V-8 Outboards
 

Yeah I know what I am going to get when I say this...But...My performance boating is on a budget. I have a 24 sonic with twin outboards. Boat goes pretty good. Looking to repower. Found a couple of V-8 300 Jonson's that seem to be in pretty good shape. Anyone know anything about these engines? All my money goes to my 36 fishing boat so I am on a tight budget for the speed thing.

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

John those motors make good power but have some weak points One is the ign. this can be solved with Rapair electronics. The other weak link is the lower unit. If you run the gearcase on the surface there are some steps to be taken to help make the lowers last. If you run the motors deep there is no real problem. A merc 2.5 or a 300x are light years ahead, but cost much much more. That is a lot of weight for a 24' sonic. trim tabs will be a must. No setback would be best. What motors do you now have?

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

John....

The guy you want to contact is Gordon Motague(SP?) of Mont'y Racing.

http://www.montyracing.com/

He can get a reliable 375hp out of those motors. You definitely hve to have some work done to the lowers, nosecone is a must and they pin the bearing carrier.

You might want to check out www.screamandfly.com as well! There is a wealth of info over there!

Woodsy

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

The boat came with 200 Mercs that are late 80's. They are fried. Looking for some cheap power.

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

I would stay away if only for the weight difficulties and part availablity. Those things weigh 565 pounds each and will seriously effect CG on that small a boat. And since they are no longer produced in any form at some point availability on the fragile parts will be nil. Stick with some 200 hp Mercs or even Yammies and have something you can run.

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

I had a 86 300hp V-8 outboard on a 222 Stinger, OMC covered all repairs on it, but it got so bad that I bought a 235hp V-6 backup motor so everytime the V-8 would blow up I had something to run. I think it broke 6 or 7 times in the two years I had it. Also had issues getting on plane, OMC finally came out with a speacial prop for the V-8, a Four blade with a smaller hub to vent the prop at take off.

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

Is anyone familiar with this Sonic 24 with twin outboard set up? I need some advice for optimal horsepower setup. I have ran singal outboard engine setups in the past so the twin outboard is a new area for me. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

I had nothing but good luck with a 300 hp, 3.6L Evinrude on my 21' Eliminator Daytona. They are heavy, but mine ran forever.
I did hear the later 4.0L motors were not as reliable.
Gary

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

John I rigged a 24' it was a converted IO boat. We had 21'' of setback and that was way to much. The hull would porpoise at all speeds I would start with about 10'' of set back Trim tabs are a must. I think you can expect 70+ mph with twin 200hp motors. A pair of 2.5 mercs would be great if you can afford them. Try screamandfly.com for more info

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

When you say "Set Back" are you meaning the distance from the motor to the transom? I would love a set of Bridgeports, but only ones I find are 20 inches shafts. The Trim tabs on the boat look like a Bennet setup. Dual cylinders and the tabs are 24 inches long. I would prefer a sturdier tab but they work and came on the boat. The Gill Brackets that are on the boat now place the engines 25 inches from the transom.

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

Well the V-8's were sold to someone else. Probably for the best. I am having a new bracket fabricated from Aluminum, as the old ones are tubular steel. This may shave off 50 pounds. In anyone's expert opinion......would Merc 250's be too much weight? The reason I doubt myself is the mention of porpoising. I have ran smaller ski boats and always went about 50 or so horses over the CG rating. Call me stupid but I have never set up anything extreme or fast (4X4's, street bikes, ect..) with legalities in mind. It's worth the risk. Function is the greater weight.

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

I wuold suggest staying far away from those V8's. Parts are getting to tough to find. They are real hard on gas and heavy. 2.4 Bridgeports are not very reliable. Look for some used 225 Mercs or OMC fishing motors that are 25"

Hello Johnpittman,

I think I can be of some help.

I own two 24' Banana Boats.

The race boat was very successful with the 4.0 V8 outboard, (almost 400hp!), but the previous owner was a really experienced OMC certifeid mechanic and had about 10 spare motors to pull parts off of.

The V8 outboards have lots of torque for sure. Twins would be very powerful.

Keep in mind though, that you will have to spend quite a bit to upgrade your hydraulic steering to twin wrap around cylinders and you will have to raise the limit on your credit card to pay for the fuel.

Here is my other Banana Boat.

It had a stock 1989 2.4 Mercury 200hp for years. The most reliable engine I ever had. Boat went 55mph. Fuel burn was 20 gph. Never once had a problem with it. I used my boat on average 30 times a year.

A friend from screamandfly.com convinced me to trade him my Merc for this 4.0 liter Johnson 350hp outboard with about 60 hours on it since total rebuild.

After going out only 7 times, I got towed in 5. The other two I spent 2-3 hours floating on anchor pulling spark plugs and chasing electrical problems. When it did run my boat went 65mph. Fuel burn was 35 gph!!!!

Was it worth 10mph and almost twice the fuel burn? No.

In summary, stay with the mercury and stay STOCK!

My friend still races twin OMC V8's and loves them. But he is also a great Outboard mechanic.

I am not and I hated the damn thing.

As far as set back, I am familiar with the 24 sonic. Just like the 24' Pantera and 24' Superboat, you definately want a maximum of 17" of set back for best "all around" performance. You can go 25" and go faster, but you will not like the ride. Porpoise and doesn't take the waves as nice.

My white Banana has 17" of setback.

Did I help?

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

Put Some Hondas On It!225 Hp V6 Vetec Rocket Ship That Would Last Forever!go And Drive A Pilot Or A V6 Accord At A Honda Dealer And Expect The Same Performance WITH YOUR BOAT!

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

Once you go black, you'll never go back. If you can find a pair of 225X Promaxes, or 280 Sport/Offshores, 300s, or (last choice) 260s, you will have a good looking, great running boat. The Mercs are pretty reliable considering how fast they are, and much lighter than the competition.
With a fairly short boat and twins, weight is a major consideration in your application. Go black.
Regards,
Steve

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

I agree with Jollyroger. If anybody can build a Johnson O/B to make power reliably, it's Gordon Montague. He built me a 300 horse V-6 about 8 years ago and I ran the hell out of, it even with Nitrous. I occasionally turned it 9,000+ RPM with a 85 hp shot of NOS. I sold it to a friend who is even harder on engines than me and he's still running it on the back of his Allison bass boat. I finally switched to black motors too for weight savings and high RPM (10,000+) 1/4 miling, but, dollar for dollar, nothing makes low end and mid-range power like a Monty Racing V8.

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

John, My good friend has a 24 Sonic w/ twin 225 Mercury's, the boat needs work but the motors are only three years old with zero to no hours on them, they started to rig the boat with some nice equipment (KK Tabs, New gauges, new Bolsters, etc...) He will let the boat go cheap and everything your boat needs this one has it, give me a call and I can hook you up with his number.... Boat is located in Annapolis Md.
Patrick Dolan 410-320-5748 cell

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

I have a pair of 1996 Mercury 2.5 Carbs that are for sale. They were just rebuilt and have test time on the only.

How much for the pair?

Does one have a counter rotating lower?

Have they been modified at all?

Thanks.

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

Great looking boats Air Dog. Thanks for the advice

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

I am looking to get $9000 for the pair. They have not been modified, and one lower unit is counter rotating.

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

If you read my earlier postings....Most of my money goes into my 36 foot fishing boat. A little to rich for my blood. Thanks anyway. Sounds like a great pair.

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

Great looking motors Chris. wish I had the coin.

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

Did you find a set of engines yet?

If not, I have a name and number for you.

:drink:

Re: V-8 Outboards
 

See e.bay for this one
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...ALCA%3AUS%3A31

I have other parts that need to go also, props, harness, throttles etc..........
PM me if interested