. Made sure the trim was down but not all the way and feathered it up to a plane. A nice purr in my ear and quick to respond. About 25 mph. What the heck, its Monday, no one else within 1000 yards, I floored it. The Whaler jumped like a trout and headed towards the horizon like I did when I was putting up the eavestrough in 1977 and interrupted a wasp nest. I checked the speedo and it registered 42 mph. Fast enough for my ticker. Eased it off to 32 and tried to wipe the smile off my craggy face. Wow.
whalernut	posted 06-05-2002 04:50 PM ET (US) Great to hear the good news!! I believe that those Suzukis are getting very high marks from the forum users, that may just be the best 4-stroker out there??? The only bad thing is the lack of dealers, I know you say just buy the Evenrude model, well here is the catch 22-the Evinrude models don`t have the great warranty that the Suzukis have, but they are the same engine. Jack.
ShrimpBurrito	posted 06-05-2002 06:31 PM ET (US) Roarque - One of my primary reasons for getting a 4-stroke would be noise reduction. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the 2-stroke, how does the noise level compare?
Roarque	posted 06-05-2002 09:53 PM ET (US) Noise reduction is excellent. At idle, you hear nothing and at 4000 rpm you can carry on a conversation with the person sitting beside you without raising your voice. The overall impression is the the engine is very smooth, and very quiet. The Suzuki came with a 2 year warranty and was priced $750 US less than the Johnson that I used for shopping purposes. I believe the Johnson to be a twin with white paint.
Bigshot	posted 06-06-2002 02:52 PM ET (US) How does she sit with 340lbs on her tail? my bud has a 15' Palm Beach which is the biggest hunk of crap ever molded into a permanent form. He wants me to find him a 15' Whaler and drop his 2000 60hp Zuki on it with a jack plate. Glad to hear it works well. On the flipside, did you know you have to break-in an engine before you run it like that? Did you also know that if you did not follow(to the book)the break-in guidelines, the computer records everything that engine does(forever) and you probably just voided your warranty. Lastly, Johnson is the white twin, Evinrude was the blue twin until this year.
Roarque	posted 06-07-2002 12:43 PM ET (US) Big Shot: The physical size of the Suzi 60 versus the Merc 65 ( circa 1978 ) took a while to get used to, but in the water she sits just fine and the two pieces look like they were made for each other. The warranty issue is a good point. The marina that installed the 60 told me that they took it out for a spin right after they finished and THEY told me that the top speed was 46 mph. They are a certified dealer and I'm sure the chip recorded that effort as well as mine. But your e-mail will remind me of the conversation that I had with the mechanic at the marina. Thanks Greg
masbama	posted 06-07-2002 12:49 PM ET (US) Don't these engines weigh 359 lbs out of the box? That is what the 2002 Johnson brochure states and if it and the Suzi are the same.......
NEVER SCARED	posted 06-07-2002 12:50 PM ET (US) The guy who installed the engine should know better, but hearing this doesnt surprise me. I've been in a lot of boat yards where the prefered tool was a hammer! Ask him if it was a 10 hour spin before wot!
Bigshot	posted 06-07-2002 01:09 PM ET (US) I think Johnson adds the prop. Suzi claims 338lbs. I would talk to that dealer and ask WTF they had my boat WOT when it should be idled for the first hour, then under 3500 rpms for the next 5 or whatever it is.
jameso	posted 06-07-2002 01:22 PM ET (US) How did the ice get in the water?
jimh	posted 06-07-2002 01:36 PM ET (US) The comments about engine break-in procedures remind me of a story. It is a little off topic, but indulge me. Back in 1973 I bought a FORD Pinto right off the dealer floor for $1900. At the time I was living in Connecticut, but I bought the car while visiting in Michigan because the prices were much lower in the Detroit car market than on the east coast. I got in the car and drove it back to Connecticut. I followed the owner's manual recommendations, keeping the car below a certain speed for the first so many miles, varying the speed, etc. By the time I got back to Connecticut, I was over the break in, about 800 miles total. The PINTO had a 4-cylinder engine which I believe was from Ford's English subsidiary. Needless to say, this engine and car were not known for their longevity or great performance. After the limited warranty period ran out, I removed all the emission control plumbing on the engine, and began experimenting with the ignition timing. The engine was a marvel of simplicity and was an excellent way for me to learn the rudiments of engine mechanics, tuning, repair, etc. Like many things British, the electricals were a mess. The engine would consume ignition breaker points in a few months. I got so adept at replacing the points, setting the gap, and adjusting the dwell timing that I could do it in 20 minutes. I changed the plugs frequently. The automatic choke was yanked and replaced by a simple manual choke. For a car in the early 1970's when most were running horribly under the effects of crude anti-pollution controls, that little PINTO was a smooth running machine. I never had one problem with the engine. It never leaked oil and it ran beautifully, although I do recall the rubber timing belt broke one night and left me stranded at about 75,000 miles. Once that was replaced the thing ran fine again for another 25,000 miles. While it is nothing now for a car to go 100,000 miles, in those days, and particularly with a cheapo car like a PINTO, it was not unusual for the engine to die at 35,000 miles or less, i.e., about 5,000 miles out of warranty. I attribute the unusual break in procedure (running continuously for 800 miles) as part of the success in getting so many miles out of that crude little 4-banger from Britain. Well, just a story, but tangential to our discussion of how to break in your new outboard. --jimh
Bigshot	posted 06-07-2002 02:16 PM ET (US) So what you are saying is the next boat I buy should be in Maryland and drive it home:)
Jay A	posted 06-08-2002 09:53 PM ET (US) I've got a Suzuki 200hp on my "big" boat. I had in the past an Evinrude and Merc. So far into the second season this Suziki is head and shoulders better than the other two! In a few years I'd like to trade it in for a 4 stroke of similar HP. What I really like is the oil injection,a 1 gallon tank inside the motor-no pumps, less mech. that can go wrong.
jimh	posted 06-09-2002 12:51 AM ET (US) Most anybody's 2002 outboard beats a 1980's outboard. Better to compare new-to-new to see how they stack up. For a season or two, Suzuki had the market for 4-stroke EFI in mid-range. Now Mercury has similar products, Yamaha probably will by next year (they're still carbureted).
Highwater	posted 06-09-2002 11:34 AM ET (US) Am I correct in my understanding that the Mercury 4-stroke 60 hp engine weighs 100 pounds less than the Suzuki and Johnson engines?