blefever

Just a thought and asking your thoughts.

Love my 29 Outlaw, the layout suits us, we overnight on the boat so we do use the cabin, size is just right for our needs, and I love the exhaust note of the motors. The one thing I don't like is the fuel mileage.

What do you think about hanging a pair of state of the art outboards off the back? From what I see,
outboards should get about 3 mpg where I now get 1 mpg.

We would also gain a huge amount of storage and be able to enlarge the cockpit.

Do you think the boat would still handle right? Would this screw up the CG or something else I'm not thinking about to the point of ill handling?

I'm lucky to have what I have and don't really want to buy something else, and I haven't seen anything else in a outboard boat that I like.

When we boat, we like to drive, not just sit in a cove and read a book. With the cost of gas (and I think it is only going to get worse) I'm finding myself thinking twice about going from Havasu to Topock just for the hell of it, or going out in the Pacific just to find Dolphin, or going around Catalina Island because we can. I hate that the cost of fuel is making me think twice about using our boat the way we like to.

Your thoughts!

hammer01

I think you are talking a lot of work, expense, and creating a very "unique boat" that may destroy resale value. There are options out there including center consoles that will achieve your goal. I'm curious tho, do you have big power in the 29 OL because with stock standard power you should be achieving 1.5-up to 2 mpg with them? Another idea is to be sure to be running your boat at optimal efficiency and even prop changes can drastically increase cruising efficiency.

pstorti

how did you come to this conclusion?? and how do you only get 1 mpg with a 29 ft boat? what power do you have now?

If you want mpg get a pair of Yanmar 6LP 315 hp each

Twin O/B Sonic

Did someone say O/B's

Personally I think it would be a way cool project.
I agree on re-sale being a variable but I think done right, you'd be fine. W/the newer O/B's they're not the bad word to average boaters that they used to be.

A pair of 300 Xs Mercs would be killer on their. They're great motors and very efficient.

I can tell first hand that my 24' Sonic has the space of a 30' I/O boat due to the clip ons, and them being on a bracket.
Your boat would be GYNORMOUS!

blefever

The motors are nothing fancy. Merc 330's.

Ok, so it's just a WAG on the mpg.......but am I wrong to think that outboards would at least double mpg over big block v8's?

Keep the input coming, good and "You must be crazy"

compedgemarine

two state of the art outboards and the fiberglass work and rerig you would be putting around 40K + into it, that would buy a lot of fuel.

rchevelle71

As much as I love outboards, not worth the hassle,sellit and buy a boat already set up with O/B.

Twin O/B Sonic

consider that he'd have all of his old running hardware to re-sell to offset his investment.

As far as glass work, a couple of transom knees would probably be it besides glassing in the I/O holes. The knee's are fairly easy as you can do 90% of the fab work on your bench then just tab them in. Cardboard patterns and off you go.

Plugging the holes would be making a pattern, several layers of 3/4" ply, several layers of 1708 cloth and you're done. One side is hidden in the bilge and the other by the bracket too.
Bolt a bracket on and you're ready to rig.

IMO, the re-rig would be the most work.

He'd end up w/the same power at at least 1000lbs less and 50% more storage.
That conversion down here is huge and becoming more and more popular.

speicher lane

When my father was looking for a new fishing boat, he really liked one company and went shopping for one. He had 3 choices, 2 small I/O's, 1 big I/O or the O/B on a bracket. It's a 26' heavy glass boat but the O/B on a bracket was hands down the better boat in handling, fuel economy and had a few extra mph over the i/o's.....the biggest diference was the handling as the I/O's felt like the stern was dragging a parachute compared to the O/B - weight difference obviously. (boats were designed for I/O and the I/O's were factory propped)

Twin O/B's would have been much better arrangement but when this set-up gives him an issue we will put on an Armstrong bracket built for twin Verados. The O/B boat was ordered as such by a previous client that went cardiac and couldn't take delivery.....

For this boat it worked but the $$$$ involved was for a new boat on a even comparison Boat A vs. Boat B vs. Boat C so for a conversion you would have to see if the costs vs gain is worth it.

Resale is resale and you can never accurately define it (and the governement never offers any security for people to give up their money like they used too)

If it is an issue, spin what you have and get exactly what you want in a boat.

t500hps

Using your assumed and un-calculated 1 mpg to 3 mpg ratio it sounds like it could be a worthwhile project.......but I bet you numbers are closer to 1.5 mpg now and 2.0-2.5 mpg with a pair of 300's. If I'm right (I think I am) then the numbers don't play out well.

Since you haven't calculated mpg, I bet you haven't done anything else to make your boat more fuel efficient. Make sure the motors are tuned and running their best. PROPS are the cheapest way to gain where you want to ....although you might sacrifice somewhere else. The props that were the fastest on my boat were rarely on it (5,650 rpms). I usually had a bigger set that still spun 5,200 but netted me a 5-7 mpg gain at 3,500. (Those 330's could be propped for about 4,500-4,600 if you just want to cruise)

BTW: My last boat, a 382, got nearly 1.3-1.5 mpg. I now have a 20 ft center console with a single Yamaha 150 4-stroke........gas mileage "only" jumped to 4.5.