Thinking about a Ski Twin 33

[auldscott]

I’m restoring a 1978 Blue Fin open v-bottom aluminum boat; three seats and a motor. It’s a deep, wide 14 foot, 225 lbs. Rated for 30 hp, tiller steer.

I have a sweet-running Mark 20 that has all the power I need for cruising with other chapter members, but I’m thinking about finding a low-stressed, very quiet motor, which the Mark 20 is not. I remember running a smooth, quiet 1962 Sea King 15 some years back…you could almost talk over it, even at full throttle.

This boat will also be used as a motor test bed, so the big motor will be removed and hung on a rack with the rest of the motors except when a cruise is scheduled. Weight is therefore a concern, but not a deal breaker.

I’ve been thinking about a 1960s 28 or 33 hp Ski Twin, but know nothing about how they compare to the Big Twins of the era. 40 cid? Same weight?

I’m also considering one of the OMC 22 cid 20 or 25 hp motors or a 1983 35 hp, 32 cid motor. I suspect that being in a higher state of tune, they will be a bit noiser. (I ran a 1977 35 hp on a similar boat back in 1977, and it was a fast motor, but it wasn’t especially quiet.)

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks.

[fleetwin]

Well, the ski twins are not quiet either. They tend to be a bit rattly, especially when the cover/rubber mounts get loose/broken. These engines do not have the "super quiet" cowlings/exhaust housings.
I would go with the 1983 35hp 32CI engine, all the early bugs were gone and they were great engines. A lot of speed from a little package, reliable and easy to service….Definitely not as quiet as the older "super quiet" 35/40s though.

[frankr]

I’d say the 33 would compare to the 1955-57 25 & 35hp in terms of weight. But the fiberglass hood makes it considerably quieter than the old metal hoods. I don’t consider them to be rattly if the mounts and seal is in good shape. I don’t know how tough you are, but to me they are a two-man job to handle. Yeah, I know, back in another life, I used to load them into customers’ cars by myself. Paid for it with a ruptured disk too.

[20mercman]

I don’t know how new you are interested in, but I would also consider the Mercury loop charged 25’s that were build from the early 80’s on. These were for the most part very good motors and were real performers. Tom Brockmeyer is an expert with these, and you can get some information from him. We have a 89 version of that motor, and it is fast and it is very quiet. I first experienced these motors up on Reindeer Lake in northern Saskatchewan. The first year we were there, they had 30 hp. Yamaha 3 cylinder motors on Lund S-18’s. These had 2 guests, the guide and a ton of gear. The Yamaha used about 12 gallons of gas a day, and were not as smooth as you would expect a 3 cylinder to be. The next year they switched to the Mercury 25’s. This is a tough service for motors, and the Mercury’s ran faster than the Yamaha, and used half of the fuel. These had several different piston and cylinder wall coatings over their lifetime, so ask Tom what is the one to own, but ours has many miles in Canada on it. It significantly outruns my 1969 Mercury 200’s which are some of the fastest 200’s built.

Steve

[Casey Lynn]

Absolutely nothing wrong with a 28 or 33. As Frank said, the cowl design takes care of a bunch of the rattles the older metal split cowl design had.
They are good engines as well. Should compare to the 35. Go for it.

[1946zephyr]

I’m surprised Frank didn’t bring up the Gale 40’s 😉 The old 33’s are good, reliable and simple motors. I would go with it. Better yet, get a 1972 Johny/Rude 40 and you’ll have even a better motor. They were very light, for their horsepower.

[Anonymous]

He said the boat is only rated for 30…. So the 40 would DEIFNITELY be overkill!

[1946zephyr]

In that case then, I would just get a 1972 Johny/Rude 25. Even less weight and plenty of power. Probably easier on gas, than the Ski Twin 33, as well.

[jeff-register]

I would stick with the 25 Mercury MercMan describes! Uses half the fuel & faster than most 30hp counterpart OMC stuff. Lighter & faster how can you go wrong! I too respect Tom’s opinion on outboards. He has been in the business a very long time! 😀

[billw]

I like the old 28s and 33s. A lot of pulling power, decent idle and lighter weight than the Super Quiets. Maybe Tom Brockmeyer can tell me how to get one of those 25 Mercs to idle as good as other engines. I like Mercs but I never liked those.

Long live American manufacturing!

[Author]

Posts