You can have both. IMCO has a dual drive gear splitter for a single engine. You'll need more than a 525 though unless the boat is under 28' or so.

Don't think it would be the M31 as it's a true tunnel cat.

You don't remember the 30' Cobra Terminators built by Peter Casini in NJ? I think they won two WCs with single engines back in the day. I'm sure there are guys here who have raced them or had them for pleasureboats.

should have said been in one...but. point is; it's far less than optimal for an offshore boat with todays knowledge and technology.

HUH???? Maybe in older heavier boats, but hardly any boats less than 28' even come with twins I/O's anymore.

They have made only a few of them and the one in the 35 Nordic kept having issues from what I was told.

Weismann Marine is developing a twin prop surface drive that they rate at up to 1500hp. That will stop torque steer common to single engine boats.

Thats great, now take a 30 predator or 30 Spectre with some decent small blocks in it, and that pretty boat with 600 lbs of gel on it will get spanked :D Especially in rough water

I couldn't agree more! A nice 30-32 foot Cat with 300XS motors and you would have a 100MPH boat that kicks azz all day long. Plus, you can run it at 100MPH all day with decent fuel consumption [far better than any other engine]. If your cruising you will get about 2.1 to 2.4 MPG.

I agree twin outboards are a bullet proof combination coupled with a 2 year warranty on the motors....with an optional additional 2 year extended plan. You then have 4 years of warrantied motors and you can drive it like you stole it:).

Well you take a 30-32ft Outboard powered boat and you will spank those small blocks like a White House intern. Plus, those high reving small blocks drink the fuel and never last like a BBC.:evilb:

KAP

P.S. Always makes me laugh when we smoke a big twin engine boat with our little 28ft Howard Sportdeck:drink:.

Love wackers.

Curious without any closed loop cooling - when does salt water corrosion kill them in terms of years?


Uncle Dave

A 30ft boat needs twins, period. No free lunches with a single engine. The money you spend on a high hp single will catch up fast to what it will cost to run twin stock power.......

I'm between twin 300xs outboards and scorpion 400's or mercury 525 stern drives, the 300 outboards and 400 scorpions will both be between 110-115mph and about the same price, or to go with the 525's and run in the 130-135 mph range and add about 25k. Predator has never put big blocks in the 32 yet.

depends on what you want. and have money for. Alot of people dont feel the need to go beyond 55-60mph

If that is case then this website is not for that person who wants to top out at 60mph. Hell, I want my 15' Boston Whaler to run 60 mph.

No offensive.

[QUOTE=Smarty;3574676]If that is case then this website is not for that person who wants to top out at 60mph. Hell, I want my 15' Boston Whaler to run 60 mph.

should be easy....:evilb:

[QUOTE=pqjack;3574680]LOL, and this is why there are about 10 others websites that have been created from OSO defectors...very nice.

I agree but if everybody was like this website, everybody would be know it alls, supposively be rich and hot chicks around their arms, but thats not the case.

Well I am not rich, no longer have a hot chick or any chick for that matter (divorced), and I don't know it all that is for sure, but do ask alot of questions. And the only thing holding my 15' Boston Whaler back from running 60 mph is money to buy the larger outboard to make it go 60 mph.

Defectors....there is a place for everybody....sorry if you were offended, wasn't my intention. But seriously if you want to 60 mph in a performance catamaran, as is the topic of this thread, does that seem a little odd?

happy holidays

Back to the topic of the thread, if you can afford twin 525's that would be nice, but the twin outboard combination is a combination in that size cat is hard to beat as all of the prior posts suggest.

for a 30 cat twins no question, unless you don't care about rough water and want a lake boat. 30 Skater with some LS motors perfect!

Im talking mild 500-600 hp Smallblocks :D No eggbeaters are going to beat those. Two 300s on a 30 Spectre is 105-107, 525s is 115 or so

i have a baja sport 250, 27' with platform. i built it on a tight budget, paid cash for the boat and every last part on it, i buy allot of used parts and used parts tend to be sold as a single part. i would LOVE to go to twins but when you want to upgrade carb, intake and/or exhaust you are buying double. if i could stop myself from moding the motors i would go to twins and leave them stock, i cant do that :( lol. so on my budget a single is better. also i can haul my boat with a half ton pickup, i use a heck of allot less gas in both the truck and boat and when something breaks i am buying 1 instead of 2. so i think money plays a big part in me sticking to my single.

So after reading all the posts, the age old debate between single or twins comes down to what I always suspected.

90% of the time, those that can afford to run twins will prefer twins.
And 90% of the time, those who can't afford to run twins will sing the virtues of a single.

Everyone will run what they can afford (hopefully)

Better to be boating in a single than have twins you can't afford to fix. But if you can afford to run twins, its a tough argument to say a single is better at around the 30ft mark.

Hence the twins in my 29, despite all the people telling me a single 525 is better - while they keep replacing gears in their single XR drive.

Lol... flame suit on :)

Yeah for $35,000 a pop! :eek::eek:

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/a...317701830.jpeg


Dave,

Who makes this drive?

That an Arneson Drive.
Fantastic piece of gear.



Uncle Dave

Im one of the 10% then...

I can afford any boat I wish shy of a turbine.

I chose a single high HP big block as power.



Uncle Dave

I think it depends on how fast you want to go. You need big cubes or power adders to get you over 100 in a bigger single cat....plus a high dollar drive to survive for a long time.

I've got over 580ci, 660 NA hp, idles nice, easy enough to dock....but will never get into the upper 90's or 100, but i'm fine with that. I'd LOVE to have stock 6.2's, or 3.0 mercs, just as fast (or faster) and handles better. But double the filters, oil, belts, props, Oh and the initial cost lol.

But then again, changing ANYTHING on my single 28 cat may be the easiest thing ever. Need to pull a plug real quick and not get dirty or a 3rd degree burn? No-problemo!

Had both. Can't afford either. Have to think really hard if I was to ever buy a single again... Uhhh NOPE! Twins are not hard or that much more expensive to maintain. The extra gas is not much either.

I would agree my twins have not been a deal breaker yet. But the cost just in MAINT is double so to say its nothing isnt true, is it workable, yes. But I would hate to have two big things go instead of one.

:drink:Twins, but Tripps is even nicer IMHO.

I'm sold twins it is. Looks like either twin 525's or ilmor 625's have deals on both. Should be a nice package on the new 32 predator cat

where do you boat?

Illinois lakes

2 is always better then 1.

If you get into motor trouble, you always have 1 to make it home.

Once I blew 2 motors within seconds apart.
Thank god I still had the third motor to make it back to shore.
True story! :drink:

3 is a lot more work then 2, but much cooler looking.


Have a great holiday to all :kiss:

I disagree. I'm pleased with the performance of my boat with a stock 525efi. If I was going to run twin BBCs, I would go longer than 30'. In an efficient 30' hull, it would be SBCs, or OB's for me.

I guess I am an exception to that rule too. For what I paid for my boat I could of gotten into a pretty nice larger, twin engine boat, maybe a few yrs. older. Cost of ownership was not a deciding factor for me.

I've decided the twin bbc are the way for me to go on the 306 cat, I want to have the ability to run 130 plus when I need it and cruise at 100mph for long durations. The merc 525 or the ilmors will do that

single, if I lived on a lake and twins if I lived on the Ocean.

not trying to step on your dream boat...just a few things to think about. not sure if u have been taking to the company....but 130 with 525's is right at the world kilo record. and for a much narrower hull than a DW or skater outboard boat. not sure if u r talking closed or open boat? for easy math 100 mph at wot with 100 gallons is 1 hour. not sure what tanks u will have? range and weight distribution will b an issue if u plan on doing some poker runs and running offshore. going with Ilmore 625's is cool...great company and people to work with!!! but i would be shocked if any 30' cat had room for correct shaft geometry! more so on a narrow beam cat.
if you're open to input and buying/building a new boat of this size; peter at skater has forgotten more than most manufacturers collectively have. this is why many manufacturers have had peter build their prototypes and or race hulls. doug wright should also b on that call list too.
cheers mate
merry x-mas
and good luck with the project!!

I run twin 300XS motors. Run them wide open forever without worrying about blowing them up. Two outboards weigh 200 lbs less than one I/O.


http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o38922-en.html




http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t...corson/011.jpg

mmmm I think power to weight is very close or slightly in favor of the single I/O.

Merc 300sx's are about 505 lb each short shaft version

I like Whackers for sure, but extended salt running just wipes them out over time whereas the closed loop inboards will go through exhausts, but enjoy longer lifespans.

Vs My setup

Transom Assembly weight about 100
XR assembly about 150
(taken from nascat thread)
Ilmor 710 -about 800LB

about 1050 and 700 ponies. 1.5 lb / hp

Vs twin OB"s @ 1010 and 600 ponies. 1.75 lb per hp

These ilmor mills run flat out for hours as well.



Uncle Dave

What a rock n pleasure boat! nice minimal cabin in a 100 mph, reliable offshore.