Advice with engine fitting

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Zoziedingle

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Hello
We have recently bought a sea line 305 statesman. The boat has no engines or out drives, it still has all the link ups however.
We are unsure what would be best, do we fit 2 outboard engines or do we get 2 inboard engines and out drives?
Is there any tips on where to get these and ways to fit the outdrives?
Thank you
 
I doubt the 305 bathing platform is strong enough for outboard. That's not what it was designed and built for. Plus the weight would be in the wrong place.

If budget constrained then perhaps glass up the transom and install a single engine and leg.

If no budget constraint then the world is your oyster.
 
Zoziedingle said:
Hello
We have recently bought a sea line 305 statesman. The boat has no engines or out drives, it still has all the link ups however.
We are unsure what would be best, do we fit 2 outboard engines or do we get 2 inboard engines and out drives?
Is there any tips on where to get these and ways to fit the outdrives?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Where are you planning to use the boat? If it’s only for inland water then I think you have some options of how to proceed. But if you want a sea boat then I think you are on the cusp of being uneconomical, for the cost of the engines, outdrives and work it might be easier and possibly cheaper to buy a boat that’s ready to go
 
If you can find second-hand engines and drives to match the originals then installation will be simple. Otherwise a couple of Cummins bus engines and marinise them plus any drives that will take the power.
 
It would probably be cheaper an easier to buy a small twin engined boat with suitable engines, take the engines and outdrives to put in yours, you will then have all ancillary items that may be missing from yours, you can then sell the Hull on as a project for someone else.
Probably easier than trying to get engines & legs there will be loads of things missing that you don't even realise until you come to fit them
Remember any mods - outboards, conversion to single will limit resale opportunity and devalue your assets
The 305 would most likey have had v6 petrols or ad31 diesels on 290a legs
 
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Ok, I do have to agree with above a little, but lets try and be more helpful.

If your intended use is inland - canals, rivers, etc then a small single diesel will be fine, try and find a decent runner secondhand, or splash out and go new. Don't need to overpower it if you are going to restrict yourself solely to the inland waterways.

OR you could put a single 30 - 50hp Bigfoot / High Thrust outboard on (you'd have to make up a proper solid outboard bracket rather than use the swim platform.

Even better would be a pair of say 15 / 25 HP High Thrust outboards spaced widely apart which would give great manoeuvrability, and you could run on a river with just the one engine (fit rudders to the outboards) and if it got a bit tidal or a bit windy you could fire up the second one. However you are seriously only going to be able to sell it on to someone who wants something a bit "Quirky" and who is also never going to use it for anything else. The resale value will be rotten, and actually finding a buyer could be almost impossible.

If your aim is to go coastal, I think it's unviable.

For coastal If you go petrol, then you are going to be spending a lot of money on engines and outdrives (I think this was an outdrive boat?) and no-one will want to buy it as it's twin petrol! If you go Diesel (which is the right choice) then a couple of decent powerful diesels and outdrives are going to cost a bomb unless you are lucky enough to stumble across a decent pair of runners.....

I just don't really know what to advise. A call to Lancing Marine would be an idea - they are a decent bunch who know their stuff. If you could get hold of a couple of older transit engines, you can marinise them - but you still have to find legs for them.

Looking at repower marine, even a base engine 3.0 four cyl is £3300 then you have to add in a sterndrive (£5000? can't really find a price for a new leg anywhere....) then all the labour and ancillaries so I'm thinking you need to factor about £10k per side for a basic petrol and £15k per side for a diesel??

So problem is, you could quite easily spend £30k on two engines and outdrives - maybe more by the time they are fitted, and will the boat then be worth £40k + what you have spent to buy it - assuming you paid £3-5K for it, well yes maybe it will, but if you paid £10k + it's starting to get questionable......?

May we ask what you did pay - because as above, if it was cheap as chips, possibly getting it back on eBay in the spring, well valeted, tidied up and looking desirable you may well get someone else to buy it, and THEY can realise it's not a cheap job.....
 
Opo
ontheplane said:
Ok, I do have to agree with above a little, but lets try and be more helpful.

If your intended use is inland - canals, rivers, etc then a small single diesel will be fine, try and find a decent runner secondhand, or splash out and go new. Don't need to overpower it if you are going to restrict yourself solely to the inland waterways.

OR you could put a single 30 - 50hp Bigfoot / High Thrust outboard on (you'd have to make up a proper solid outboard bracket rather than use the swim platform.

Even better would be a pair of say 15 / 25 HP High Thrust outboards spaced widely apart which would give great manoeuvrability, and you could run on a river with just the one engine (fit rudders to the outboards) and if it got a bit tidal or a bit windy you could fire up the second one. However you are seriously only going to be able to sell it on to someone who wants something a bit "Quirky" and who is also never going to use it for anything else. The resale value will be rotten, and actually finding a buyer could be almost impossible.

If your aim is to go coastal, I think it's unviable.

For coastal If you go petrol, then you are going to be spending a lot of money on engines and outdrives (I think this was an outdrive boat?) and no-one will want to buy it as it's twin petrol! If you go Diesel (which is the right choice) then a couple of decent powerful diesels and outdrives are going to cost a bomb unless you are lucky enough to stumble across a decent pair of runners.....

I just don't really know what to advise. A call to Lancing Marine would be an idea - they are a decent bunch who know their stuff. If you could get hold of a couple of older transit engines, you can marinise them - but you still have to find legs for them.

Looking at repower marine, even a base engine 3.0 four cyl is £3300 then you have to add in a sterndrive (£5000? can't really find a price for a new leg anywhere....) then all the labour and ancillaries so I'm thinking you need to factor about £10k per side for a basic petrol and £15k per side for a diesel??

So problem is, you could quite easily spend £30k on two engines and outdrives - maybe more by the time they are fitted, and will the boat then be worth £40k + what you have spent to buy it - assuming you paid £3-5K for it, well yes maybe it will, but if you paid £10k + it's starting to get questionable......?

May we ask what you did pay - because as above, if it was cheap as chips, possibly getting it back on eBay in the spring, well valeted, tidied up and looking desirable you may well get someone else to buy it, and THEY can realise it's not a cheap job.....
Click to expand...
You have just justified my comments on finding a cheap boat to strip the engines out of, pay maybe around 10k or less for a sport boat or similar for cheaper than your option of buying engines and legs, also would help to maintain resale value
 
Zoziedingle said:
Hello
We have recently bought a sea line 305 statesman. The boat has no engines or out drives, it still has all the link ups however.
We are unsure what would be best, do we fit 2 outboard engines or do we get 2 inboard engines and out drives?
Is there any tips on where to get these and ways to fit the outdrives?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Try coastal rides
 
fred247 said:
Opo

You have just justified my comments on finding a cheap boat to strip the engines out of, pay maybe around 10k or less for a sport boat or similar for cheaper than your option of buying engines and legs, also would help to maintain resale value
Click to expand...


If such a boat could be found then it may be a good option.

Can we ask the OP what his intended use is = coastal or inland = the answers will vary considerably....
 
ontheplane said:
If such a boat could be found then it may be a good option.

Can we ask the OP what his intended use is = coastal or inland = the answers will vary considerably....
Click to expand...
Their out there
Princess 32 twin ad31 on legs £9995
2× invader 22 - 1 engine 2 legs £1250
All depends on condition of course
 
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If you are up front and explain what you want from the boatand are you able to do mechanics , more help will come along , there even be peeps who may have bits in their garage. So come on we all want to help get you on the water.
 
Seriously I think putting outboards on it would pretty much destroy any possible resale.

2 x outboards big enough for sea use would cost more than putting a couple of sensible inboards in unless the OP went seriously old.

2 x outboards for inshore / inland use would pretty much destroy any chance of selling it.



I actually think the OP has run from the forum after the first responses anyhow - only 2 posts ever. Not been back on the forum since 1hr after their original post.
 
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