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.

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?

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.