Maximum size Engines you can put on a Laguna 24 Cuddy

S

spycatcher69

New Member
Oct 6, 2016
8
Brunei
Boat Info
1995 SeaRay Laguna closed deck
Engines
2X Mercury 150 hp O/B
Dear All
I have been trying to find out the maximum size/weight Engines that the 1995 Searay Laguna Cuddy 24 is designed for,my design plate is basically unreadable and from my research online it can have from 125 to 200HP engines . I currently have two 1995 150 Black Max engines both need replacing .I am having problems getting theses engines where I live in Asia ,there are however 225 and 250 HP Engines available here that I can obtain at a reasonable price. Is there anyway of finding out this information as there are no Searay agents here , and the ones I have contacted in other countries will not even reply . Just want to be safe and not exceed my transoms safe rating
Thank you for your time
Peter
 
If you can find the owner's manual for the boat on Sea Ray's website, that should have that info. In fact, sometimes it even has a drawing/picture of the actual capacity plate. In the "brochure" for the boat, it lists a single 225HP as standard and then the twin 150's as the biggest option. But that doesn't guarantee maximum capacities. Any reason you don't want to stay with twins? Seems like twin 150's would be the ideal engines. I don't know what's wrong with the engines, but have you given thought to just replacing the powerheads? Keep in mind that newer engines are going to be heavier.

If you contact Sea Ray, the company, with your HIN, they will tell you.
 
Thanks for your reply ,I am looking at twins but twin 225 or 250's,as I boat in the South China Sea it can get real rough quick ,one 150 won't get boat onto the plane if broken,which seems to happen a lot.No coast guard or any real radio help if things turn bad.Ill try searay but most times I contact them will not reply.Think they want all questions to come via dealers.
Best Regards
Peter
 
Will there even be enough physical room for twin 225's? Going that big, though, I think it's safe to say that Sea Ray will say no. You might want to consider reinforcing the transom to the bilge floor/stringer system and then adding a bracket. That's still going to be a lot of weight back there, though - a flotation bracket should help, but you're going "out of the norm" here a bit. But you're going to bigger engines - probably V6 - and ALSO to 4-strokes. FYI, many people around here run 23' - 25' boats with twin 150's and they go 50 miles off shore - it's not that uncommon at all.

Do you have trim tabs? With those fully down, and using one engine, you still can't get on plane?

Another thought... considering the cost that those two engines are going to run, along with new controls, bracket, reinforcing and such... what about just looking for another boat (used) that's already setup the way you want it?
 
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A buddy of mine had a 23’ Laguana with the original 2 stroke twin 150’s. It moved along pretty nice but was no speedster.
If you look at boats with 4 strokes on it you should keep in mind that they weigh more than 2 strokes and don’t have the same torque so you may want something bigger than the 150’s.
 
The weight of the newer 4 stroke engines will be the biggest factor of whether or not your repower will be successful. Look up the weight of the twin 150's. Two 225's would be a lot more weight on the transom. As mentioned above if you are going to increase the weight adding a flotation bracket may be your only option in addition to adding some beef to your stringers and transom to share the load. The scuppers may also end up below the waterline which means that you would have wet feet. Try to figure out the difference in weight and add sand bags to represent the difference in the splashwell (at the dock) to represent the added weight. How much does the stern sink? Are the scuppers underwater?
 
here you go....

we built the 24 CC and Cuddy with the standard twin 150hp (2 stroke) or option single 225hp (2 stroke)...the transoms were cut differently for the twins versus the single engine applications, so please start of with knowing which one your boat has (if needed, just give me the HIN or a photo of the transom and I can tell you).
From that, I can also say we did a couple with twin 200hp's (2 stroke) so I would have no problem with doing that, BUT notice I emphasized the 2 stroke deal simply because, like "Island Lifer" says, the weight dif between 2 stroke and 4 stroke has to be accounted for.
Bottom line- weight wise, the transom can handle 2 200hp 2 stroke engines...anything beyond that weight limit, you are entering unchartered waters from a factory stand point...
If you need more information or discussions, just ask.....I built the Laguna's in the 90's and have a pretty good understanding of this model.....I actually have a 18CC Laguna on the side of my house, which I built in the 90's.

Capt. Rusty
 
Hi Rusty! Quick thought/question on this... You may know this off the top of your head, but I would think newer 2-strokes would be heavier than older 2-strokes. If the newer ones are, say, 75lbs - 100lbs more (each)... adding 200lbs in motor weight... do you still feel comfortable with that? Are there any particular spots you think he should have surveyed/checked out (given that the boat is 23 years old and who knows how it's been cared for)? I don't recall well enough if the Laguna's were at least using the fiberglass floor system (liner system). Although the transom would have wood. But that said, I was always impressed with the Laguna's as they seemed "overbuilt"... a good thing! :) And, as long as there was no damage and it was properly cared for, the wood should be just fine.
 
good point LazyDaze...but from my position at the factory I am simply comparing apples to apples by using weight as our criteria of acceptance. I can't, and probably shouldn't get into this motor versus that motor, but can suggest all the weights should be easily determined with a little research.
Yes, they were overbuilt, because they were assembled at the Merritt Island facility, which built sport yachts for many years. The same guys that shot fiberglass in a 44DA and a 380AC, they applied glass to the Laguna hulls...thick and strong!
I know the stringer layout and how we assembled them, so in lieu of speaking in general terms, allow me to help with specifics. If a surveyor is involved, I would like to know what they say in regards to manufacture's concerns. Damage and such is obviously out of my reach. Do we have a hull number on this boat SERF_____ ??

R
 
Capt. Rusty Higgins said:
good point LazyDaze...but from my position at the factory I am simply comparing apples to apples by using weight as our criteria of acceptance. I can't, and probably shouldn't get into this motor versus that motor, but can suggest all the weights should be easily determined with a little research.
Click to expand...

I totally agree. I only meant to ask "if" the replacement engines happened to be 200lbs heavier, would that still fall within acceptable limits... on the off chance that there may have been some additional testing done. But I totally understand that if it's not something that had been experimented with it would be hard, if not impossible, to give a solid answer on. And we certainly don't want to guess on this matter!

I did not know (or at least I may have forgotten by now!) that they were made in Merritt. That must have been interesting for the guys shooting glass... they'd be doing a run of big boats, and then get to a Laguna. I imagine there were comments like "Aw, look at this cute little one" :)

Question... when the HP ratings are figured out... how much (if at all) does the "torque" of a motor factor into the equation? Or is it primarily the weight?
 
Primarily the weight is the issue. we know (and knew) what the torque specs would have been on all applicable motors (150-200-235 single etc..). So I would not concern myself with torque as long as we are not overloading the back of the boat.
Are you after speed or efficiency?.....I have considered a less horsepower 4 stroke motor for my Laguna simply because I have not the need for speed as I do fuel economy. That and I do a lot of hard backing down when fighting fish, so I do not need all the weight on the back. Yes, they are self bailing boats but I kind of make my passengers nervous when I flood the entire deck 10 miles offshore......Laguna's can handle that and more!

R
 
Thank you, Captain!

Wet ankles just helps to keep you cooled off on a hot day! :)
 
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