What motor should I buy?

[Fish929]

I am trying to figure out what kind of motor to get and need some advice. I have an 18' Duracraft aluminum boat. I had a 70HP Yamaha on it but someone stole it.

I can't afford a new 70 and none of the used ones I've looked at seem worth a darn. So I've been looking at the Yamaha 20HP four stroke and the 25HP two stroke. These are within my budget. I don't need to fly across the lake at 50 mph or pull kids on skis. I just need to cruise leisurely with the wife and dog.

Also, I would prefer tiller steering. The thieves completely stripped the console so getting a tiller wouldn't necessitate replacing everything.

What are
yalls thoughts on those two engines? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks - Will

 

[Starppy]

Re: What motor should I buy?

What's the dry weight on the boat? I doubt a 20 or 25 will get you up on plane. A 50hp 4 stroke might be just enough to get you on plane.

You might want to check this out.

EDIT: We don't appreciate ads for competition. JB

Just a suggestion.

 

[Fish929]

Re: What motor should I buy?

I really would prefer a tiller steer. What would be faster? The 20HP four stroke or the 25 two stroke?

Any idea of approximate top speed?

Not sure of the weight but I think it's around 600 lbs.

Thanks

 

[BIGcarpy50]

Re: What motor should I buy?

I think a 35hp tiller is exactly what you are looking for. It will get you moving and you can find a nice used one for around 500 or so. Check out craigslist in your area.

 

[Whoopbass]

Re: What motor should I buy?

The easiest and cheapest thing to do would find a junker boat with a 50-85 hp outboard on it and use it as a donor.
In my area 60-85hp motors are easier to find and just as cheap as a 25 hp motor.
Just be patient and a deal will come along.

I wouldn't put a small motor on the boat because you will probably grow tired of the poor performance and will most likely want to upgrade in the near future.

I don't know what your boat looks like but I have a 15' aluminum boat set up as a bassboat so its fairly heavy and it goes pretty good with a 30 hp 2-stroke.
I suspect your boat is wider and deeper then mine so you would have a lot more drag then my boat and need a bigger motor.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: What motor should I buy?

personally i would look for a 80-90's 35-40 hp JohnnyRude.

 

[Wee Hooker]

Re: What motor should I buy?

FWIW, a 30 Nissan tiller with power trim& tilt is about $4K these days. I got quoted $1K more for the yamaha version. I'd point out that you can get a 40 Tohatsu/Nissan TLDI for about the same price of the 25 yammy 4 stroke. You might even hunt up a yammy50 2 stroke for that kind of $. IMHO, If you had a 70, you (or your kids) will never be happy with a 25.

 

[ziemann]

Re: What motor should I buy?

I tend to agree- going from a 70 to a 25 is like going from a Hemi to a Briggs & Stratton...

 

[timdan94]

Re: What motor should I buy?

if you look around you can get a good used motor for cheap. One marina around here has a bunch of good used motors for $3000 and under. many are in excellent shape for $2000

 

[56 rude]

Re: What motor should I buy?

I tend to agree- going from a 70 to a 25 is like going from a Hemi to a Briggs & Stratton...

your going to hate a small tiller on a boat like that.look around and be patient,the right motor will come to you .my brother had a 18 footer with a 35 on it and as long as you didnt add any weight to it ,it was adaquite but thats all,he went to a 60 yammy and it was much ,much better ,then i put a 90 evinrude on it and that was the ticket!unless its a very very light boat a 25-30 will not do it.whats the rating?hope you find a bigger motor for a good price that will fit your needs.

 

[5150abf]

Re: What motor should I buy?

Bummer on the stolen motor, there is a special place in hell for people that do things like that, I believe it involves whole pineapple enemas every 2 hours.

Anyhow, if you aren't worried about speed I would go with the 2 stroke, way easier to work on and a bit lighter, propped right it shouldn't do too bad.

Good luck.

 

[capt sam]

Re: What motor should I buy?

FWIW, a 30 Nissan tiller with power trim& tilt is about $4K these days. I got quoted $1K more for the yamaha version. I'd point out that you can get a 40 Tohatsu/Nissan TLDI for about the same price of the 25 yammy 4 stroke. You might even hunt up a yammy50 2 stroke for that kind of $. IMHO, If you had a 70, you (or your kids) will never be happy with a 25.

you can't go wrong with either yami, although the 4 stroke will be heavier. If you can get a Tohatsu do that, I had one and I loved that motor and I'm a diehard Yami guy.

 

[Fish929]

Re: What motor should I buy?

Thanks guys. I'll keep my eyes open for a larger motor. I live in Charlotte, NC so let me know if anyone hears of anything available.

Thanks again

 

[bob johnson]

Re: What motor should I buy?

is it a mod V?

most guys will say that you need at least a 50 on that big a boat.

unless it is totally flat bottomed?

if you get a low HP motor...getting up on plane with be tough..and have a FOUR stroke vversion will make it worse( because it is heavier and they dont get out of the hole as good as a 2 stroke generally)

then if you get a tiller version and you put yourself back at the transom...that will be another negative for getting up on plane.



was the 70 a tiller or remote?

my mechanic told me the 70 evinrude wasnt really putting out a full 70 hp..more like 64 hp..and the 50 was puttig out a little more than 50....so buying a 50 hp ...isnt so far from having a 70...

but put anything you can on there while you can...because then you can at least use the boat and you can advertise that motor as FOR SALE while you look for a bigger one..and you can show any one wanting to buy it...how it runs.

a good selling point

good luck

bob

 

[triumphrick]

Re: What motor should I buy?

Sorry to hear about your theft....x2 on the pineapple (that was good!!)

If I am not mistaken, your 70 Yammi was designed after the earlier 3 cyl. JohnnyRudes. Those older two strokes are everywhere and available. I just bought a boat, motor and trailer for about $2500 with a clean low hour Evinrude 50 on it. Those deals are on craigslist, you just have to be looking often to get there early. Good luck!

 

[Fish929]

Re: What motor should I buy?

Guys, like someone said, I was thinking of throwing either a new Yamaha 20 four stroke or 25 two stroke on it to tide me over until can I save up for a new 70 or find a decent used one. The local dealer has both motors for sale for $2,200. Think that's a good price? Think I could sell it for about that much once I find something else?

Thanks

 

[bob johnson]

Re: What motor should I buy?

Guys, like someone said, I was thinking of throwing either a new Yamaha 20 four stroke or 25 two stroke on it to tide me over until can I save up for a new 70 or find a decent used one. The local dealer has both motors for sale for $2,200. Think that's a good price? Think I could sell it for about that much once I find something else?

Thanks

no one close by has a one year old motor you can get for 75 cents on the dollar???

its a tough call...used motors around 25 HP sell fast!!!

so it is temping to but new ...even though you wont get close to the price you paid.

who would save $300 to buy a second hand motor for $1900 when they can buy from a dealer for $2200 with warranty and service to back it up...

two guys come in with motor repairs same problem same type motor..one bought there motor at the dealer, the other guy didnt...who gets service first?

but i think a 50-60 hp motor would be just as easy to resell if you could buy a 10-15 year old motor.. around the same figure youd be paying for the new low hp motor

I personally think your boat would be a monster dog with a four stroke 20 HP on it....

youd never get it on plane is my guess....

bob