posted 06-13-2006 05:26 PM ET (US)        

I grew up on a 22 outrage whaler drive with twin 200s and I think it would be very cool to have twin 40s(dare I say 50's) on a montauk. Mine has a 1983 75 horse on it that, while low hours, is only so far from the grave. Hopefully I can milk it along for a few more years, but repowering is definitely in my future.

posted 06-13-2006 06:06 PM ET (US)            

From watching I got the impression that they were stern heavy, slow for 100hp and handled like barges. Made me glad I had a single OMC 70 on my Sakonnet.

posted 06-13-2006 06:25 PM ET (US)            

I believe it represents the extreme of the 17’ boat operators and am not certain that it gains you any range.

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/006741.html

In the following report, it is suggested that the rigging may be problematic because of the size of the boat. One would suggest that if you decide to do it, you should be very careful and thoughtful in how you lay out the rigging to make it “look right.”

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000040.html

Here is one that was for sale (and recently!)

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/011277.html

I believe the fact that a few brave souls have done it is testament to it’s feasibility; however, as far as advisability, I’m not so sure.

This hull was not designed to accommodate twin motors. Where I to attempt to add a second main motor to the hull, I would first investigate my options for strengthening/reinforcing the hull to accommodate the weight and stress of the motors being mounted to an area of the hull not designed for that kind of load. Load distribution bars or a hefty aluminum or stainless steel plate would do the trick, but would have to be customized to look attractive.

Your batteries would need to be moved to the console, and it would be a very tight fit in that rather small rigging tunnel for all of your rigging (You may NOT be able to move the batteries to the console for this reason!). Remember - you will have two hydraulic lines, four battery cables (2 positive, 2 negative), a SONAR transducer line, your fuel hose and perhaps a VHF antenna (RG-8X? – assuming you want an 8’ Antenna mounted to the rear rail for offshore range) in that tunnel…and that does not include a fuel-flow meter wiring, etc.

All of these mods are major projects…and then you will have to patch the old holes from the original motor.

If you truly, genuinely feel safer when offshore in a boat with two main engines, rather than your current boat with a new main and a kicker, you should consider upgrading to a hull that was designed to accommodate twin engines.

The smallest classic hull to have this design, I believe, is the 18’ Outrage. It is possible that I may be overlooking the older, classic 17’ Outrages (A little help here? – this is a fairly rare model).

Even with the design allowance for twin engines on the 18’ Outrage, it is fairly rare to spot one. I’ve seen two in person, and I own one of them (and converted it from a single).

There are plenty of arguments against powering with twin engines in this day of modern outboard technology. I may be a ninny, but I just felt better with two engines back there.

The versatility of the 18’ Outrage hull is one of the reasons that is so well-loved on this site. It’s big enough for twins, can challenge much of the big water that it’s larger sibling models can operate in, and yet, it can generally be stored in most larger garages at home.