Repowering my 215 Explorer

[nestorpr]

Well, during my last outing my 2001 Mercury 200hp 2-stroke ate the #2 piston! Engine seized up and had to be towed back, good thing I was only about 1 mile away from the marina ramp. Really sucked but I did get to meet a really great TowBoat operator, Capt. Randy! Anyway, after much internet research and phone calls I settled on a new 2021 Suzuki 300hp with DTS. Boat is at the dealer's now getting readied for hanging the new engine and I can't wait to try her out. Does anyone else have the same model boat and engine combo? I'd love to hear your experiences and comments!

[nestorpr]

She's back! The dealer did a fantastic job even building a new instrument panel to accommodate the new digital gauge without the old analog gauges. They also relocated one of the batteries (why the builder would locate a battery beneath the fuel/water separator is beyond me!) to the port side cabinet where the old oil tank used to be and ensured everything was shipshape. A few days ago the weather permitted me to splash her and begin the break-in process. One of my worries was that the extra engine weight (over 230 lbs.) would drown the transom drain holes but the aft waterline didn't change much, perhaps an inch higher than with the 200 hp. 2 stroke, she really handled the extra weight very well. After 2 hours on the water driving at different speeds up and down the Banana River I reached the point where I could push het to 4k rpm's. Wow! She ran extremely well at 4k rpm reaching a top speed of 37 mph and 3.1 mpg, and at 3750 rpm she gave a speed of 34 mph and 4.17 mpg! I still have to operate her at full throttle and see how she performs but it's been a great success so far!

[RickK]

Congrats on the new power.

[Capt. Bob]

! I still have to operate her at full throttle and see how she performs but it's been a great success so far!

These Aqua/Wellcraft hulls have been known to hit 50 mph with a higher hp motor. I would not be surprised if once you dial it in, you won't see similar results.

Good luck.

[nestorpr]

Thanks guys! I can't even imagine what 50 mph on water feels like but I guess I may find out soon enough though, the dealer installed a Scorpion 151-23 propeller he says should give me the best performance out of the engine/boat combo so we'll see.

[rhtrades]

I am also getting a repower, 200 hp suzuki.  Do you happen to have any swamping with a couple guys fishing at Aft?  Did you change your scuppers at all to the kind that let water out but not in? 

[ShawnL]

good morning, what did you end up re-powering with? Did you have any problems? Is there room for your engine to tilt up out of the water?

[rhtrades]

Good morning, I re-powered with a 200hp Suzuki.  No problems at all and I would highly recommend repowering with that motor on you explorer.

I did install these splashguards at the transom and they help tremendously with keeping too much water out of the splashwell.   

I also installed the "pin pong ball" style scuppers.  I think they help as well. 

https://whitecapmfg.com/

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[rhtrades]

...and i can also tilt my motor completely out of the water, however the lower unit/torpedo does touch the water about a couple inches when motor is resting on the tilt bracket.   
I asked the suzuki dealer if using the tilt bracket was necessary when tilting out of the water on a slip, he said you don't need to use tilt bracket if if you're not trailering.

you could also use an ablative paint on the lower unit...