268 with a 260hp merc. Underpowered? Fuel sipper?

[Ducnut]

Well , I posted a wanted ad on Craig's list to do a little fishing for a classic dancer. Boom, fish on!!! I got a call form a guy about 45 minutes from me with a 86 268' one owner, barn stored since 92! Newer out drive (hit a log!).
i don't believe this boat has ever been stored in the water, it's been trailered and babied since new!
There are the down falls, it has a 260hp 350 merc (850hrs) and the canvas is original and will need replacing.

Im wondering if the boat will be under powered with the 260hp motor? I guess if the condition is good I could live with the lack of power, I would assume this may save me a little fuel as well. Or would it?

Checking her tomorrow morning!

 

[Getaway]

How much is he asking?

If the boat is in great shape, maybe. That drive combo will make the boat troll very well, but lack of power and rear weight is concerning.

A sea trial will definitely help you make the decision...

 

[Ducnut]

I was so excited to find a boat that hasnt spent half of its life in the water, I forgot to ask.

Id guess around 10-11k.?.?

Ahhh, a sea trial would be nice, if there wasn't 2' of ice on our lake.....

Maybe someone with a 260 merc will chime in.....

 

[Gofirstclass]

If I were looking at this boat and wondering if it was underpowered, I'd consider the way a person would use a 268. By that I mean, if it's a fuel sipper that would be great. But if it's a bit slow to get on plane, would the fuel sipping be enough to offset the slow time to plane.

I see people on boating websites talk a lot about WOT speeds and time to plane. In my experience (many, many years as a boater) I've probably spent less than an hour total time at WOT. It just burns too darn much fuel and I'm not really in THAT big of a hurry to get somewhere.

I can just about measure my boat's "time to plane" with a sundial. It takes awhile to get this thing on plane because the turbo's have to spool up, but do I worry about that? No, because once we get on plane we're usually on plane for miles. So if it takes me a few extra seconds to get on plane it's not a big deal.

Every boat is a compromise. If it gets on plane in a flash, it's going to burn more fuel. The big question for you is---will you be satisfied with the boat's ability to get on plane in a reasonable amount of time as a tradeoff for being fuel stingy?

 

[northern]

My 28 footer had 300 HP and it was under powered. Twin V6 3.8L. I needed to run it at 3800 RPM to get it on full plain. It would do 22 knots at 3800RPM and burned 1 liter a minute. Engines woud go to 4200 RPM and I could get 26 knots out of it then.

 

[Jimmy Buoy]

I had a 268 with a 454/Bravo I drive, but I have a buddy at the marina with the same boat with a 260hp Alpha I combo. He usually doesn't have an issue with getting on plane as long as there are no passengers on board. Passengers tend to sit on the stern bench seat and even with full tabs deployed, this beast struggles to get on plane under those conditions. The other issue is STAYING on plane with any passengers. You will have to use about 80% throttle to remain fast enough to stay on plane which can prove too rough a ride for everyone if there is a chop. If you slow down at all, the stern sinks back down and you're off plane.

I think the 454 is the minimum engine for this boat to operate with additional weight and if I bought another 268, I'd be looking for twin 4.3's. This is a relatively narrow beamed boat for it's length and needs some grunt to get and stay on plane.

Now if it's only going to be you and the admiral 90% of the time, the 260 might prove to be good enough and would definately take less fuel than your other engine options.

 

[Ducnut]

Jimmy you have made some very good points! Narrow beam equals less surface area you have to plane on, I've never thought of it like that.
When I spoke with the owner on the phone he said he had swapped out the prop for a 16x16 and it helped a ton when fully loaded for a week on the water, also that he could get up on plane fairly quick and stay there at a good rpm. I realize this guy is trying to sell me the boat and may be just telling me what I want to hear.?
If I remember correctly, I think he went from a 15 to the 16x16 prop? Do you think this could help out as much as he is saying? Would the extra strain on the driveline from this prop be a concern as he mentioned towing skiers and tubers here and there.
Most of the Time it will be just be the two of us our 5 year old daughter and at times our two boxers.
It just really blows me away that this boat can not possibly have any moisture in the transom or stringers, no fading from the sun from being in a barn most of the time. If I fall in love with it I may just have to buy it and do a motor swap in a few years if I'm not happy. I'd love to slide a nice built 454 in there with a bravo out back!
I did go see a pretty nice 270 today, that is defiantly a possibility as well!

 

[Getaway]

The 16x16 prop is the only way to fly with these boats that have the single engine. I would not be surprised that the 350 would maintain plane with the big prop but may struggle some getting there. I've run the 16x16 for 3 years now and the performance is outstanding over the factory 15. She gets up on plane nicely and maintains plane at 17-18 mph even with a heavy load of people and fuel. The big prop took about 5 mph off the top end over the 15" prop, but she stays on plane better while loaded and at slow speeds.

I've had no service issues with the lower unit while running that big prop.

In the Great Lakes, we run in heavy seas most of the time, so staying on plane at slow speeds is a must.

I pull my kids tubing at around 12mph and the boat is about at 3/4 plane and is very maneuverable.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ducnut]

Any and all info is greatly appricated, thank you!

Does anyone know if it is a somewhat easy swap to bump it up to a 454 with a bravo?

Im sure it wouldnt be cheap but if this motor and out drive are in good shape they should compensate for some of the cost..

 

[Getaway]

It can be done, but it's probably an 11-12K switch unless you can find a used motor/transom bracket/bravo drive combo for a good price.

I'm not sure, but I think you will probably have to epoxy the holes shut in the transom and reconfigure the bolt pattern for the Bravo. Not a big deal, but a little more work.

 

[Rick K]

The 16x16 prop is the only way to fly with these boats that have the single engine.
Hope this helps.

The 16x16 is definitely the only prop to use for these boats, imo. I'm not a prop guy by any means, but it pushes my 245 around like nothing. I know the 245 is way smaller than the 268, but there is a difference. Last season (and the season before) the admiral used the boat for a dredge and I had to have the prop rebuilt.

My spare is a "factory" prop, 15x15.75 (or something like that) and it was horrible. Had to use the trim tabs constantly. And being in the Niagara River, the bigger prop gives a little more oomph when you need to swing around in the current. Would definitely swap it out. Hope this helps you out, and good luck!

 

[Tyler]

Hi guys, reading your post I’m in the same dilemma, I got a 87 268 with the single 260, and are hoping to help the engine anyway I can, if the 16x16 prop helps a lot and keeps the rpms down a bit I definitely would like to switch my stock one out for it, can I ask though where to purchase one? And how I know what the right one is to fit perfectly?

 

[Ottawamerc]

I bought a 87 268 for $3K with a blown 350 engine. It was the second time the engine blew up, I loved the looks and size of the boat and was replacing my 85 ThunderCraft 25' with a 350 combo in it. The thundercraft ran like a scared rabbit so I foolishly expected the 268 to run about the same. I rebuilt the engine for $3K and out for its first run I was sorely dissapointed, she was a dog with 5 people on board it struggled to get on plane and the engine was working real hard! I tried installing larger trim tabs first but no real change. It was a pig on fuel and I knew I would be changing the motor again as it was always struggling. I got to the point where I decided to flip the boat but my familys complaints made me do option #2, I bought a used 454 and Bravo drive and swapped it out. It was a fairly easy swap and wow thats what this boat needed! She's awesome now runs strong better fuel economy and even with a full load will jump up on plane. The small beam does cause some rolling on plane but I dont mind that. I sold the 350 for what I put into the rebuild too so got away ok on that deal.