Drago Sorocos 640 - engine choice?

[andrewwoodcock]

Hello, just found this forum in the last couple of days, hope to be a frequent visitor!

We're currently looking at the above boat, which meets the mark as regards size and spec. The only question is over the engine, and I wondered if I could have some opinions of a Yamaha 80hp 4 stroke outboard vs. a Mercruiser 3.0L 135hp petrol inboard? In this case the inboard version is priced about £1,500 cheaper.

We're new to all this, and even the most basic comments will be useful. The boat will be used mainly around the Solent.

Thanks

Andrew

 

[whisper]

Hi, welcome to the fold.
I would have thought that the Yamaha would be a lot lighter and more fuel efficient than the Mercruiser. The outboard option would also probably give you more storage room on the boat. It may also be more reliable but that is more of a guess rather than being based on evidence.
However, will 80hp be sufficient to give you decent performance when the boat is fully laden - it may not. It's surprising how much "stuff" one carts about with you and it all adds up to a considerable weight.

I'm sure an "expert" will be along in a short while to give you proper help.
Enjoy yourselves.

 

[Kawasaki]

Welcome whateveryouwant.Whateveryouwant to know about boats Life and the Universe some one will enlighten you in this Forum. Whateveryouwant to use your boat for IMHO go down the 4 stroke outboard route. 1, ease of maintenance, 2,More space aboard (presume a 640 whateveritis) is about 21 FT ? 3, fuel consumption, and 4 , modern 4 strokes are nice and quiet 4rugal on fuel. whatever enjoy the water!

 

[andrewwoodcock]

Many thanks for the comments. Yes, the 640 is about 21ft. TBH I'm now wondering about a 100hp outboard for the reasons already stated. Probably only about £500 more.

 

[jointventureII]

We have a yamaha 4-stroke 115hp outboard which (here comes the kiss of death) has been reliable in the 2 years we've owned it. Very quiet and efficient too, on our 23ft Orkney we burn about 1.2 litres / nm.

 

[andrewwoodcock]

That's extremely useful to know. How would you rate the performance? And could you tell me what servicing costs you'd normally incur and how often?

Thanks