I need input please.

endlessseas · November 2014

My wife and I are thinking about a Sundeck model this year or 2015 and I'd like some input from you guys about your boats please. It seems I need info on outboard engines and inboard engines. Can you tell me what you have and give me hp and speed and fuel efficiency. I can't decide what to get the boat with.
I really appreciate anyones help in this buying decision.
We are looking at the 24SD as of now.

Thanks,
Tom…………come on spring!

FlyingV5 · November 2014

Ahoy, endlessseas.
Glad to hear you are thinking Hurricane. We just put ours away for the winter after its third summer and we are still very happy with our purchase.
There are so many things to consider. The bottom line is, as soon as you buy a boat you'll see a different model you like at the fuel dock. I have a FD196OB. That is the one with metal railings like a pontoon all the way to the bow. I think the SD series has fiberglass sides, a full windshield and maybe a couple sockets for fishing chairs on the bow? I might have had one of those except I got a real good deal on a boat-show model that was sitting on my dealer's lot. Whatever you decide, go for big horsepower, you can always throttle it back. My boat has a 115 but is rated up to 150 and sometimes I wish... And if hydraulic steering is not standard, specify it. As to the outboard, I chose that because we like to use the boat in winter for eagle watching and cruising on warm days. With an outboard you can do this and just put it away when you are done, an inboard must be thoroughly winterized every time it gets wet, so $$$$. But an inboard is so much quieter and the stern area is neater, there are pros and cons to each. Read this forum for other ideas and keep us posted on what you decide.

89checkmate · November 2014

I just bought a 2015 203 sport deck O/B with a 200 optimax, best GPS speed is 52.7 mph, it's pretty decent on fuel, I prefer the outboard because it's easier to maintain, easier to use in cold weather and in my opinion better performance than a I/O, better for shallow water as well.

maxbird · November 2014

My Sundeck 195 OB has a Suzuki DF175 which tops out at about 50 mph @ 6000 rpms. Gets great gas mileage. Only need about 3 tankfulls (45 gal capacity) for a summer on the lake. Outboard models give you more room in the boat, are easier to work on and you can raise them out of the water, an advantage if you boat in salt water. They are also hundreds of pounds lighter, a good thing if you put your boat on a lift. They are also easier to work on. On the negative side they have a small swim platform compared to a full width platform on I/Os and don't look as good hanging off of the transom. The initial investment and parts are also more expensive for OB's. Either way you go, you can't buy a better deck boat than a Hurricane.

HydroCanis · November 2014

My boat's a bit older (2003), a Sundeck 217 with a Yamaha 2 stroke carburetted outboard, 150hp. First boat, bought this past summer. Fuel injected 4 strokes should get you a bit better fuel mileage. The only time I measured it, I got about 2.8 statute miles per gallon (87 octane E10 only), which somewhat surprised me (in a good way). Given a choice, I would go for a 200hp outboard. With the 217, 150hp is plenty for pulling skiers or tubes or hauling a boat full of passengers, but doing both at the same time makes it a little sluggish. Top speed with the 150hp is about 40mph. My 217 is rated for 10 persons/1440 lbs, which suits me. I was looking at 19', 21', 24' and even 26' boats. Thankfully I ended up with the 21', as I tow it most everywhere and towing and launching and docking a bigger boat for this newbie would not have worked out so well. With a larger Sundeck, I would definitely want 200-250hp. Auto-based I/Os (Merc 4.3, 5.0, 5.7 liters, etc.) certainly have advantages, but I went for O/B since I intend to use it in salt water sometimes (easier to flush out while in the water; alloys more resistant to corrosion). I still need to use fogging oil to winterize it, but don't have to worry about the engine freezing as all the water drains when tilted down. If I was not going to let it sit more than a month at a time, I wouldn't bother with the fogging oil (prevents internal surface corrosion). Another choice is prop type. Search on discussions about that. One thing to check out about I/Os is the Bravo drive system as an alternative to the Alpha single prop. Some swear by it.

endlessseas · November 2014

Thank you for your help.

endlessseas · November 2014

Thank you very much sounds like you have a fun boat.

endlessseas · November 2014

I still would like some input if anyone else will take the time please?

Thanks,
Tom

longlake · November 2014

Hey endlesseas, I bought a 2014 188 gs this past year and was faced with the same decision....io or ob? My brother has a 202 with an io and I always like the performance of his boat. One thing that always bothered me though was when just going at an idle speed, there's a lot of play in the steering wheel in the io. Also, I like to save a few bucks by doing maintenance and winterization myself, which I can do with the OB. We boat in Minnesota so winterization is important. I ended up going with 150 YAMAHA 4 stroke. Another advantage of the OB for me was you gain a little more cockpit space than the io. The downside is you miss out on the back swim deck, which is a very nice feature. The OB is a lighter weight and as such leaves a smaller boat wake, which I like for water skiing purposes. But honestly, you can't go wrong with either decision. Both will make a great rig. In my case I get 47 to 48 mph with the 150 hp. I think it probably has a little better hole shot for water skiing than the IO might have also. Good luck.

endlessseas · November 2014

Thank you very much.

HydroCanis · December 2014

Several have commented on the nicety of having a full swim deck in the back with I/O. The full width rear deck is definitely nice, as it's lower, but the Sundeck models I'm familiar with have a pretty good sized front deck with ladder as well. If you have socket mounts for fishing chairs, that reduces the sitting area a bit, and dangling your feet in the water isn't going to work so well off the front unless you're playing for the NBA. Floating around ahead of the bow means not having to avoid bumping into the prop (always off but still, ouch) but also avoiding getting too far below and bopping your head on the bottom of the hull as the boat bobs around.

I need input please.

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