24 ft tompson with 6cyl

[dstephe]

 anyone out there have a 24 ft tompson with the 6 cyl in it.. Looking into buy one. I am not a fast driver anyways but just woundering if it is enough to get up and going.

 

Thanks for your time

Don

[MikeyP]

I wouldn't get less than a 8 cyl for that boat. A 6 cyl is too underpowered for a boat of that weight.

[FleetTracker]

Agree.  Minimum should have a 5.0L V8.  I can't believe they stuck a 6cyl in one... shouldn't even be an option.

[jlogger]

Don,

I have a 96 24' Fisherman HT with the 4.3l V6 and it does fine. It also has Bennett trim tabs which help a great deal getting up on plane but she will cruise 23mph at 4100 rpm with 5 guys in the boat. With two or three people she jumps out of the water pretty good, 4 or 5 and you have to work the trim tabs a little. I keep the engine tuned and maintained and it pays me back with excellent reliability. (I probably just hexed myself.) She will push 30mph if you want to run WOT but I never do. It was quite an adjustment going from an aluminum with an outboard but once I got used to it I loved it. Great on fuel too.

[Xxx]

If it's a newer one, with a 4.3 V6 they make 220hp just as the 5.0, so some people say why run 8cyl. when I can run 6? Well that's all fine and dandy till you start looking at the torque specs. If we were fishing on blacktop I'd have to agree go with the 4.3. Boating is all about the hp and the torque working the same curve, a V8 has way more torque than any 6 cyl whether it's inline or a V. A buddy of mine was spouting off about his 19ft with a 4.3, man this thing flies 50mph, so of course I couldn't leave this alone, so we decided to take the kids tubing, both of us have the same tube with four girls on each tube we went to the lake my boat has a 350.5.7 with some extra goodies done to it and his 4.3 with a 4 barrel. Needles to say the 4.3 was lacking torque big time, and with 6 guys in his boat 22 mph, and my boat 3ft longer way heavier and 6 guys we managed 32mph but that was pushing 3800 rpm, which I had more throttle to go and still be out of the danger zone. There's no substitute for cubic inches if you want to have your hp and torque curve run about the same, the v8 will get on plane faster and work less, where the 6cylinder will always be under a load creating more fuel per hr than a V8. Hope this helps you to understand the rule of 6cyl. VS. 8cyl.

Edited September 14, 2016 by pap

[L&M]

Don,

I have a 96 24' Fisherman HT with the 4.3l V6 and it does fine. It also has Bennett trim tabs which help a great deal getting up on plane but she will cruise 23mph at 4100 rpm with 5 guys in the boat. With two or three people she jumps out of the water pretty good, 4 or 5 and you have to work the trim tabs a little. I keep the engine tuned and maintained and it pays me back with excellent reliability. (I probably just hexed myself.) She will push 30mph if you want to run WOT but I never do. It was quite an adjustment going from an aluminum with an outboard but once I got used to it I loved it. Great on fuel too.

 

Seems like that the answer you were looking for from someone who actually owns and runs one with that power plant, a bit light on power maybe, but gets the job done nun the less.

[jlogger]

Don,

I'm not sure where Ransomville is but I am still in the water until at least early October in Irondequoit Bay if you want to take a quick ride some night and get a feel for it yourself.

[Xxx]

Trust me when I'm fishing it's all about reliable equipment and 4.3 has proven it's self time in and time out. I'm never in hurry when I'm fishing anyway. Other boat manufacturers have put the Mercruiser 470 which is a 4cyl. In many boats as the 4.3 and the 5.0. The 4.3 and the 5.0 are very similar but the 5.0 has a smaller bore over 8 cyl. 3 3/4 as opposed to a 4" bore on the 4.3 with less cylinders,,, they both have the same crank stroke 3.48 but the V6 is at the top of its power range at 220hp, the V6 can spin up faster because of 2 less cylinders less friction, but in the long run the V8 would have more latent power, and I personally think the V8 would be more economical with its inherently smoother design,& smaller bore. I'm speaking from experience. I've had with both engines. This is pre vortec after the Vortec era, you can forget about everything we are talking about here. Also if you enjoy tinkering around with V-8 will win the day with tinkered up hp which is up my ally, if your a turn the key lets go fishing then the 4.3 is just fine, it will get the job done, just as Hank has mentioned. Good luck on your purchase!!

[dstephe]

Thanks guy for the info . Also thanks jlogger for the offer!!!!!!!!

[lily]

I wouldn't go less than a 8 cylinder either. I have a 21 foot thompson cuddy that will hardly come up on a plane. Has a Chevy 305. But I think I'm still struggling with some carborator problems. Thompsons are heavy boats from what research I've done and you will need all of the low end torque you can get to get her to plane out

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[Rich D]

I was the original owner of the boat J has now, and that boat is a great boat. Yes as stated when you load the boat with 4-5 guys it takes a little longer to get up out of the hole, but it does just fine. I changed the prop, went to a stainless with a little more cup, and it is a diff boat.

My suggestion is if you are looking at a boat with the vortex engine, don't be hesitant, they are producing over 200 hp and will do just fine. Those engines are nearly bullet proof, and can handle the load.

Take a ride in the boat you are looking at, or better yet take J up on his offer for a ride, then you can see what they can do!!!

Capt Rich

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[jlogger]

She is still running great and catching fish Rich. I added some LED lighting and a solar battery charging system this spring. I also removed the sponsor decals from the hull, too many people wanting to fish near me because I looked like I knew what I was doing.

[Rich D]

She is still running great and catching fish Rich. I added some LED lighting and a solar battery charging system this spring. I also removed the sponsor decals from the hull, too many people wanting to fish near me because I looked like I knew what I was doing.[/

Glad to hear she is treating you great!!! She is a fishing catching machine, and loves the big water!!!!

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