Twin or single need advice
 

I'm looking to get into a 27 - 29 formula SR1 or fastech. I have a couple of questions

Is twin engines a good option? If so, how do you do maintenance such as change spark plug and oil since motors are so close.

Also, what are down sides to the twins over the single.

Also, is it preferred to go carb or Efi.

And other advice you can offer will be greatly appriciated.

O here we go again, better set down, ur head will be spinning before this is all done LMAO good luck :ernaehrung004: I started with a 27' 502 mag boat, then the 33' twin 502 I luv twins, there's no better sound than two big blocks singing in harmony about 5 grand. two different times one motor wouldn't fire but the one got me home.

272 is twins . . . 271 is single . . . 292 from all vintages is twins.

You go on a diet and wait until your arms get really skinny, then you can reach in between the engines and change the spark plugs. :D

Actually, if you do your own maintenance, you will learn the various tricks to getting in between the engines for maintenance and repairs. they literally are about 2" apart at the exhaust manifolds.Twins is sooo much better than a single in terms of performance and maneuvering.

I have the EFI twins, and they seem quite nice . . . always start.

The maintenance is a drag, because it is twice the fun.

I have never seen the twin except in photos. So I am assuming that it is possible to do maintenance from the sound of it. But what happens if you need to change the starter for some reason, do you have to pull the motors? I guess I am asking, is there any reason why you would need to pull the motor to change componet parts, or is it doable with out pulling motors.

Also, is there that much of a difference with twins? It sounds like it is worth considering ( of coarse maintenance is twice). Is there any reason to not buy twins?

ALso, I am hearing that the twins consume alot of gas how does it compare to a single.

I had a 272sr1. Great boat. I'm 6'2 and 225. My arms are far from small. I was able to change stbd starter. Plugs were actually fairly accessible. Put my hands on port starter to confirm I'd be able to reach it all if need be. To me I saw no reason to have to yank a motor for routine maintenance.

I loved the twins and will not go back to a single unless its for a small runabout. Performance boat is twins only for me. I too had a starter go out and used 1 to get home. My 272 would plane on one engine. Drives and tabs tucked.

Just to get the twin fans going i'm going to give the argument of ........In a 27' boat,one easy to get to, well maintained motor ...could be a more reliable package than twins that are just a pain to do anything with ,maintenance wise. When you get to a little bigger boat, you gotta have twins...my opinion

IMHO the fun factor, driveability, and redundancy of twins far out weighs the extra maintenance and extra cost. Twins have gotten me home on two seperate occasions where a single would have me stranded. Also, I believe that docking twins is way easier than docking a single. Anyways, who buys these things for good gas milage or to save on the spark plug budget?

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For my first boat I'm looking at 271's. I have driven many a twin boats, and I agree there are many upsides to them. I'm not there yet on wanting that big gas bill or mainance bill. I would stick to EFI boats if you can.

On a same size boat, twins may actually be less gas, but rarely is there that option, except in a few models,

My 242 with single got 2 mpg. My 330 with twins gets 1.5 mpg. Not bad considering it is twice as heavy. The thing with twins is that your cruising rpm will be much lower than a single.

So if you had to choose between a 27 with a single versus a 28 with twins, the 28 would be better and probably use same gas. . . In reality, the twin engine boats are a lot bigger than single engine boats, so it is tough comparison.

I see your point with the mpg comparison. What is the gas tank difference between twins on the same boat vs single. I would imagine the tanks are larger, right?

180 single tank on my 33 OL and 2 X 125 gal tanks on the TG, I think my 272 was 80 gal single tank, and fuel consumption is all in how you drive the boat

Thanks 33 outlawsst, - I am interested in a 271, 272, 291, 292 and even 303. So I would like to know what size fuel tanks are in these boats to get an idea as to which one I should begin to consider.

I currently have a formula 252 which has a 88 gal tank, and thinking this maybe a little small if I wanted to make runs over to Bimini. Also, I am thinking of upgrading to twins or a bigger boat but on the fence with selling and upgrading.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

My 303 had a 180 gal tank, and I could do just over 2 mpg at a slow cruise with 425hp 454's.

-Artie

Both my single 242's are just barely over 100 gal fuel tanks. My 357 is 200 gal tank. I don't like to see less than 100 gal per engine for a BBC and I like this balance with Formula.. While GPH burn is relative to the position of the sticks the larger the tank the longer the range. Formula does pretty well with giving a large enough tank size for the engine and range.

For those who say twins burn more fuel I don't really see how, scientifically speaking. A 10K lbs boat at 50 MPH will require "X" amount of energy and if one engine works hard to do it or two just easily lumber along to do it the fuel consumption is a fixed demand that is determined by the "X" amount of energy required. Sure I understand that with two drives there is more drag and weight but comparatively I think the twin fuel burn is not drastically different from a single, all things considered.

I currently work at the engine development group at Volvo Penta in Gothenburg, Sweden. And the drag from an extra drive IS significant. Anything dragging in the water will be noticed. Obviously all situations are different, but as a standard we usually say that the difference of single vs. twin installtion (outdrive) are a factor 1.4 when it comes to fuel consumption. It's interesting to see how well this value actually stacks up when doing both proper calculations and real life testing.

My 2006 292 with twin 6.2's has a 113 gallon tank. Fuel mpg is 1.8-2.2 depending on how you drive, so about a 180 mile range figuring 20% reserve.

Well maybe I can help, 242-271-and now a 303, all are great, the 242/271 were a breeze to maintain, especially the 271, of the above mentioned boats the 272 is the b##tch# a very hard boat to work on but can be done, the 303 gives u some extra room in the front of engines, so a small guy or agile guy can do what he needs to, I am not, 6'5 250 I'll do all regular stuff, but I have a buddy do my plugs n wires, I'm not very good at mechanics and am really bad at working blind, I do not have that "touch" or "feel" that real mechanics have,

as far as fuel my 271 was a carbed 502, the 303 has 502 EFI's and in all honesty I'd say the fuel on average is 1.5 times, I have gone from 100/150 a weekend to 150/200, I'd say on average an extra 50 a week, maybe 75, well worth it IMO if the male testosterone is flowing this all goes out the window anyway, my cruise speed is up and rpm's down,

All the boats mentioned are great but due your homework on the "particular" boat your looking at and make sure it checks, 271 is a great boat, but it does lack with a full tank and 4/5 adults on getting on plane, but rides and handles very well,if u choose a twin engine boat I'm partial to the 303, 454's gets ya 70/72 454's in a 272 gets ya 62, but for the money for a 272 its hard to argue anyway..

I'm gonna throw a stone at Artie 303 holds 130 galls, I believe the 271 was 115

BTW Hindsight is 20/20 I should have jumped form the 242 to the 303, not complaing about the 271, but just looking back, then again the 303 was alot more money when I bought the 271

Bad memory and fat fingers don't help! You are correct. :lolhit:

Are there any common issues to look for with these boats. Starting to think the 303 ( since it has more space) is what I`m liking.

nothing more then any other 20 yr old boat, I have found ours to be perfect for our boating, big enough, fast enough, small enough to tow, I have a set of 502 EFI's and regularly bang 74, minus 3/4 for the 454/385 EFI's, not sure about the carbed models for speed

One a 382 you don't have to pull the motors to change the starter. But it takes two people. My 382 was an awesome boat but incredibly expensive. I sold it an bought a 260ss. Better in every way especially the gas dock. but then I haven't been in more than 2 footers in the 260.