1998 Outrage 20 Engine Mounting Height

Optimizing the performance of Boston Whaler boats
Blinsquirrel
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Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:09 am

1998 Outrage 20 Engine Mounting Height

Postby Blinsquirrel » Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:20 am

A new Suzuki DF200 engine is being readied for installation my 1998 Outrage 20.

Dealer wants to mount the Suzuki DF200 engine in the highest position based on his experience with these hulls.

The old Evinrude was mounted one hole [up] from the lowest position.

I had no concerns with where the Evinrude was mounted, and the boat ran great.

Give advice on the engine mounting height for the DF200 on the 1998 OUTRAGE 20.

Thanks

jimh
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Re: 1998 Outrage 20 Engine Mounting Height

Postby jimh » Thu Apr 29, 2021 10:33 am

Blinsquirrel wrote:Dealer wants to mount the Suzuki in the highest position based on his experience with these hulls.

Your description of the engine mounting height suggested by the dealer is vague. Please describe the engine mounting height the dealer suggests by citing the number of holes or units of 0.75-inch above the lowest position.

The "highest" position possible depends on how the engine mounting plate has been fabricated and the number of holes sets it has. To know what "highest" meant, readers would have to know how many holes sets there were on the particular engine.

For example, "highest" mounting could mean 3-inches up (four-holes up).

Also, how many c.1998 OUTRAGE 20 boats has the dealer re-powered?

Blinsquirrel
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Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:09 am

Re: 1998 Outrage 20 Engine Mounting Height

Postby Blinsquirrel » Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:36 pm

The [Suzuki engine] dealer wants to mount the DF200 engine in the highest position on the transom. [On the DF200 engine mounting bracket] there are four sets of holes, so "the highest position" will be three-holes-up.

The [Suzuki engine] dealer states this is how he has rigged similar hulls in the past with good results.

I use the boat from the oceans to the bays with light loads and with heavy loads.

I want the engine height set-up for best all around performance.

The recommended propeller is a Suzuki three-blade 16 x 21-pitch.

conch
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Location: Florida Keys,Hawaii,Mississippi

Re: 1998 Outrage 20 Engine Mounting Height

Postby conch » Sun May 02, 2021 9:40 am

Let the dealer have his way with you.

Q1: New engine, right?

You will try several propellers and heights until you have propeller and engine mounting height dialed in.

Q2: Does your purchase agreement give you the option of getting the setup correct?

If [the engine mounting height is judged to be too] high, lower [the engine mounting height].

If your just grabbing a motor and running because of a low price deal, sometimes "the juice isn't worth the squeeze."

Dock, ramp, marina, and bar talk indicate the Suzuki engines like to be mounted high on the transom for best performance.

[A 1998 OUTRAGE 20 and a SUZUKI DF200] sound like a nice combination.

jimh
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Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: 1998 Outrage 20 Engine Mounting Height

Postby jimh » Sun May 02, 2021 12:09 pm

If you plan to never change the engine mounting height after the initial installation by the dealer, then mounting at three-holes-up seems to be more likely to result in propeller ventilation in rough seas than would occur with a lower mounting height. On that basis I would go more conservatively with engine mounting perhaps two-holes up, on the basis that the dealer seems to think higher is better.

If you are open to changing engine mounting height if necessary after initial dealer installation, then follow the dealer's advice and mount at three-holes up. But ask the dealer for a free or very modest cost re-mounting to a lower height if you find the three-holes-up mount is causing propeller ventilation in rough seas.

Trying to get the last 1-MPH or 2-MPH improvement in top speed from reduced gear case immersion and the drag it creates by raising engine mounting height is perhaps not your goal.

Also, elevated mounting heights tend to reduce cooling water supply. Some modern engine have moved the cooling water inlets to be located lower on the gear case to help compensate for loss of cooling water at elevated mounting height, and some engines have the inlet right on the nose cone of the gear case. Also cooling water inlet grates can be changed to create improved water pick-up.

I don't know really how anyone can predict exactly what outcome will occur with regard to when the engine mounting is either too high or too low for a particular boat and how that boat will be used.

Even if the dealer wants to charge you $150 to change the engine mounting height after initial installation, that cost is minor in the overall cost of the re-power, and there is no reason to be stuck with unsatisfactory performance to save $150.

Blinsquirrel
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Re: 1998 Outrage 20 Engine Mounting Height

Postby Blinsquirrel » Mon May 03, 2021 10:10 pm

Thanks for the replies. I will most likely have [the dealer selling the Suzuki DF200 engine] install [the Suzuki DF200] with [the engine mounting height set for two] holes up.

On a social media website I found another boater with the same [c.1998 OUTRAGE 20] hull and [same] Suzuki DF200. He runs his boat with [the engine mounting height set to be two] holes up [and says the performance is] great all-round. [The guy on the social media website] is running the same propeller that my dealer is recommending [which was later revealed to be a Suzuki stainless 3 x 16 x 21.5-pitch].

The dealer is putting me in contact with a past customer that put the same DF200 on his OUTRAGE 20. I should have enough real-world information to get it right from the start.

I will adjust the height if necessary.

Thanks again

jcush87
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Re: 1998 Outrage 20 Engine Mounting Height

Postby jcush87 » Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:06 am

On my 1997 Outrage 20 with an E-TEC 175-HP engine, I am happy with [the engine] mounted as high as it will go. I tried the original mounting point of the old Mercury that I believe was mounted one-hole-up, but the engine was then immersed too deeply.

Two2fly
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Re: 1998 Outrage 20 Engine Mounting Height

Postby Two2fly » Thu Aug 11, 2022 6:07 pm

One year later:

Blinsquirrel wrote:I will most likely have [the dealer selling the Suzuki DF200 engine] install [the Suzuki DF200] with [the engine mounting height set for two] holes up.


Q4: how did the [1998 OUTRAGE 20] boat perform with the [SUZUKI DF200 engine] mounting height raised to two-holes-up?

Q5: did you stick with [the two-holes-up engine mounting] height?

Q6: what is your overall opinion on the re-power [of the 1998 OUTRAGE 20 with a SUZUKI DF200 engine] ?

ASIDE: I have a [1998--ALWAYS USE FOUR DIGITS FOR YEARS] Outrage 20 with the original [MERCURY--ALWAYS SPELL OUT THE NAME OF THE ENGINE MANUFACTURER] [225-HP] two-stroke-power-cycle engine. I may get a Suzuki DF200.