Single or Twins?????
 

The research is beginning. While searching for a new boat the question has come up. Lets hear the opinions from the experts aka the OSO crowd.

Pros and Cons

Single Engine on a powerboat or Twin engines???

Everyone has an opinion im sure, Lets hear them.

Thanks

Twins dude, you'll never want a single again.

How big is the boat going to be? I have a single 28 and it's difficult to maneuver around the dock, especially if there is a wind and/or current. If I were to get another 28 again, I'd go with twin built up small blocks. After having this, I'm not much of a single fan anymore.

Twins all the way. It is amazing the ease of dock manuvering. It is all done with the sticks. Plus if you have an engine failure, you always have on motor to limp back on. One word of advice with twins, have a power steering pump on both motors. I have only one pump and as sure as chit it is the one that I had problems with so it is difficult to steer w/o power sterring.

good luck

Thats good advice from Thunderdan. The only motor that ever had trouble on my boat is the one with the powersteering pump, thats the starboard motor. So my next boat will have 2 port motors 'cause they don't break!!
Of course, for safety's sake, you should get triples, just to have an extra motor to limp home with. I almost have the wife convinced of that theory....

I guess it all depends on what you want to do with the boat. And how deep your pockets are.

For me ,My next boat has to run in the 90's. Well since I'm just make an average income a Outerlimits or Active Thunder is out of my price range. which also limits me to something in the 28-30 ft range. Anything bigger and to run that fast you need twins and that is not affordable.
I think a single engine boat in that size range is way more affordable than a twin.
I think a single 850hp blower motor in a boat that size would be perfect. Easily trailerable and stored.
If I wasn't on a budget than of course I would rather have a bigger boat with twins.

twin 500's

the ONLY wiay to order up a new boat

I would not recommend blower motors for the Lutz Party2 for the same reasons I do not have them. Time or knowledge of working on them :)

for the same mentioned reasons, twin to get you home is a high price to pay daily but I now have a hard time driving a single :( ?

I want something that I can feel comfortable driving, parking, and maneuvering.

I am intimidated by twins and told Lutz that maybe we should consider a single engine for this reason.

So be honest.....how tough is it gonna be for me to learn to drive?

It is not real difficult, it just takes some practice. A good way to learn to drive a twin engine boat is like putting your hands on someones sholders who is blindfolded. If you want to turn them to the left you would push them forward with your right hand and pull them back with your left hand. Put your hands on Lutz's sholders and have him walk forward. If you apply forward pressure on his left sholder and reverse pressure on his right he will naturally go to the right. This is how I tought my wife.

The other thing to do is take the boat out during the week and find a channel marker and stop there and practice with the sticks. I am certian you will pick it up fairly easy. Do not let the learning curve influence your decesion.

Thanks Dan,

It's those little "tricks" that I need to know to help me pick it up. I never drove the cruiser because I was way too intimidated by the size, the engines, etc, and never even attempted to learn.

But I am bound and determined to learn to drive our next one. If not just from a safety issue. I don't want Lutz to be the only one to know how to drive it.

Okay now...anybody else have any more advice for a female newbie?

Thanks again.

What I feel you have to weigh.

Single
- lower operating costs for fuel, oil, plugs
- Easier (usually) to access to do routine and not so routine maint.
- can be harder to dock depending on wind and current

Twin
- extra engine to get you home
- easier around the dock.
- more weight to trailer
- two of everything to service, including drives

I went with a singe because at the lake I wasn't too worried about having to limp home. Just tow me to the nearest marina if I break down. It would be different on say the ocean or the great lakes. Also with my boat a single 575 will outperfom twin 496's in the the same boat (not HO's) with less fuel burned. maint will be a bit less with my single because you have to add in the SC. Also my boat weighs about 1000 lbs less with the one engine and there is easy access to everything that requires routine maintenence.

Finally it will depend on the size of your boat the bigger the boat the more rational twins become. What are you and Lutz looking at?

Totally agree with Von on his statistics
Mine was suppose to be a single last minute changes along with earlier ordering made me go to a twin. if you go larger then 32' I would prefer twins under, single

VonBongo ~

We are looking in the 28 - 32 foot range, unless we find a helluva deal on something bigger.

So, in that regards a single would probably be fine. But the wind and docking is a concern, because the cove we are located in seems to be pretty windy much of the time.

Speed is not really a big issue. We don't want to go 90 miles an hour. I'm not really all that used to going so fast, and with our kids, I do get a little nervous. We just want to go a reasonable speed, fairly smoothly, and be able to get places on the lake and keep up with everybody.

There also is a comfort factor with knowing you have two engines in the event that one fails, but like you said, on the lake most people are very willing to help.

We like the appeal of lower cost / ease of maintenance with the singles...

Hhhmmmm, so many decisons!

HUGH! Hi there!! How are things with you?

Amy,

For the size of boat that you are talking about and that you are not out for top speed then I would think it comes down to a single or twin small blocks.

Small blocks use less fuel, weigh less and would gove you a little more room in the bildge. Plus the 350 mags and their varients are proven motors and 6.2's seem to be holding up good. What boats are on your list? I would guess maybe Formula? Sunsation? Fountain would be a little small. What about Norts old boat? It's a twin with BBC's but he has had it a while and maybe he wants to make a deal. I think it's a 302 Formula. Plus he could deliver it over Memorial day and we could show him what he has been missing here at the lake :D

Good luck in your search and make sure you take a test ride before you write the check!

Hi Miss Amy :)
Doing ok here
could always be better, but thankfully that it is not worse :)
Sitting at the motel right now in Richmond Va. Getting ready to head out and inspect the town before the Parties today. :)
How has the school year been treating you?
Are you two looking for new or used?
I know of a couple great used Advantages that would fit you perfect. One a 32' and another 34' Both are great at LOTO. Lot of cabin space to keep you closer to the same usage as with your crusier
But not sure if they are in your price range

Hey Hugh! Doing great here! Been a busy school year and I'm definately ready for summer vacation!

I think Lutz would rather go the used route. Let us know about the Advantages you were talking about. We're open to anything and don't have it narrowed down to anything in particular.

What parties are you going to??

Be safe!
Amy

Miss Amy & Lutz Party,

For the size boat you are looking at there is no question in my mind that you will be MUCH happier if you go with the twins. As far as driving with twins you will find it much easier than with a single. Imagine being able to enter Party Cove and being able to manuver all the way through and back out, if so desired, without having to touch the steering wheel. It can be done. Docking is the same way. The difference is truely amazing.

As stated before once you drive a twin you will not go back.

Mark

Don't count on a single getting better fuel economy. I had a 27' single 502 mag that burned as much or more gas @ 50mph cruise than my 31 sonic, twin 454 mag does at the same speed.
As for driving it, its easier than a single. Just find a good teacher and practice.

Well it seems that MissAmy has taken over my thread, however she is right on line with what im thinking in a boat.

A 28-33 pre-loved craft is what we are thinking and if a 38 should happen to become available for the right price you never know. :D

I was thinking of a single for the mere fact that one engine, one outdrive, less insurance,less $$ and I may even be able to fit in the engine compartment to work on it. But having twins in the old LutzParty sure made life easier to dock and manuver.

Thanks for all the responses Please keep em coming.

Von Bongo, you just might be on to something with NORTS old boat. I think he may be a bit out of our price range though. I may have to buy it just to make him come to LOTO to deliver it. :D :D

Get twins. You only live once. I had 2 single boats. Got tired of getting towed in. Got a twin 35' and never looked back. Anything can be learned. I am now on my third set of bigger motors. Like they say--Bigger is Better.

Another member said it best last time this topic came up. Have you ever seen the guy with twins wishing he had a single?

i have had multiple boats with singles, as well as with twins. Including twin small blocks & current twin 502's. A lot of variables to look at. short of running out of gas, with twins you can always limp home. You never mentioned what size boat. This is a very important apect. If the winds blowing, surfs up,and I'm still out. But, when it's time to dock,it'd be a bear without twins.I prefer twins, but when ever you do anything it's normally 2X the $'s.

Okay you two, there is no question, you have to go with twins!! It was great meeting both of you at the boat show, I hope we can do it again soon! Lutz, you'll need to have twins to run away from all the guys chasing Amy when she's driving that new boat in Party Cove.........lol. Seriously though, I hope you find something you all like but until then you're more than welcome on the Drinking Fountain!!!!!!!!!

With twins if 1 motor has a problem, you will not have to wait for a sea tow and a bill,Money saved to fix the problem motor!

In your case twins are probualy best.If you said you want speed at a reduced cost I would go for big power with a six drive in aboat up to 32.Someone had a pic of an activator aprox 32 with a single I would kill for.In my opinion it was the perfect setup.But thats not what you are looking for.
Randy

Boat Size?
 

Depends on the size of the boat dude. If your looking at lets say the Baja 29 Outlaw, I'd defintily say TWINS. If you are siding with a smaller boat like a 29 Fountain, stick with the single. On a larger boat the twins will give you the HP to get on plane quicker and offers more mid to top end puch. A larger boat will be balanced enough to counter the wieght of the twins. In a smaller boat like the Fountain 29 a single would be the way to go. The single offers a better balance and will kite through the air better. The question of Single or twin would be better defined by which boat. GOOD LUCK!!

Miss Amy,

The key to learning to drive any boat is LOTS and LOTS of PRACTICE. I finally got Bobbie feeling pretty comfortable driving and even docking the Pantera. It can be tough to dock, especially in tight areas and with a crosswind. The smaller turning radius of hydraulic steering doesn't help either. I would love to be able to manuever my boat like a boat with twins. It is just not possible. I know its capabilities though and plan ahead. Either way with a single or twins. The key seems to be knowing what the boat is capable of and knowing how to do it. Both come with PRACTICE.
Knowing you guys and how rough LOTO can be, I would look at 30+ with twin stock power. Boats that come to mind are 29 & 32 Outlaws and 31 Sonics. Good sized cabins, deep freeboard(for kids) and good rough water boats. Also, this 32 Active Thunder looks good.

http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/7/0/35178670.htm

Amy & Lutzparty~
There's a REALLY REALLY nice, predominantly yellow, 1999 32' Active Thunder on the Active Thunder website you might want to take a look at!! It goes really really fast too!!
And Amy...You can wear a lot of different color's off suits to match the graphics!!!
Trust me....It's been taken care of REALLY, REALLY well!!
Tracy

Tracy,

That would be REALLY REALLY cool, if I knew the website.

Do you happen to know the website or link??

And Shhhhhhhhhh about Amy coordinating her suits. I think we have an abundance of bikinis, Im sure some are still watiing to make their debuts. :D :D

Another important factor is can these boats be adapted for the world famous LP / Audiofn / Foul, Dancing pole???

Miss Amy

Michelle (My Wife) has been docking and loading twin screws for 10 years , She does just fine.
In fact some say she does better then me.;)

I am sure she would love to talk to you.
let us know
Greg

This is amazing. I have had 3 boats with twins and all my problems have been with the port motors. I thought it was a Southern hemisphere thing....

I've looked at fuel consumption data, and I have not seen any appreciable reduction in fuel consumption with small blocks vs. big blocks at the same speed. I think the reason for this is most of the fuel is going toward drag, rather than engine friction and pumping losses. At higher speeds, the small blocks could be worse than big blocks, because the engine fuel enrichment will kick in with the smaller engines at lower speeds. Small blocks are also only about 150 pounds lighter than a big block, so the 300 pound reduction with twin small blocks is not much for a typical 28 ft boat that weighs 6000-7000 pounds with twins. A typical twin engine boat in the 28 to 30 foot range will get 2 mpg or less. A single engine boat in that range will get mid to high 2 mpg.

Michael

Damn, heres a thread from the way back machine!

Triples..... If you can find them..... :drink:

Holy old threads, Batman!!!!!!!!!!!

don't go faster than you want to hit the dock :D


Seriously - I learned to drive twins on my dad's Carver. Just take your time and experiment in an open marina with no one around to watch you - the same way you'd learn to drive a single. It isn't any harder, it's just different. Depending on the boat, it can be much easier.

I didn't even notice!

Oops!

They got a Formula 311 and they loved it. They did however sell it as they are doing a lot more water skiing these days/

A interesting pair of twins!
 

Show me the Twins!

Our new LSM 550 motors were developed for just this reason, how to get twin motors in the back of a 28-36 foot average comfortable performance boat without loading the back end of the boat with 2200 pounds of motors alone.

The new LSM550 dynos at 550HP at 5800 rpms , 565 ft/lbs of torque all the way from 3700 rpm to 4700 rpm and it weighs just under 500lbs per motor. Not bad for a 7.3liter all aluminum freshwater cooled small block LS based engine!

You can see them @ www.raylarengine.com

Put two of these in a 28 - 36 foot twin hull and the 1200lbs you just dropped out of the back of the boat should make a big difference in performance and economy!

Just thought I would throw in a new twist to the twins versus single controversy!

Regards,

Ray @ Raylar