merc 60hp efi

[glenn helmers]

anyone running a 60hp efi any opinions please tell

Just ordered his on Saturday.

4 stroke Merc 60 HP EFI with the big foot gearbox.

It'll take about 5 weeks for the Boat to be built and delivered before he can give you any figures on how it runs, fuel consumption etc...

This is what he went for.

Surprisingly the seat is a divided livewell - just ideal for bream comps - he claims to not be interetsed in fishing in comps or for bream - (I think he's too impatient for bream fishing).

Cheers

As an aside I did ask the same question as you about the 60 merc 4 stroke EFI's on a US boating board where due to the market size - you'd expect a few more people to have bought them.

This was the reply.

Trouty,

I have 2 x 60HP, 4 stroke, Mercury EFI motors on my Twin Vee 20ft boat. They have 400 hours ea on them & run just fine. Fuel economy has been very noticeably better over my last 2 stroke motor.

The Bigfoot, 60HP, 4 stroke Mercury is designed for heavy loads

http://www.mercurymarine.com/mercury_bigfoot_fourstroke

I would make sure that?s the application before purchasing one.

There is no physical difference between the 50 & 60 HP, 4 stroke, Mercury Motors. The extra power comes from internal adjustments, ie; timing, fuel, etc.

Tight Lines,

Capt. Tom Hughes
Fly & Light Tackle Guide
http://capttomhughes.com

Bro in law figures the extra prop dia available with the bigfoot (13 - 14 inches0 will give a lot more grip than the samll 10 dia prop on the standard gearcase so he will be able to tow fat bugga's like me n him outta the water a lot easier on wakeboards and ski biscuits etc.

Also - the bigfoot gearbox is a lower ratio gear reduction (2.31:1) than the standard box (1.83:1) which will hurt top end speed a few MPH but he can increase the prop pitch to likely 16 inches or so to overcome the loss of mph...

I'm pretty sure he'll get about 30 knots out of it if not a couple more.

Another pic! ;)

Whats the consernsus - how would these go as a breamin hull?

Cheers!

He picked the blue n white trim rather than red.

Foam filled hull for safety (positive bouyancy).

Now he's trying to figure which is the best sounder to fit in it..

Anyone used the Huminbird Matrix with sidescan feature who can give some feedback on how good it is for finding bream in the snags?

http://matrix.humminbird.com.au/product_group.cfm?id=2110&s=2

Always tough giving proper consideration to all the fruit when buying a new boat, usually the budget has to accomodate the fruit and you are so busy with selecting the right engine, hull & trailer that you don't tend to get the time to study electronics in depth enough to ensure you get the right stuff at the outset.

Cheers!

[Craig_S]

Trouty, Ira Fehlberg fished one of those (a 5m version?) in the Kalgan River during one of last years comps.

I think the general response was that it was a corker. The only negative feedback I can remember was that it was a difficult boat to deal with when the wind came right up, although that same problem could easily apply to a lot of other boats.

It floated on a damp sponge and was apparently quite stable indeed as a casting platform.

floated on a damp sponge

Craig thats a good-un!:D I got a chuckle outta that one.

Flash the bro In Law selected this hull for it's price and stability.

I'd have preferred he got the Hound Dog for additional freeboard for ocean use - but 10 grand extra is a heck of a lot for same length basically similar hulls (except the freeboard).

Guy who makes the Hound Dog is a cray fisherman and he only builds a couple each year in the 4 months off season so a waiting list exists also.

Time will tell how the Western Whaler holds up...there were a few things I wasn't overly impressed with on the hull - one was a lack of backing plates for all the deck hardware. Instead of being thru bolted to a backing plate to distribute the load - the hardware is just screwed to the glass. I suspect if it was overloaded it might just pull the screws out.

Flash specified backing plates but they want to charge a LOT extra for just a few small pieces of stainless shaped and drilled to match the bases of the hardware. These are the sorts of attention to detail you expect SHOULD come from a manufacturer, you shouldn't have to specify it as an 'extra' and get quoted a lot extra for it.

What if your towing the boat 50 miles offshore to some islands behind a big boat as a tender and the towing eye, or Bow anchor bollard just tore it's screws out?.... you'd be stuffed, totally.

You really do have to keep a close eye these days during the building of your hull if you want to get quality. It's too easy for manufacturers to take short cuts.

Time will tell if the Whaler proves to be a good choice or not.

Likewise with the 4 stroke Merc 60 EFI...only time will tell...

Cheers.

[Craig_S]

I guess time will tell Trouty but I reckon its a pretty good pick.

The memory has come back a little on this boat and I can remember one of the most impressive things about it was the internal space. It had a huge front casting platform and I reckon 4 guys could have fished from it easy.

My guess is he'll love it...lucky bugger!

[Bear]

I think the only complaint was the weight. Takes a lot more lecky power to push round one of those lumps.

[Bear]

Here's a pic of the Whaler Ira used.

Don't know if he'll fit an electric - he did talk about it, but like everything the cost soon adds up.
We figure this is about his 6th boat in the last 4 years!:rolleyes:
Surely he will get it right this time?:D

I ran some numbers thru the prop calculator program today, and based on it's length and weight- I figure with the 60 Merc and a 14 or 16 inch pitch prop it should top about low 30 knots, which is plenty fast enough for most uses.

Stability is the crucial thing, Flash is a big lad - 6ft 4' and god knows what weight, but more than me, (which is too much).
This thing is about the only 17fter that will stay stable when Flash gets in (or moves around).

Anyone wants a REALLY sweet 16 ft glass runabout with 70 hp 3 cyl OB which has just had a new impeller, on a smick breakback trailer with submersible lights for only $7K then lemme know!

Looks like new, it won't last long once listed for sale.

Cheers!