Frankenmotors??
 

Ive got my eye on a 24 Skater, $17k
It's described as having the following...

• 97 225 promax power heads
• brucoto ecu's
• 92 2.5 off shore legs
• portmaster gearcases

Im coming from 15+ years of I/O knowledge, but dont know jack about O/B :party-smiley-004: Just looking to get back onto the water again!

Can anyone tell me if this is a good combination and if it is going to be reliable?

What should a 24' with twin 225s run MPH max and cruising??

Thanks, Chris

very reliable combination.. One of the better setups in my opinion. Top speed is nearly the same as 300's and you can actually get insurance for it. With Brucato ECU's it should run like a scalded dog!

Link to the boat? Have you read the 24 thread yet? Pretty much everything you've ever wanted to know about 24's in there..a few threads down from this one in the Skater forum..

Should run in the low to mid 90's, depends on how much power the 225's are really putting out.. Cruising speeds don't count in the 24 because they porpoise! 40 should be comfortable.. 50-75 is a handful.. 75+ smooths out..

225 promax's ARE 2.5's so no problem with the 2.5 offshore legs(mid's) Brucato is a company that reprograms ECU's(and makes other outboard mods) so they have been tweaked(most likely Rev limiter either moved up, or eliminated, possibly some timing and fuel tweaks also), gearcases are sportmaster, not portmaster, the sportmaster is the best gearcase for that combo.

As far as the reliabilty, I am not too sure about the 225 promax, should be just fine, as it is an injected 225 with some minor mod's but the other options for that boat would be 200 fishing motors(probably still be fast enough), and 260 or 280 Merc Racing engines, from what I hear the 260's and 280's need rebuilding every 100 hours or so, but I couldnt tell ya for sure, cuz I cant afford one.

I would have to guess if setup properly, those 225's would have you in the 90's(maybe faster), but there are others here that have actually run them and can chime in.

one of the main reasons those promax 225's were more reliable than 260-280's is that they were set up to run at lower redline. They used a oil injection system with gear driven oil pump. You can't turn those engines at high rpm because the oil pump gears will fail if you do so.
Do you know what all has been done to the motors ( you mentioned Brucato)? I'd assume that since the ecu was modified, the oil injection system was eliminated as well, to allow the benefits of higher rpm limits to be realized. That being said, it sounds like a fun package at a great price! Go for it!

http://longisland.craigslist.org/boa/3043510936.html


I spoke to the owner this morning! That was the price with the motors!! And it was sold already :(
He said he let it go for $12k! Also said the hull was a little beat up and needed new gas tank, but I would have definitely beaten a price of $12k... Serious bummer!

David... I didnt get into many questions with him since it was sold

Is this about the going price for a 24 Skater with decent motors?

WOW that is cheap i mean real cheap no matter what condition it is, and NO thats not the price they go for. They normally go anywhere from the high 20's close to 40.....Who ever bought that got one HELL OF A DEAL.... DAMN

That's what I was thinking.... Really kicking myself for not looking into it earlier.

no that is not the going price, Somebody got a heck of a deal or a pandoras box of trouble depending on the true condition of hull.
I can tell you from experience, that there can be serious issues with the hull that are difficult to detect even with a professional surveyer that can cost thousands to repair. Check out 36 skater project here on OSO and youll see what I'm talking about.
In your case with the 24, who knows, maybe you were spared a major headache

I am running that exact setup. 225 promaxes on a 25 Talon. It's a bullet proof, low maintenance (Gearcase fluid change every 5 or 6 outings) package. The sportmaster, if setup right , should last you a while if you don't abuse it. The Brucato box will improv "all" the running characteristics and the offshore mids can handle abuse and piss off the tree huggers. It's a win win. Set up should run low 90s' all day. Just nut and bolt the powerhead, Steering and lower unit to be safe.
I have broke prop shafts, steering ends and powerheads at speed with no adverse handling issues. Be safe and take your time learning to drive one and it can be very rewarding.

BB what props you runnin @ what rpm? Just curious