Trying to get input on a FV 280 single motor.

Headtrauma76

Im looking at purchasing a FV 280 with a single. Does anyone have any input about thos set up. I have rode a twin 4.3 boat with B3. That boat ran great.

randy56

Haveing a 270, with 300 hp mpi, does great, but had to change props, for better take off, to get on plane faster. 

J3ff

I went with a single because I didn't want to pay for the cost of doubles.. The single does okay on a 270, but I have to say that I'd feel more secure and ready for rough weather with twins.. my next boat will have two motors.. one thing I wonder about is how much fuel having a single really saves... my 383 seems to drink gas pretty hard core I assume because it's working so hard to keep the boat on plane.. 

reneechris14

270  =  20 gal per hour
342  =  30 gal per hour
270  =  7250 lbs
342  =  14250 lbs
270 very cool boat 
342 way cooler
Just my opinion lol

laureniac1

I love my 2005 270 but it is so under powered. I had to buy the Hill Marine 4x4 props to get her out of the water. I have the 350 MPI. I assume the 280 is not that much bigger but I’m not sure. I would look at past posts on the forum and you will see many people complaining of lack of power. As J3ff said the single is nice on the pocket book, but it would be nice to have twins for going on trips to have a little extra security in case of engine failure 

Cableguy Greg

If you are looking at the newer (2007 and up) 280EC, they are great with a single and B3 drive. I have the Merc 6.2/B3 setup in mine. It has enough power to get me up on plane. If you come across one with a big block, snag it up. You won't regret that low end torque. The older FV280's only came with twins. They were a wider beam boat and had room for twins.

Willhound

Hmm. Can't comment on the newer 280's but unlike some, my 2000 FV270 motors right along with a 5.7L EFI. No trouble getting on plane with up to 4 people and full tanks. Have done it with 7 on board but took longer and had the largest stand up by me until on plane and then able to sit. Drive trimmed down and trim tabs down until on plane at about 21 to 23 mph and then tabs up. Stock props on the B3 drive. Unpainted and clean hull. Can only assume the newer 280 models with bigger blocks would be just that much better.
Here is an excerpt from a thread I posted last August. You can see RPM on the tach, speed on lower left on GPS and the horizon to show attitude of the boat. All pics taken sitting flat on the seat. 
"Around 3400 RPM, boat planes just slightly bow proud, usually around 22.5 to 24 mph depending on wind and bottom condition. No bottom paint, original gel-coat. The engine sounds happy and relaxed and I think I get my best fuel consumption at this speed. (for being on plane)


At around 3600 RPM I get a little more, not much more speed, but slightly flatter ride. Usually 26 - 27 mph.

And at around 3800 RPM I usually see around 28 to sometimes even 30 mph, nice stable flat ride, engine has a nice growl to it. You can tell it's thirsty, but just flexing it's muscle a bit.

Trashman

I had a 270 with a 350 mag mpi  horizon with b3 and 22p prop.   It ran 4500rpm at 40mph on some days 38 on others off gps.  Would cruise nicely at 27-28 but I forget rpm.  Did great with 2 adults and 2 kids. 4-6 adults..... fat guy moves next to the helm for a few seconds drive n tabs trimmed down.    I would go for a bigger engine if you plan on a crowd. 

laureniac1

Head trauma there are the numbers see above posts. It’s rare that a 270 & 280 see over 30 mph. I guess it is your choice. All I know is there is a big difference go 28 mph compared to 35 mph. I would give anything to go 35 mph without being WOT. Again read past posts on 270 & 280 you find people say they are under powered 

Dream_Inn

reneechris14 said:

270  =  20 gal per hour
342  =  30 gal per hour
270  =  7250 lbs
342  =  14250 lbs
270 very cool boat 
342 way cooler
Just my opinion lol

Where is the 360 and 400??   Very easy to cruise around 35mph all day.  She'll top out at 45mph.

skennelly

If I'm being honest I'd say the 270 is way under powered with the mag 350 and if doing it again I would have made a better choice.  My engine runs great and the boat is great but more power would be icing on the cake.

luvinlife

 I also have a 270 with a 5.7 MPI although not the mag.   Although it's not a quick sporty ride it is certainly adequate and cruising in the mid-20s is what I did most of the time in my  previous boats that could go much faster.   I intentionally bought a single engine cruiser, the biggest I could find and I am completely happy with the Rinker 270. 

J3ff

I will add in that if you have a 350 do not expect the 383 to be anything amazing.  I really didn't notice much difference, in fact it seemed to drop 2mph on the gps for top speed, but who knows why, too many variables. I would go for a big block single engine if I could do again. 

LaRea

Twin engines = redundancy = safety = confidence to go farther from home.

Twin screws = docking maneuverability = go out when a single-screw boat stays in the slip.

For a lot of people, those benefits mean that if the boat has room for two engines, it should have two engines.

zaverin1

My 280 has twins and I wouldn’t have it any other way
7 adults hops on plane 

rasbury

So you see- it's all about opinion! I have a 270, not a water rocket but I'm fine with that.  28 MPH on the water is plenty fast for me. I had a bass boat with a 150 merc that would run near 60 so I know what going fast on the water is nice. It plains out fine, takes 5 to 6 seconds but I'm good with that- just depends on what you expect out of the boat. I don't go out in the ocean and I have sea tow so I'm good. I can't imagine the repair expense for twins. Notice I did not say maintenance as oil, oil filters not that big a deal.....twin plugs, twin water pumps, twin wires, twin motor failures....now we are talking some cash that frankly would put me out of boating with a major repair. I looked for the biggest boat with a single motor that I could trailer and settled on the 270 and have never regretted it. I have a transom leak I'm still trying to get back to and fix- If I had to pull two motors......

zaverin1

Why would you pull two motors lol
yes maintaince is x2 but if you do most of it yourself it’s not that bad. I had a single engine 270 dancer and I loved everything about that bout except the engine package. It was a single 350. It would do great with 2-4 people but put 6 and you are sending people into the cabin to plane and all the way on the throttle to stay on plane.
my 280 had 8 adults and yes I took a few to get her to plane but once there I could
essily maintain plane without wot. Normal conditions it runs 26mph at 3100-3200 rpm
wirh 4 people on board.

J3ff

zaverin1 said:

Why would you pull two motors lol
yes maintaince is x2 but if you do most of it yourself it’s not that bad. I had a single engine 270 dancer and I loved everything about that bout except the engine package. It was a single 350. It would do great with 2-4 people but put 6 and you are sending people into the cabin to plane and all the way on the throttle to stay on plane.
my 280 had 8 adults and yes I took a few to get her to plane but once there I could
essily maintain plane without wot. Normal conditions it runs 26mph at 3100-3200 rpm
wirh 4 people on board.

I had 8 on my 270 one time this year, the dual 4 blade props and 383 had no problems getting up and going, I think it was more the props than the motor though. 

Handymans342

reneechris14 said:

270  =  20 gal per hour
342  =  30 gal per hour
270  =  7250 lbs
342  =  14250 lbs
270 very cool boat 
342 way cooler
Just my opinion lol

What speed was that???

zaverin1

4 blade will definitely give you more bite and better plane time.
if properly pitched little will be lost at wot when going from 3 to 4 blade.

randy56

I figured 2 gal per mile at 28 mph, on 270 

J3ff

On my 300+ mile trip Vessel view would give me 1.8 mpg at best, but again that was a 383. 

reneechris14

@Headtrauma76 has not returned, he has plenty of input on the 280fv. Hope we didn't scare him away?

Willhound

Well, one thing about this gang, ask for an opinion and you'll get many, most pointing in different directions. 

zaverin1

Well fuel injected motors with duo props do much better then let’s say old school carbs with  single prop.
it comes down to what you really want to get out of the boat.
if it’s a couple only boat with few kids then you are good.
if you constantly take gangs out then either go for the biggest motor option or Twins.

Stodge

randy56 said:

I figured 2 gal per mile at 28 mph, on 270 

Ouch!  I get around 1 mile per gallon in the 342.  

Dude_Himself

laureniac1 said:

Head trauma there are the numbers see above posts. It’s rare that a 270 & 280 see over 30 mph. I guess it is your choice. All I know is there is a big difference go 28 mph compared to 35 mph. I would give anything to go 35 mph without being WOT. Again read past posts on 270 & 280 you find people say they are under powered 

My 2006 280EC has the 8.1L Mercruiser and we cruise around 35-38 MPH as the most efficient burn rate (1.9 MPG). It'll go 49 MPH (GPS indicated) with a family of 5 (three little girls), a bunch of stuff, and nearly full fuel/water tanks, without hitting WOT. I honestly haven't tried to go faster as it's a big boat - it doesn't need to go 50+ MPH.LaRea said:

Twin screws = docking maneuverability = go out when a single-screw boat stays in the slip.

I'm not the most skilled captain - I've only had this boat one season now - but I used to believe this. With a few dock lines, some fenders, and a little planning I have no reservations docking on our fast tidal creeks. I handle the whole boat - my wife sits with the kids/dog to keep them out of my way. Having pre-tied docklines allows me to slip a spring line off the stern cleat then motor myself against the dock gently.

Handymans342 said:

What speed was that???

Fuel burn is a unit of work - it takes roughly the same amount of fuel to move the same mass a fixed distance (where speed is adjusted to minimize drag). So assuming the hulls were designed for best efficiency: at the best-economy cruise speed you should expect proportional fuel burns by weight. Two smaller engines are twice the work to maintain, but run more efficient at a lower RPM so it's not twice the fuel burn. randy56 said:

I figured 2 gal per mile at 28 mph, on 270 

I mentioned above, on my 280EC with the 8.1L I max out at 1.9MPG ideally trimmed at around 36MPH, so your numbers make sense. 

Stodge

I figured 2 gal per mile at 28 mph, on 270 

I mentioned above, on my 280EC with the 8.1L I max out at 1.9MPG ideally trimmed at around 36MPH, so your numbers make sense. 

I think he meant 2 miles per gallon. 

Handymans342

@Dude_Himself I disagree. If I am going side by side at the same speed at 28mph with a 342 I burn way less with diesels

trip_n

check this 280 out = a reference/guide==looks like a great 1
cl add===not mine=no clue
https://loz.craigslist.org/bod/d/2007-rinker-280-express/6453420589.html

rasbury

Handy- that's cause they have to speed up to get away from the diesel cloud!