I am getting a new boat and have the option of staggered versus side by side engine set up. Looking for input on the trade offs like handling, rough water capability, speed, manueverability around docks, room to work on engine maintenance etc.

What make,size & power ?

Staggered: Faster and easier to bang up in and around the docks.

staggered: if you have the cockpit room, better balance, drives are lower on the vee and much easyer to work on the motors

I am getting the first new larger Sunsation. It is now slated to be right at 43 feet. They just added another foot to the engine compartment to accomodate staggered. So there is no impact on the cockpit size.

I'm getting 525s put in it. I haven't decided whether or not to get ITS yet. There is more information on a thread in the Sunsation forum named when is the new 38 coming.

Staggered lowers the motors in the hull. This lowers the center of gravity. This theoretically makes the boat handle rough corners better and safer with less tendency to roll to the high side. Can also have taller intake setups without having to add scoops. Oilpans are same distance from the hull bottom, so you still have the same access underneath the motors. These are all desirable qualities. Saddle tanks, though, can be high enough to offset this benefit.

Staggered moved roll mass closer to the center of the boat. The roll axis runs from the center of the transom to the nose. The closer the mass is centered, the less roll inertia it has. So what does this do? On one hand, a chinewalking issue will have less inertia, and less tendency to amplify. On the other hand, less roll inertia will allow the hull to rock side to side more aggressively in cross chop. In many cases, though, staggered setups also use saddle tanks. Saddle tanks will add roll inertia, which reverses the above tendencies.

Moving one motor forward moves the center of gravity AND pitch axis forward. Boat should plane easier. Should mow down chop better. Should fly more level. Depending on the need for bow lift on a particular hull, this may NOT result in the best ultimate top speeds for that hull. Also, motor access is fantastic on the INSIDE portions of both motors. The outside portions may be restricted by saddle tanks. You can access the front of the forward motor from the side, and you can access the rear of the rearward motor from the side so it's a win win. Depending on which motor is forward, you will either have excellent or typical (pitiful) access to the rearmost starter. "Easy to remove" tailpipes on the forward motor are a great idea for some more involved servicing on the rear motor..

Having the drives close together supposedly improves prop bite in cornering.

It also requires that you dock it more like you would handle a single. Drive leverage for spinning the boat with opposing thrust is minimal at best. But that is part of what makes them cool.

Oh yeah, staggered is cool. That's a plus.
You do lose cockpit space, but you gain some pretty impressive storage in the engine compartment (think in terms of those greeat big Rubbermaid storage bins).

ITS?
For less money you can do Imco boxes at 12" setback instead of the 7" ITS setback. You still run a tie bar with ITS so you don't really clean up the tail THAT much with it. Your choice.

There's my 2 cents.

mc

thanks MC, great information.

Interesting MC... what is your take on Nigel Hook's "tandem" set up in the lucas oil boat?..........

That is one of the best paragraphs I have read on this board in a long time MC Well said. NK

anybody have pics of that setup? i have heard Pat W. talk about it on the board here and it sounds very interesting.