Besides the extra cost involved with the 3rd engine are trips really that bad..? I am trying to collect info for a possible boat change..

I do not have an exact boat inmind but many of the ones I am looking at are trips..

Does the manufacturer matter? Meaning is one Make better or worse in handling trips..?

Insurance will matter.

50% more gas and more breakage for a 5-7% mph gain or something trivial like that compared to the 50% increase in running costs.

It's not as bad as it might seem ... Your gonna use MORE fuel !!! With some combinations , you can run faster speeds with "stock" power plants instead of going with built up twins . In some boats , in rough seas the weight is actually an advantage . And , as I'm sure you're now seeing ... resale on triple engine boats SUCKS !!!! so you can find "deals" out there ... All this being said , I would keep looking for the "right" twin engine boat for your application ... It's out there ! Have fun , the shopping's the best part.

JM

OK, you know the fuel is going to SUCK your wallet dry, unless you don't run very far each weekend. And insurance, well it's insurance.

The things that I would look at are,

1) How much room is in the bilge to work on the engines for things as simple as changing the oil and spark plugs.

2)How heavy is the boat overall? If you are pushing a 12,000 # boat with two drives, you are asking EACH drive to puch 6000 #'s. With triples on the same weight boat, you are asking EACH drive to push 4000 #'s. It's something to think about.

3)How balanced is the boat with triples? Some hulls are more balanced with the third engine forward of the twins, JM's SABER comes to mind. I hear it ROCKS in the rough stuff.

Just a few things to think about.

Robert

I own a triple Fountain, I love it, insurance sucks but overall its not as bad as people make it to be. I see speeds in the mid 90's and don't skip a beat to big water. my .02 cents


also TONTO's point #2 is a good one

I have three engines but i keep one in the garage as a spare....

I personally don't like tripple engine boats. One thing I can tell you from experience is; if you loose one engine you can still cruise home a 40 mph on two engines. So, if you loose a motor with the twins and your 20 minutes from home at 50 mph on the ocean it will quickly turn into a 2 hr Idle home on 1 engine. Meanwhile the tripple engine boat gets home in 25 minutes on two engines.

YEP .... forgot about that one .... with trips , you can stay on plane and get back to port in a timely fashion ... has come in quite handy over the years ... DAMN TRANSMISSIONS !!!

What boats are you looking at ???

My $.02 would be that the decision would mostly depend on you usage... If you are cruising the gas consumption is minimal difference from twins, however, if you are a WOT kinda guy they will drink as much as they can... Small blower motors will cruise at just under 1 MPG at around 50 MPH in a 12.5K lb. boat and 225 Mercury's about 1.7 MPG in a 9K lb. pound boat at the same speed... The insurance question is not that bad for me since mine is based on the total value with a moderate deductable but I am sure that will depend on the area you boat and the company who insures the boat... Above Tonto's #2 sums it up but these are only thoughts from my experience... Either way it's still a bunch of fun!!

Thanks, Karl

Tont's #3 point is a good one also. Make sure you ride in it first.

BTW It does rock NK