Re-power recommendation for Sea Ranger 19

[sailajay45]

I am in the market to re-power my 19 foot Sea Ranger. Currently it is powered by an Evinrude E-Tech 115. I am looking at all options and would like to hear from any Sea Ranger 19 owners what they have for power and pros / cons of their motor and horsepower.

[longfield1]

I have a 150 evinrude FICHT and plan on repowering to a 115 or 130. I would like to save some weight and the power that i don't use.

[Jeff]

Be prepared to start discussing the Suzuki 140.

[Badmtrsc2r]

In the same boat.. 

Just called on prices. Choices fall between the Suzuki 140 and the Yamaha 115. Suzuki is available now while the Yamaha is out until ~November... Both the same price ~$12k (installed with controls).

[sikoruk]

I have a Honda 115 on SR19HT. Previous owner re-powered with this engine. Have about 950 hours on it. Have not had any problems, gets up on plane just fine, boat scoots along at WOT, I cruise around at 20+/- knots for the best fuel consumption which is a little under 3 nautical miles per gallon. It's an older 4 stroke and people say it's heavy but it works fine for us.

[Hunter]

In the same boat.. 

Just called on prices. Choices fall between the Suzuki 140 and the Yamaha 115. Suzuki is available now while the Yamaha is out until ~November... Both the same price ~$12k (installed with controls).

Folks are going to say that the 115 is the sweet spot for a 19SR......and I would agree that this is a perfectly adequate and solid choice.  But.....  I personally like the option of hitting 35 to 40 MPH when the conditions are right...    If you are concerned about saving $10 or $15 dollars per trip then shoot for the sweet spot.   

Bottom line..... and I have stated this consistently.....   The MOST important factor in your choice should be weight.

PS..... The Suzi has a 6 year warranty.    What is the warranty on a Yamaha?   

[BK1983]

I have a SR 19 HT. I re-powered last year with a Honda 115. I love it. It was between that and a Yamaha 115 for me. I stayed with Honda because my mechanic is a Honda dealer and I trust him.

[Norcalfish80]

I have a Yamaha 115. I'd much rather have a 140-150 hp engine. Boat gets on plane alright and handles well but doesn't have that extra scoot you like on flat calm days. I top out around 30-31 knots. I'd like to hit 35-40 if conditions allow for it (morning runs often do here, especially in the delta for sturgeon).

[gtboosted]

Wait for the new drive by wire Suzuki's (115 or 140)

[Badmtrsc2r]

In the same boat.. 

Just called on prices. Choices fall between the Suzuki 140 and the Yamaha 115. Suzuki is available now while the Yamaha is out until ~November... Both the same price ~$12k (installed with controls).

Folks are going to say that the 115 is the sweet spot for a 19SR......and I would agree that this is a perfectly adequate and solid choice.  But.....  I personally like the option of hitting 35 to 40 MPH when the conditions are right...    If you are concerned about saving $10 or $15 dollars per trip then shoot for the sweet spot.   

Bottom line..... and I have stated this consistently.....   The MOST important factor in your choice should be weight.

PS..... The Suzi has a 6 year warranty.    What is the warranty on a Yamaha?   

I believe the Yamaha warranty was/is 3 years.

As far as the Suzuki goes, the dealer that I spoke with claimed that the 140 would get better fuel economy at the same speed (not working as hard) compared to the 115. The weight between the two is identical. Leaning towards the 140 Suzuki. That and the 115 is not in stock until closer to the end of the year (same as the Yamaha..). The Suzuki 115 was ~$1200 cheaper than the Yamaha as well.

Dealer is closer, same price, better warranty, more HP.  Both are very reliable..

[Svinny88]

If the hp capacity of the boat allows, and the budget allows, it's always been recommended to go with the highest hp engine in the family/weight class.   I repowered my 16' sea explorer with the Honda bf100, which is the highest hp engine available in the 360lb weight class.  It also had the highest charging capacity , which was also a big factor.  Second choice would have been a Suzuki for me.  I'm not 100% sure, but I think 115-150/175 hp is the next group, I'd go with 150/175, if budget and hp capacity allows.

[Badmtrsc2r]

If the hp capacity of the boat allows, and the budget allows, it's always been recommended to go with the highest hp engine in the family/weight class.   I repowered my 16' sea explorer with the Honda bf100, which is the highest hp engine available in the 360lb weight class.  It also had the highest charging capacity , which was also a big factor.  Second choice would have been a Suzuki for me.  I'm not 100% sure, but I think 115-150/175 hp is the next group, I'd go with 150/175, if budget and hp capacity allows.

I don't think it is justifiable jumping from the 140 to the 150. It is a different platform, and not sure where all the power is generated, but the 150 is ~125# heavier. 

[Svinny88]

If the 140 Suzuki is the highest hp version in its class, then that would be the motor to compare any other to. 
In my case, the bf75, bf90, and bf100 are all built on the same platform. My biggest concern was the charging output, which all 3 of these Honda's had the highest available, 44 amp, with 35amp dedicated to charging batteries. The little bit of extra $ to go with the bf100 was in my opinion worth it.  If I did not need the charging capacity, the Yamaha f70 would have been my choice, because of the weight savings.  I guess all I'm trying to get at, is if the 115 and the 140 are in the same engine class, and you can go with the 140, that's my recommendation.  Better to have the extra power and not need it, than to not have it the few times you need it

[Hunter]

And the white Suzuki's look great.....    One more thing to consider is that if you plan to match a kicker.... the Suzi's are EFI.    When will Honda and Yamaha wake up to EFO kickers?   

When I bought by 2017 tin can, no dealers had the Suzi option or I would have gone that route....   But also no complaints so far with my Honda's... 

[Tj805]

I'm running a older Honda 130 on a 19 chaser and love it.
If be looking at the Honda 135 or 140 Suzuki .

[Humboldtfisher]

When I repowered my SC17 in 2018 with a Yamaha 90hp 4-stroke, the warranty was 3 years, but there was a rebate/promo that added 2 more years, for a total of 5 years.

[Pdxmgunner]

I am very happy with my Suzuki DF90 on my 17. Good luck with the shopping. I found a rebate with Suzuki and warranty is great. I focused on weight. Coming from an inline 6 cylinder 2 stroke, I do miss cruising at 35 but the boat is just plain more seaworthy with less weight on the transom.  If I wasn't ever going in big water I would probably go with the max HP, 4 stroke.

[amazing grace]

Do not rule out the command thrust Mercury.  Suzy and Honda would be the three I would chose from myself. Pick the best price unless dealer is a dud, then go to number two. Good luck and Congrats.

[Bigfish1!]

I have the 2010 Yamaha 90 on mine.  The motor is still running very well, guessing it has about 700 hours on it.  In an 8-10 hour fishing day, probably running 20-30 miles total I burn only about 8 or 9 gallons of gas, (motor running the entire trip).    The boat is not fast with a top speed of about 26-28 mph when I am the only person in the boat.  It is pretty slow to get on plane and when you have a couple of people in the boat its pretty sluggish.   There aren't many days when you can run over 20mph here on the north CA coast so the little motor works well for me and the fuel economy is so good I never even give it a thought, the boat rides very well as rigged.  Just my experience, if I ever repower I will probably go with a little larger motor.  BF1

[mariner]

Do not rule out the command thrust Mercury.  Suzy and Honda would be the three I would chose from myself. Pick the best price unless dealer is a dud, then go to number two. Good luck and Congrats.

I repowered 1.5 years ago with a merc 115 command thrust for my 19SRHT.   Have been very happy with the choice and paired it with a new merc 9.9 prokicker.    If you can get a good deal on a suzi 140 that is a great option as well.  I would not go up to the 150 platform due to the added weight of already very stern heavy boat.

[amazing grace]

Good to hear Mariner.

Big fish, you need a different prop. 

[Norcalfish80]

Good to hear Mariner.

Big fish, you need a different prop. 

I have the same issue with my 115 Yamaha on 19HT. Sluggish on plane with more than 2-3 people. Not fast on plane ever. Kind of odd.

[amazing grace]

What prop are you running Norcal. No reason for yours to be sluggish with a 115hp yami.

[Norcalfish80]

Some kind of four blade prop. I can grab the prop info next time I'm with the boat. It could be I'm just not used to it but I really have to work to get it on plane as opposed to my old Montauk or really any other boat I've been on. It's not awful or unworkable ie I can get it up in rough conditions but it's not ideal at all.

[Danno]

NorCal, we feel your pain but as another 19' Arima owner with a 115 hp (mine's a SC), there's no reason you should see any planing issues. I had a SR with a carbureted Honda 90 and while it was a bit slower to plane when the boat was really loaded, it still was more than adequate.

I'm sure it's all in your prop design.