1999 250 efi mariner issues

captdavdavis01

Recruit
Joined
Sep 26, 2007
Messages
2
ive got a 233fc dusky with a 1999 250 mariner-(2 stroke). on my furthest outing yet( about 40 miles round trip) i burnt ALOT of fuel, appx 65 gal. my cruise speed was about 20 knts/ 4200rpms. (21-22 gph).

once on location, i anchored......by doing the math, somewhere, somehow Ive lost about 15-20 gallons.

i constantly check the bilges(i had a leaky fuel tank before- still paranoid I guess) and they were good to go, no fuel in there.

the boat loaded with 160 gals of fuel is appx 5000 pounds and has trim tabs. the speed noted is with the best combination of tabs and trim.

with that motor, i cant get to plane until about 3700 rpms(and 17 knts) and top end is around 26 knts at 5000 rpm. does this sound right.

i think most of the guys with the same setup are cruiseing faster than i max out at.

i posted this on the dusky website and most are cruising 26-28 kts at 4k and 32-25 at 5500rpm, this is an average of several brands and years of outboards. but the numbers sound right for weight to hp ratio.

to me she seems to take her sweet time getting on plane and then never really winds up all the way.

i had a mechanic check the motor over prior to purchase, and he said it was in very good condidition(high compresion-low hours), so i think its more the wheel than anyhing else.
hours on engine are 335, and has service at regular intervals

at 3000 rpms, im burning appx 14 gph(sp14kts), at 4000 im burning 20 gph(spd 20 kts) and at 5000 im sucking down 27gph(spd 26 kts).



my prop is a 19 pitch 14 inch quicksilver but it looks tiny in comparason to the lower unit. there must be a 3 inch clearance in the tip of th eblades and the lower unit houseing.

im thinking im under/over propped.

besides repowering with a etec/4 stroke/ gas turbine does any body have any suggestions??

other than the speed/economy issue, it runs excellent, shifts smoothly, no smoke, starts easily


help!!!!!


danny
 

gss036

Commander
Joined
Jan 18, 2003
Messages
2,914
Re: 1999 250 efi mariner issues

I would agree with you about the prop, but I have never had to deal w/getting correct prop.
I am running a Seacraft 23WA w/single 200 hp Mercury w/ 14 1/2X17 stainless prop. I figure at 4000 rpm cruising at about 30 mph, I am getting about 2 miles per gal. It has a little bit of cup but performs great.

I have always heard that the Merc 250 was a gas hog, I guess that seems to be the case. Maybe someone w/more knowledge will help out. I know there are a couple guy on the Whaler board that are really in the know when it comes to props.
 

captdavdavis01

Recruit
Joined
Sep 26, 2007
Messages
2
Re: 1999 250 efi mariner issues

issues resolved.

played around with props and got her dialed in.

i ended up going with a rev 4 with 17pitch for my "daily driver"- to be used most of the time

and a black max 15/15.5 as a spare

both props put cruise speeds around 35 mph and top speed on the rev 4 is just shy of 49mph and the black max top speed is 42.

idle on the rev 4 is 1.3-1.6 mph while the black max is about 0.7-0.9 mph,
the slower the better for live bait trolling here, thankfully it only lasts a month or so.

fuel economy is up around 1.7 -1.9 mpg now....so im good to go.

danny
 
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