Finally got me a Dyne! Power options?

After years of waiting I finally snagged a 1972 18' bubble deck in excellent condition with a 1983 175 Johnson also in good condition. The boat was redone with a new transom about 10 years ago. I want to repower with twin 150 Verados. My previous experience is with a 16' with twin 115 Johnsons when I was with Hodag Water Shows (Rhinelander, WI) in the mid 70's. Can the 18' take the extra weight of the Verado twins? My other option is a pair of 115 Merc 4 strokers like I have on the pontoon boat (only 1 on the toon!). I really like the quiet operation and fuel economy of the 4 strokes, and am a Merc guy, and love to play with twins. I would like to hear from anyone that has put a pair of 4 strokes on a Hydrodyne.

Thanks, TJ

 

TJ,

Your present motor will pull everything the boat will handle off the pylon.

More weight will deteriorate the handling.

More power will require some sort of low mounted tow point and/or balast to take full advantage of the power.

There has been a lot of discussion of this on this forum.

I know of several boats that mounted twin Merc V6's. They were all team boats, and had a reason to have the power. They rode pretty low in the water.

jim

 

I really dont care if the boat rides a bit lower in the back. The boat does have a ski pylon but I do not plan on towing more than 3. The gas tank is in the bow. This rig is for me and my kids and grand kids. The only reason I want twins is because they are fun to drive and the Dyne I knew beck in the day was the most awesome boat I ever drove. I do not need twins but I want twins and will have twins just because I can. I would love to have triples but at some point sanity has to take over.

So again the question - Has anyone put a pair of 4 strokers on a Hydrodyne?

 

Verados are a lot heavier then the equivalent Optimax. Some teams have tried the Verados and said no way. For your use they probably would be fine. The four stroke Yamaha might be better if want 4 stroke.

 

Thanks for the reply. The 150 Verado's weigh about 100 lbs more than the 150 Optimax (each) so I did not think the extra 200 lbs would be that much of a difference. I could always re-locate the batteries to the bow if needed - I did this on a boat once that had trouble getting on plane. I have also read in a different thread on this site that Yamahas are very difficult to hold a given speed with and since I am a Merc guy that was all I needed to hear about Yamahas. I think a pair of Verados will do me fine.

Again thanks - TJ

 

Keep this in mind:
an 18 footer with carb or efi merc twins will swamp the motors and the splashwell if you pull it off plane quickly. Optis are 40-50 lbs heavier each than efis/carbs. Add 200 lbs to that and you may find the boat is unusable by anyone but a driver you trust to keep it on top of the water. The few clubs that had twin 18s with V6s got rid of them because they had to worry more about keeping water out of them than driving them for the skiers.

Get a single 300 Pro XS if you are set on mercs. Way more fun boat that way and you won't have to worry about it being on the bottom of the lake.

 

I have pulled 10 skiers from deepwater - we are just knuckleheads, NOT showskiers - with my 1976 18' with 200HP Johnson. Six were on combos, 4 on slalom skis. You don't need more than than 175.... A pair of 115s would be cool.

Scott

 

Twin 115 Merc 4 strokes would be 800 pounds hanging on the transom + batteries, oil in the motor, and controls. Not to mention the ballast that would be required.

I do not believe there is any way to install enough flotation to float it if swamped, much less float it level. That would rule it out (for me) as a family boat for grandchildren. Club boats are another issue.

Twin 4 strokes need a Dyne 20 to be safe in my opinion.

jim

 

Two 4 strokes on a Dyne? Seriously? Because you can? I take it you "can" finacially? If that's the case why not find a pair of remanufactured old 115 inline 6's to put on? You can find them these days without much looking rebuilt and ready to go, if your heart is set on twins on an 18. I agree with the rest regarding better choices for the 18. I'd even say a PRO XS 200 would give you more than enough oomph for what you seem to require, plus would be a fairly sharp looking setup, and new. Can you tell I'm not a fan of 4 strokes O/B's on a ski boat?

 

I am not a stranger to ass-heavy boats as I have routinely overpowered OB boats over the years. Golden rule #1 - never chop the throttle without goosing it a bit to outrun the splashback. A Merc Opti weighs 431 dry and a Verado weighs 510 dry. The club I used to be with currently runs a pair of 150 Optis on an 18' with no problems. An extra 160 pounds IMO is a non-issue as my boat will not be a show boat and will not tow more than 5, and will not be driven by inexperienced drivers. If my boat was a showboat I would definitely go with 1 big or 2 medium 2 strokers as I would want to milk out every ounce of performance as I do with my Venom with a 225XS.

Performance is not the issue. Fuel economy, Quietness, and the Religious experience of driving a twin engine Dyne are the issues with me.

Weather you agree or disagree with me thanks for the input - TJ