Raggy Charters bought their first set of Suzuki Four Stroke outboards in 2002 and have never looked back since.
The reason we bought them initially is because of their low emissions, reasonable price, reliability and the after
sales service.
The other incredible attribute of these outboards is their resale value. We generally replace our outboards after
five to seven years. They are still in a perfect working condition at this stage, but we just feel that for a commercial
operation our client’s safety is paramount and we like to run new engines. If they are in a good condition you can
expect to receive half of the purchase price.
We initially bought 115’s, then the ultimate reliable 140’s, then 150’s and now we have the 250’s. The longest we
ever used a set of outboards were the 150’s, with manual cables and not fly by wire. We ran them commercially
for seven years, almost on a daily basis, clocking on average five hours a day. We never had a single day’s problem
with them. They were pushing a 4 ton, 10 metre Butt Cat, which was sometimes loaded with 20 passengers and
two crew. When we sold them on, we replaced the idling valve on the port motor so that the new owners would
have everything spot on. That was it!
When we were building our new 10, 1 metre Butt Cat that will be used for White Shark Cage Diving, we needed
outboards that would push this large vessel to Bird Island and back in the shortest possible time. We were advised
to fit her with the commercially proven 250hp, V6, 3, 8 litres outboards. I have always tried not to use overkill when
selecting the size of the outboard, but these proved to be the perfect choice.
They only use slightly more than the 150’s that we used on our 10 metre Butt Cat. This was surprising but I guess
that if your engines are working a lot less, then this will be the logical outcome. For the record, we get a top speed
of 37 knots and when loaded, 30 knots. We generally cruise at around 18 knots and then the outboards are at
3800rpm.
What also impressed me about Suzuki Marine South Africa is their commitment to marine conservation. If it was
not for their continued support, we would not be so effective in our marine conservation efforts. Keep up the good
work and excellent service and you will remain a world leader for many years to come.
