2.5 Offshore vs 300XS
 

Looking for pro's and cons of each. I've got a buddy that currently has trip 2.5's and is thinking of switching to the XS's. Is it a mistake or what??? He's obviously read all the literature out there but is mainly concerned with the 2.5's not being reliable, is that a valid concern?

TIA

I own both. I have trip 300xs's on the cc and trip 2.5's on the cat... Two completely different animals... What boat are they going on and how is that boat going to be used?

As to your last question the 2.5 is extremely reliable. In 3 years of abuse, I have only blown one powerhead. My only complaint on the 2.5 is the dam gear case housing. I have to replace them every 12 to 18 months due to cracking them under the ventilation plate. It is really annoying. I guess you got to pay to play.

The motors are on or going on a 32 Skater. The issue is the 2.5's will need to be gone through for the season and the 300's would be just about new. He knows the boat might not hit the 100 mph mark with the 300's but we feel like they'd be more reliable... BTW it would be trip 2.5's or twin 300's for this year then maybe add the third 300 next...

Thanks for the feedback.

I think this is a great question. Where are the answer(s)? Who has been there and done that?

Do you have the vent kits for the lowers? If not I would look into it.

The 32 needs the torque of the 300's.. I would go for x motors over the xs.. nothing wrong with the 2.5's , they are great motors , but the 32 would need 3 to run the way it is meant to.

I agree with vent kits on the 300X or XS w/ SportMaster lowers. I installed a pair on my 300X's, no more problems. "HIGH LIFE"

a 32 with trip 2.5s is freakin awesome.....a 32 with 2 2.5s sucks lol. If your going tripples, do the 2.5s the balance and acceloration is second to none. If your going twins do the 300s.

I have probably had 60-70 300xs motors and about 39 300x motors. The XS motors pull harder in the midrange, use half the gas, and seem to have the same topend as the 300X's.

A 32' Skater will kill the 2.5's.. They are great on smaller lighter boats but the heavier boats are their demise. Go with XS motors, save fuel and you won't miss the time clock ticking for when they are going to blow.

2.5 offshores and reliable can not be used in the same sentence. The 2.5 series get to speed much faster than the lazy feeling 300x. The 300X boats seem to have more top end on the same boat but take a while to get there. I love the 2.5 for punch and hate them for the rebuild every 100 hours.
I would rig the 32 with tripple 300x or xs motors in a heartbeat.

Thanks for all the input, the boat is a buddies and it looks like he's probably going to be going with two 300Xs's for this season and then add a third or maybe a forth for next season. The only way he'd do four is if he goes ahead with widening the hull this coming off season.

Cool, my buddy has a 32 with twin 300x's. Boat runs awesome for the power (just under 100 in the south Florida humidity and heat). However he already purchased the third motor and will be rigging it very soon.

If the boat is for pleasure use the 300's are perfect, for racing the 2.5's let her fly level in the rough stuff.

And to the person who said 2.5's aren't reliable, I disagree. Maintenance might be more, but that does not make it un-reliable. Look at all the offshore race catamarans. Everyone I have seen runs 2.5's.

I re-ring every 80 to 100 hours (about every 18 months), and thats about it.... Not really a big deal. Now like I said before the drive housings drive me nuts!

Do other cats suffer this problem? I eat drive housings about every 12-18 months. It gets expensive when its 3 at a time! And yes its like clock work!
I start seeing cracks within a couple months of hanging the new drives, and they get progressively worse until I feel like if I don't change them I am gonna lose them!

30 motion, triple 2.5's, I usually cruise in the 80-95 mph range, with occasional bursts to 11x +

I have a customer I sold 3 300XS motors to with a 32 Skater. He runs 115-117 he said.

Parts for the 2.5's are getting harder and harder to come by and the prices are getting rediculous. List price on a single piston and 2 rings is $406.00!!! Don't forget too, that Jim Ruck is getting older and won't be doing the machine work forever so who the hell is gonna step up and be the man for block work??? :evilb:

I'd go with the 300XS motors in a second, especially on a bigger boat. New technology, warranty, fuel efficient, etc. Plus, you're not having to pull powerheads every 100-150 hours to rebuild. I would imagine the new 300XS motors are good for at least 400-500 hours. :drink:

I hear you, thankfully I don't pay retail! I have only needed to have block work done once. That was to fix a scarred cylinder that came with the boat. And you can get a Wizard piston/ring set for much less than the Merc ones...

I have 300xs's on my center console, and I love them, on that boat. I just feel like the 300xs's will be WAY to heavy on the back of the Motion. If I was going with twins I would go 300xs's all the way, but for triple motors the 2.5's get the nod for me.

Now the 32 Skater, in my opinion, can go either way. Just depends on what the use of the boat will be.

Also don't kid yourself with the reliability on the 300xs. I have blown two powerheads, in two years, and I do not run that boat nearly as hard as the motion.

We can go back and forth on this forever. Both motors are awesome. They each just have their pro's and con's.

I had the same problem on Sport midsections breaking. Talked with Mercury and they told me to re-torque the lower units after a few hours of install. I would check them once a month. They were right as many times after installing the drive they would be a little loose the next time I checked. After the re-torque never had one lossen again and never cracked or broke a mid again. I have owned at least 6 cats with twin or triple 2.5's. Seems when they are not real tight they vibrate and crack the mid. I actually lost a a CLE with a Mazco prop when it broke the mid section off.

If your friend wants to get rid of the old 2.5s let me know.

That definitely sounds like something for me to look at. I usually hang em and forget about them!

You had problems cracking the Mids or Lowers?

Thanks!

The 2.5s work great on my 28 Skater and Diamond marine in Florida can fix anything on them including welding up the blocks. Just had mine rebuilt and they did a great job!! I'm going to take it to the Bimini race if anybody would like to run your boat over lets go!!!

Is this boat going to be insured? I was all set to put triples back on my boat, but after talking to the guy who built it and the insurance company, I decided to stay with twins. (plus the gas price issue)