Is this engine big enough for this boat?

[QC]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

Chief, I think it will and I would hate to see this guy chased away from a boat that will probably meet his needs due to outdated understanding of these engine's capabilties. I have a flippin' small block with a Bravo 1 and it would do the job, it does do that job. Even though mine is a 6.2 I bet the 5.7 and DP outperform it at low speeds . . . For flip's sake a honkin' small block, v-drive, 23 footer would do what he wants too . . .

IF he wants to go 60 he needs 400 bhp, but I think he simply wants to pull skiers and tubers (lower load than a deepwater start skier) with somewhat heavy loads. In fact, if he propped down and could live with 40 MPH he could pull out fliipin' sunken Sea Doos . . .

Unless he goes up to 25 ft. he's not going to find big blocks in a deck boat . . . In fact most Cruisers up to 28 ft. now have single 5.7s . . . the rules have changed!

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

I don't want to chase him away ether. Nobody says you got to go 60 mph.

Jeez i hit 20 on the Big bay and my back is screaming. Waves all the time.
Boom, boom, not for me. It's calm i go 25.

Lake is a different story but alot of boats whipping around theres big wakes also.

Pulling a tube or 2 at 30 is good. 35-40 they cant stay on. They fall off been there done that.

30 is good for water skiers 35 good to.

All i meant to convey is you want to do 60 on the water with 10 people then you need the hp.

That boat would be fine if, you have the right expectations.

Sounds like a nice boat, seen some newer ones at the boat shows.

If it's in good shape and the right price i say go for it.

 

[tmh]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

Even though mine is a 6.2 I bet the 5.7 and DP outperform it at low speeds .

Just keeping us all talking the same thing for the OP - he's looking at the 5.0L, not the 5.7L. QC wasn't being specific to this boat, so I assume he was just making a comparative point, but making sure.

Anyways, I think the situation here is very interesting in that for the average user maybe we all agree that the 5.0L DP on the boat he's considering would be fine. But Golf101 properly posted specifics of his needs/wants and i think we'd also agree 8 on board pulling up two skiiers (assume NOT little kids because beginners don't ski two at a time) is a bit more than an "average" load.

So I still say he's on the edge and would likely have to prop down and go 4 or 5 blade to do what he wants. Then maybe fine, but no guarantee. There's a reason they offer a 350 mag MPI Bravo III 300 hp in that boat! it's so folks like golf101 can be confident the boat will meet their needs and not spend years wishing for a bit more power. Well, OK, you'd still WISH for it - we all do no matter what.

 

[QC]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

Agree, yes 5.0, but still stronger than carbed 5.7s . . . Also, the is a DP so he is stuck with available propsets

FWIW, I will NEVER recommend an underpowered boat. And I agree with most comments here about wishing for more once delivered. My points are primarily that DuoProps and Bravo 3s change the low speed equations, and modern MPIs change the "gotta have displacement" discussions significantly. Combined, the new 5.0s outperform almost all carbed 5.7s and 5.7s now meet the lower ratings of carbed big blocks and probably beat them out of the hole.

 

[tmh]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

Agree, yes 5.0, but still stronger than carbed 5.7s . . . Also, the is a DP so he is stuck with available propsets

FWIW, I will NEVER recommend an underpowered boat. And I agree with most comments here about wishing for more once delivered. My points are primarily that DuoProps and Bravo 3s change the low speed equations, and modern MPIs change the "gotta have displacement" discussions significantly. Combined, the new 5.0s outperform almost all carbed 5.7s and 5.7s now meet the lower ratings of carbed big blocks and probably beat them out of the hole.

Yes, all true i think ....... and also often misunderstood by those whose experience is older, carbed I/O's where the 5.7L was needed for any 3500# or more boat for low end torque.

However, the fuel injected 5.7/350 Mag still outperforms the fuel injected 5.0/305 by enough to matter - especially wth a fairly big boat and a refuge-sized load of passangers!

 

[QC]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

Yeah, but then we are comparing the same technology MPI vs. MPI . . . So in that case ^^^^ displacement is back in play.

 

[loosewire]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

I to am looking at basically the same boat 2005 214F with a 5.0 volvo 270H/P duoprop. I have had 350 carbed (jet), 5.7EFI (alpha w/high 5) and 350mag (bravo III) in previous boats (the largest was 24'). Looking at the H/P ratings of each set up it would appear the MPI on the 5.0 is comparible. I am not looking for high speed but the ability with 4 to 8 people and gear to cruise 35 and the ability to pull 3 on a tube or 1 wakeboard at a time. This is definatly for family all day outings. What do you think?? I have noticed on the engine options the volvo's have 270H/P and mercs as 260H/P as the smallest engine option available. The largest available is 300H/P by either.

 

[QC]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

That 5.0 MPI with the 214 and your list of wants should be a perfect match. Top speed demon it will not be, high 40s max, but . . . everything else will be very good.

 

[loosewire]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

thanks for the reply I am leaning to belive I will be fine with the 5.0. Golf 101 what did you end up doing??

 

[golf101]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

I decided to go with the 5.0/270hp/duoprop. I got a lot of different feedback both from this forum and offline, and the reaction was pretty well split about whether this engine would be big enough for my needs or not. That ordinarily would cause me to default to a bigger engine, but I want to get a used FS224to save on $$, and there is not much inventory out there right now with the 5.7L engine (I found only one 2006 or newer nationwide). I'm sure if I waited, more would come on the market, but the boat I was looking at was in very good condition, low hours, good price, from a reputable dealer. I therefore decided to buy the boat I was looking at. I also wanted to establish a relationship with a local marina/dealer and that also contributed to my buying this boat from this dealer. I may live to regret it, but I don't think so. If I do, I'll sell it and get something with some more juice down the road. Thank you very much to everyone for their thoughtful input and responses.

 

[Cptkid570]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

Congrats on your purchase.

After you've tested it with your expected load/watersports, please come back to this thread and let us know how it does.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

golf101,

Sounds like a nice boat. Good luck with it. Please do come back and report on performance so we can have a data point for the next person that asks.

 

[golf101]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

Will do. Thanks again for all the feedback.

 

[treeman]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

i have a 2150 it is 21 foot 8 foot beam it has a5.7 in her we had 10&12 people on board this summer and we ski and tubed with no problems now some of them 4 were grandsons from 5 to 1 years old they love the boat iam so glad i traded my harley for it . good luck have fun be safe.








1986-2150-350-280volvo
BAYLINER BLUES
1985-1710-fish&ski 115hp.
LIL BASS

 

[golf101]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

In looking some more at the boat specs, the boat (a FW 224 deckboat) is only 21'. It is 23'6" when the swim platform is included. Does that make a difference in anyone's thinking about whether the 5.0 VP 270 HP Duoprop is sufficient?

 

[QC]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

I was going to mention this . . . Yes, really a 21 footer. I have a 228 Carrera that is longer than my friends 236 Chaparral . . . It only makes the powerplant more capable, as it is a smaller boat than what some may be thinking here.

Again, hole shot will be decent to good, even with a heavy load due to the duo-prop and reasonably high rating of 270 hp. Top end will be around 45 with typical trim and weight.

A little side note . . . 20 years ago they rated these engines at the flywheel and what was called a "260" was actually a 5.7L carbed Mercruiser that was only rated 235 at the Flywheel. Today these packages are all rated at the prop (except those sold for true Inboards). Back then this 5.0 MPI Volvo would've been called a 295!! And everyone would say (if they didn't know it was a 5.0) that it would be stronger than the 260 . . . The point being that like the swimstep length being added to the hull length, what really matters is the actual numbers: running surface length, deadrise, weight, horsepower, prop pitch, gear ratio and maybe the most significant difference for you vs. some other possible combinations . . . the Duo-prop. Every single one of those pieces of info affects this discussion. In your case, I think the sum total will be decent to good for what you have said you want. If you ever think you want to go 50 MPH, then pass. I am not concerned about performance out of the hole though, even reasonably heavy. The only other concern I have is that 10 people with two on a tube is probably bordering on unsafe, legal maybe, but every single pound you add to most boats negatively affects handling and performance. Some will say, "well I once had the bilge full of water and my boat felt more stable". This could be true due to the ballast effect of low weight in a triangle shape that changes the center of gravity to lower. But . . . adding people and their stuff changes the center of gravity to higher, and makes the boat deeper in the water and less responsive.

Like I originally said, "I hate a crowded boat" . . . this is for some anal reasons as well as practical Good luck!

 

[golf101]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

Thanks QC. I think my usage numbers got inflated along the way in some of the other posts. I expect 6-8 in the boat with 2 on a tube max. 3/4 of these people will be 13 or younger. I agree that 10 in the boat with 2 behind it would be too much. Frankly, in looking at the boat, even though it is rated for 13 people, I'm not sure where they would all fit. Looks to me like 10 would be all you could even comfortably put on the boat.

 

[golf101]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

One other question: How fast do most of you run your boats? Is it 50mph or over? I would expect to cruise in the low to mid 40s from past experience, but I don't have a lot of experience. Do people generally drive 50mph or faster, particularly for any extended period of time?

 

[QC]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

I cruise at 40, but . . . my boat will run 57 MPH The one you're looking at will reach 45, but I'd personally like to see it cruise around 35. Merc and Volvo both say you can run them WOT all the time. Some commercial guys do, but generally the rule of thumb is 80% or lower of top speed for cruise. So 45 x .8 = 36 . . . A 35 MPH cruise in a small lake will be plenty fast. If I am running offshore here I rarely exceed 30 . . . Just depends on a lot of stuff, but most often conditions will dictate a lot.

 

[loosewire]

Re: Is this engine big enough for this boat?

I am in the same mindset as golf101, I am going to test run a 2005 214 this weekend with a 5.0/270 duo-prop. Based on past experience with my other boats I feel this will do all I need it to. I will post again Sunday with results. Also the 214 may be only a 21' or 22' but the rise out of water and the layout provides more room than my previous 23.5' boat.