Albemarle Tradewinds March 2018 Web OPT

Jake’s Outdoor Adventures
Repowering and Rigging your boat (Part two of two)
Last month, we covered starting the process of repowering a boat.
Now that you are ready to take the plunge, your next decision is
who you will purchase the motors from. This is the most important step
you will make. My family has always dealt with Causeway Marina in
Camden. My Dad says buying local is important and knowing the person
behind the counter and in the shop, is worth its weight in gold. Any
dealer can sell an engine, but installing it and servicing it over the next
decade is what you must consider overall.
As you may have read in a previous issue, my dealer helped me
secure an Evinrude Pro Staff relationship. Because Causeway Marina
had always serviced my boat, they knew how many hours I ran the
boat a year, what kind of fi shing I was doing, and what I was looking
for in the repower. After much consideration, I went with the Evinrude
ETEC G2 225HO engines. One thing I was looking for in new engines
was a wider RPM and speed spread that I needed to operate in a
variety of offshore sea conditions. Because I fi sh out of Oregon Inlet, I
needed engines that would give me high torque and immediate speed
out of the hole to get on plane and power over inlet ocean swell. Best
of all--unlike my previous engines that had to be serviced every 100
hours-- my new Evinrudes only need to be serviced every 5 years or
500 hours!
I also went with dual electronic controls and the ICON II Multiple
Engine Binnacle Controls. These controls are smooth, and you can
easily adjust your RPMs while underway. You can also use the RPM
adjustments to make small adjustments to your speed. I also selected
the Evinrude ICON Touch Series display system. This information
supercenter has all the information I will need. It displays engine RPM,
by Jake Worthington
speed, oil pressure and levels, fuel level, MPG, distance travelled, engine
trim and a host of other options. Switching power from control box
to control box is also very simple and fast. Once the engines were on,
all we had to do was test which props matched the engine and boat.
Every repower is different and the propellers are the last part of the
puzzle. You have to try several different blade and pitch combinations
until it gives you the performance you need.
After we selected the correct propeller combination, it was time for
5 hours of break in period. It was a well spent 5 hours because the
repower had completely changed how the boat handled. With the old 4
stroke motors I had, the boat needed to be going at least 4000 RPMs
to get to a good cruising speed. This was fi ne when it was calm, but
if you are fi ghting rough seas 4000 RPMs made the ride rough. Now
I can cruise as low as 2800 RPMs in rough seas giving me a smooth
ride. The boat will also go as fast as 60 MPH now which is great in a
calm ride to the Gulf Stream. Once the five hour break-in period was
done, it was time for fi shing and enjoying my new motors!
This is a ruthless world and
one must be ruthless to
cope with it.
- Charlie Chaplin
To see more of Jakes Outdoor
Adventures go to
https://www.facebook.com/
jakesoutdooradventuresnc
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