2004 26M repower from Johnson (Bombardier) 50hp to modern Suzuki 30hp

[Ixneigh]

Im very interested in the electric motor. Maybe we could start a separate thread on it.

when I bought my boat, people on this board said, you owe it to yourself to try it with the 60, and I'm glad I did. Ive had some thrilling days in flat glassy conditions with it, or bucking really nasty chop at an easy 3000 rpm. The boat also motor sails very nicely, even with deeply reefed sails.
most of my pure motoring is at 5 knots though. so im really hoping the smaller engine will increase my fuel range or, allow me to carry less.

[Phill_Tijeras]

Thanks a lot for sharing - this is very useful and interesting!!

I am with you on the redundancy 100%. In fact I considered keeping the old 50hp until it fails and adding a small aux outboard for safety backup - something like 4-6hp gas or Torqeedo Travel.. Unfortunately, 26M transom is too narrow for a proper second motor and adding a bracket is difficult due to stern shape and rudders being in the way. I saw some pictures of a custom bracket base for 26M that goes on the stern corner but decided against it.

We do however have a similar setup on our bigger boat - Catalina 34, a while ago I added a custom base and a bracket to the transom and installed a 6hp outboard - for emergency. Which saved our behind three times already - once when diesel starter quit while we were sailing in the Pacific, another time when batteries got drained at anchorage, and third time when coming into the SF Bay against king tide when I ran both diesel and outboard to make headway. Definitely worth it.

I am glad to know 20hp is working out for you! We are the same way, sailing when we can, motoring when we have to, I only ran the boat on the plane once - in Salish Sea in BC, going up into one of the inlet narrows against a huge 7kts tidal current. Mostly motoring at hull speed with all boards down otherwise. So I hope we will be happy with the 30hp..

I ordered a similar prop as on your picture, Solas 4 x 9.25 x 10", hopefully will provide more thrust and throttle response..

Lastly quick question please - what is the prop you are currently running on your 20hp that gets to 11kts?

Here's the backup outboard on Catalina:

[Be Free]

A 30hp should get the M well past hull speed but it's not going to move into a full planing mode. I know that I can't do it on my boat with a 40hp and the X will plane easier than the M.

With that in mind I'd go with a prop that was most efficient at lower speeds. Shoot for the low end of the target RPM range and you'll have a boat that will have better throttle response at docking speeds at the expense of your highest WOT speed.

Whatever speed you did with your 50 you will likely get around 60% of that with the 30hp. That's going to have the boat plowing a little more and keeping the nose up higher at WOT. I think you will find that your comfortable go-fast speed with a 30 hp engine is going to be a couple of knots over hull speed so try to use a prop that runs well in that range.

Keep in mind that the hull shape is different between the X and the M so a prop that works well on an X may not be best on an M. If you can find an online prop app for your engine I've found that telling it that you have a pontoon boat gets you a generally useful recommendation.

Good luck!

[Phill_Tijeras]

First off - thanks everyone for the comments!

Second - the new snow white 30hp Suzuki is mounted with all new controls and tach and is super sweet

Here're a few first takeaways:

- I tried it with the stock 3x10.25x11 prop and while the motor seems to pull just fine below 3,000 RPM, it tops out at about 3,400 RPM going appr. 7kts with full ballast.
- I also tried a PowerTech 4x10x9 prop and while it seems to pull better than the stock down low, it starts ventilating like crazy past 3,000 RPM and loses thrust. The motor is mounted quite low, so I figure the prop just does not have enough purchase at higher RPM and spins freely..
- I am back on the stock prop meanwhile and ordered a 3 blade 10.25x11 to try. If this proves to be too much pitch as well I will go down to 3x10.25x10

[Phill_Tijeras]

I am now past the first 20 hours on the new motor, and so getting ready to do the first break-in service.. Which is engine oil & filter and gear oil. As we are quite overspent after all the new motor expenses, I am going to have to do the service myself - in the slip..

Engine oil & filter is quite straightforward, but I am still trying to figure out the best way to change the gear oil without a haulout (which is almost $700 in our parts). The challenge is while gear oil should be drained with the motor tilted up, fresh oil has to be pumped from the bottom drain with the motor fully down - and that's not possible in the water.

After hours of research, it appears there are two ways folks do it in the water, with the motor tilted ed up:

1. Attaching 2 hoses to both lower drain and upper vent holes, not draining old oil but pumping fresh oil up until clear oil starts coming out of the upper vent hole (into a container). I see the logic behind this method, but it seems risky in terms of overfilling.
2. Draining old oil into a measuring container and then pumping exact same amount of fresh oil up. If oil starts coming out of the upper vent hole, closing both holes, lowering the motor for a few minutes for oil to "settle", tilting motor up and pumping a bit more oil in. I like this method better.
3. Taking off the LU, changing the gear oil on the hard and re-installing the LU - this just seems too crazy, I will not do that.

Has anyone done the gear oil change on the water on a similar outboard? How did you do it? Any advice?

I will of course have a large plastic container under the motor while doing all that, so no chance of spillage.

Thanks a lot in advance!

[kurz]

I don't understand why the new oil should pump up the old one. Why it will not mix?

And if you had water in the gear box for some reasen... Why the heavier water shall get up high over the oil?

[Russ]

Does it really call for lower gear oil change so soon? I didn't do that. In fact, I didn't change the gear oil for about 100 hours. I also didn't read the manual for times.

Changing the oil will be enough of a challenge in the slip. Assuming it's similar to the larger brother like my DF70, there is a drain bolt on the side, however oil runs all over. And removing the filter really requires removing half the cowling. It's doable in the slip, but would be a challenge.

[Russ]

I don't understand why the new oil should pump up the old one. Why it will not mix?

And if you had water in the gear box for some reasen... Why the heavier water shall get up high over the oil?

Changing the gear oil is similar to engine oil. It must be drained first.
My understanding is the oil is so thick it won't flow down into all the spaces. Therefore, it must be pumped UP to purge all the air.

If water gets into the gearbox, I expect it to mix with the gear oil and turn milky. The gears are turning and mixing all the fluids in the box.

[mwylia]

Phil,
The new outboard looks great. After losing a chunk of the lower unit off my 2003 Honda 50, I find myself in a similar situation to yours. Repair or repower. I'm leaning toward repower given the age of the Honda. My usage is similar to yours regarding high speed so I'm considering a smaller outboard. Did you do a self-install or use a dealer? If self-install, any lessons learned? It looks like it would be relatively simple unless I'm missing something.

[Phill_Tijeras]

After getting repower quotes from all Suzuki dealers in the area I ended up buying the motor online from Camping World (who had the best price at the time) and got a non-affiliated local boat yard to install the motor and controls as a package deal with bottom paint. Worked out to be quite a bit cheaper than going with an authorized Suzuki shop.

Other than taking 3 weeks overall, the only challenge we ran into was mounting the control box. The motor came with side mount control that we tried to mount but decided against as it would require drilling into the binnacle for external cable routing and also the control box position would be quite awkward (see the picture). So in the end I ended up buying a flush mount control and separate ignition and tach and mounting it properly on the binnacle, which was a tight fit inside but manageable.

[mwylia]

The flush mount control definitely has a more finished look than the side mount would have. I have a little more flexibility with 26X for mounting the control. My Honda has a side mount and it does take up a bit of room when trying to move past the pedestal. I've had an unintended trim adjustment on more than one occasion while moving around the cockpit.

[kurz]

I am now past the first 20 hours on the new motor, and so getting ready to do the first break-in service.. Which is engine oil & filter and gear oil. As we are quite overspent after all the new motor expenses, I am going to have to do the service myself - in the slip..

Engine oil & filter is quite straightforward, but I am still trying to figure out the best way to change the gear oil without a haulout (which is almost $700 in our parts). The challenge is while gear oil should be drained with the motor tilted up, fresh oil has to be pumped from the bottom drain with the motor fully down - and that's not possible in the water.

After hours of research, it appears there are two ways folks do it in the water, with the motor tilted ed up:

1. Attaching 2 hoses to both lower drain and upper vent holes, not draining old oil but pumping fresh oil up until clear oil starts coming out of the upper vent hole (into a container). I see the logic behind this method, but it seems risky in terms of overfilling.
2. Draining old oil into a measuring container and then pumping exact same amount of fresh oil up. If oil starts coming out of the upper vent hole, closing both holes, lowering the motor for a few minutes for oil to "settle", tilting motor up and pumping a bit more oil in. I like this method better.
3. Taking off the LU, changing the gear oil on the hard and re-installing the LU - this just seems too crazy, I will not do that.

Has anyone done the gear oil change on the water on a similar outboard? How did you do it? Any advice?

I will of course have a large plastic container under the motor while doing all that, so no chance of spillage.

Thanks a lot in advance!

Points for 3)


Why not take away the gear unit?

Put your boat to a shallow water or work from a ponton boat.

To unscrew the lower unit you do have to learn later. You will have to change the impeller.

So study exactely how do to. It wont be more than 4 to 6 screws.
Change gear oil at land. You will not risk of having gave a bottle gear oil in the lake...

Checkout in advance if there are little parts can get out and fall in the water. My Merc 60hp has a tiny plastic that sits on the water tube. If I had to do it in the water I would put a open umbrella under the OB.

Do not work in a hurry. Best do it with a friend together.

To pump with 2 Tubes new oil in the box... Well it could work... why not... Maybe you could pump in two times new oil so most of the oil then will be replaced. Maybe it is the real lifehack. Still I am not so happy with the idea...

What do others think?

[Russ]

This is exactly how BWY installed my Suzi controls. Also, pressing the middle "button" will allow to throttle without engaging gears.

[ris]

I use one of the dip stick oil suction devices to change oil while the boat is in the water. Use a lot of paper towels under the filter when you remove it to avoid a oil stain on the water. The gear oil is best changed with the boat on a trailer or in a marina where you can get the boat lifted by a fork lift and change it while the fork lift guy is at lunch. Also you can use somebodys boat lift and then get in your dinghy after the boat is lifted out of the water. BUT changing the gear oil while sitting or standing in your dingy is a PITA and can cause a bit of oil to get in your dingy.