single or twin boat engine? 1 or 2 Outboards? What is better twin outboards or single?

If you live in the first world, a single at sea is acceptable because there's generally decent coast guard services, but life in the rest of the planet, a twin is a no brainer regardless of all the above discussions.

Twins got me home. Had one engine quit peeing and shut off. was able to lift the motor and cruise in on the other one. It sucks to have to pay double to maintain 2 engines but its worth it to get back to the boat ramp.

You do you when it comes to boating. Here in Sweden we have an organization called SSRS, stands for Swedish Sea Rescue Association, a non-profit organization that you pay for a membership in. For about 80 dollars per year they will go through hell and high water to get you home safely in case of an emergency. True heroes in my opinion.

Live in Alaska. Twins are a must!!!!! If not you are gambling w your life. Unless you have a small boat and can beach it anywhere.

Twins cost more, (generally, but not always) but I feel they are better in most boats that run offshore 24 feet plus. Here's why: 1) Most twin configurations have a shallower draft because of the motors being mounted off the center-line. That's great for low tide bay navigation. 2) Docking is way easier, especially in wind. 3) Fuel is not the only problem. If you do your maintenance fuel is a non-issue. I have burned up a water pump on one motor because we ran across a slightly submerged ice bag from another boat. The bag was impossible to see, but rendered our port motor useless. We still fished the whole day and got home before dark 30 miles outside of IRI DE with fish. 4) On occasion we run up to 80 miles one way. Redundancy is key. 5) A boat tracks true with twins. Set the autopilot and forget it. (I get the the dual prop theory. That does not help if you hit a submerged object or a sucked up or ice bag from a lousy boater) 6) Check the torque of say one 300 versus two 150's. Torque moves the boat, hp is way less important- also look at the rpm needed to produce said torque and hp. The downside is more work/cost-oil changes, gear oil, belts, spark plugs, thermostats, etc. This is just my humble opinion having owned both. Pick your poison and have fun!

I've never owned a boat with a single and never will. The redundancy and less stress on the motors is more than worth it. I'm not getting stranded in the gulf when a big squall is coming.

Twins also give you a TON more manoeuvrability. The ability to walk the boat sideways alone is worth the cost.

My boat started with a 235hp from the factory. It was problematic and got replaced for twin 150’s. Since I was going 40-50 miles off shores twins turned out to be the best choice. I never got stranded and I never had a fuel probl

With the Suzuki 300 and 350 duoprop, and a 20 hp kicker, it beats twin 200s or 150s in my opinion. You could run the kicker for trolling or low speeds to save the hours on the main motor while fishing or navigating in the marina. Plus, the kicker will get you home slowly The duo props have enough bite and handle well too. as the video states, it's also more efficient and less maintenance with the single main outboard.

I wonder how so many of us survived with single outboards for so many years. Looking at the comments it’s just not possible. Some people had a small “ kicker” motor, others just the single outboard, and we went WAY of shore. Sure some broke down, then a call to the coast guard, or friend with a boat and you were fine. Now it’s like instant death if your boat breaks down. These must be the same people that don’t understand how people lived before cell phones and the internet. People sure have gotten soft and scared.

Always go out with two working motors whether they're twins or a main engine and kicker. The bottom end of twins will create more drag but you'll have more reserve power if one fails.

I replaced a 4 cylinder 100 hp engine with a V8 Volvo Penta AQ225 in a 24 foot boat. What a massive difference. Lower fuel consumption. Relaxed boating, quick to get on plane whatever the load. Cruising at 2700 rpm with a top rev (hardly ever used) of 5000 rpm.

In Germany you nearly don’t see twins on the Baltic Sea. Single engine is enough and the most skippers has just one. But here are the costs (e.g. for Fuel) a lot higher than in the US. Maybe that’s a reason. In the US 2-4 engines are normal I think :D I have one Mercruiser 4,3L and it works well. Never needed a second engine

Having two motors gives you the possibility to save your life in case of failure. Boating is really expensive, it is not possible to save

There are many pros and cons, but for me there is one question that trumps all others. Would I go offshore with a single engine, and the answer is NO.

i think not all information are accurate. i have a twin 150hp each and my friend have exactly the same boat with singe 300hp and my boat is quicker on a plane and faster overall. its consuming only 10% more than single. Of course price, maintenance cost (and any repair) usually is double but mobility and stability on the water is much better than single. I would never go back to single if boat will have a option to install 2 engines. Regarding problem with fuel - if there is any problem usually affect both engines as tank is only one and even if will be 2 separated tanks usually people filling up from one petrol station.

Informative and straight to the point. This is how all videos should be. Thank you for this video

Thanks for this logical comparison. I love the look of twins but as an inshore lake boater it’s not a case of having to get home from miles offshore. In 50 years of boating I think I’ve have a motor outright quit and strand me maybe twice. That’s not enough risk to justify the extra cost in my mind.

I just bought a boat. It came with 2 motors. A 175hp and a 10hp. I have no idea how to operate a boat. It's set up for walleye fishing in the great lakes. It also came with 2 trolling motors and about $6k in fishing tackle. I bought it to help a friend of mines wife pay for his funeral. It's a ranger Cherokee. Looks like it came off the showroom floor. Immaculate shape. Now I'm trying to learn to operate it. I just brought it home from south Dakota to Texas. I can find all kinds of classes online for boater education. But nowhere to actually learn by operating the boat. So looks like I'll have to haul it to Oklahoma so another friend will teach me hands on how to operate it. He's familiar with the boat and has been out on it many times. So looks like I'll learn on lake texoma while chasing striper

primary + auxiliary is the way to go