I dont understand.

Are you saying the 27FT rides better than your 38FT? What do you mean when tied up at the dock?

John, I'm far more affected by the much higher service costs of non-staggered engines, than a small speed or handling difference.

For example, my boat has twin side-by-side engines. I've owned it for 8 years. During that time, I've spent far more in maintenance than the boat cost, because I only use highly respected mechanics.

When I pulled the engines out a couple of months ago, I found that the mechanics had consistently ripped me off by charging me for work they never performed.

I of course take responsibility for getting ripped off, but the reason I was ripped off was because its simply impossible to service the boat myself, and its impossible to inspect what the mechanics claimed they did.

Yes, I **could** get hoists and cranes to take engines in and out, to remove and replace outdrives. I fooled myself thinking, since I make much more per hour than mechanic shop time, its cheaper to pay them instead of doing it myself (which I can easily do, and usually did before buying this twin). But the fact is that such physical plant is expensive, I don't have room for it at my house, and at least one guy (good mechanic!) who pulled an engine on my boat was so badly injured he is still on disability 6 years later.

So never again will I own a side-by-side boat. Absolutely no way.

In fact, I've pulled the drive train out of my boat, filled in the transom, and I'm installing a single. Can't sell it anyway, might as well make it into a boat that I actually want to own again.

Mine are staggard , still no room to work in the engine compartment . I think the header needs to come off to change one of the spark plugs .

False. The stagger makes a huge diff when you are running hard/fast. The cg change is important.

Think he changed his post to remove the "not".

Fore/Aft balance is much improved so flies more level.
Center of Gravity being lower and narrower greatly improves stability when crossing wakes, etc. and makes it track straighter.
Serviceability is so much better, especially since I have no fresh water or waste water holding tanks cluttering up the outer sides of the engine compartment.

This is my second staggard boat . After you drive one , you won't want another side by side .

Looks like rain this weekend