New Honda 90 four stroke fuel consumption and performance

[jjan]

Hi,
After reading many posts on this forum I have decided to fit a new Honda 90 four stroke 90DK0LRTC to My Macgregor which I get delivered in August. Does anyone else have this engine on a Macgregor and what kind of performance and fuel economy I can expect. I am not a speed freak and I am more interested in a ballance of comfortable effortless push with reserve power and fuel economy as opposed to speeding around everywhere. Most of my powering time will probably be spent operating the engine somewhere between 2000 and 3500 RPM with 3 people onboard. I realize that there are other factors involved but can anyone make an educated guess what kind of economy (MPG or GPH) I will get with this boat and engine combination within these operating ranges. As a novice to this boat, I have made this choice of this engine over a 50HP mainly because of comments made by many posters who have said that they would opt for a larger engine if they had to make an engine choice again based on what they know now. In addition to this, there are also some too good to miss deals on Honda at the moment. On one of my previous power boats, I had the "manufacturer recommended" engine only to find that when I loaded the boat to it's maximum plated capacity, the engine really struggled. As a consequence of this I now prefer to take advice from experienced owners who run the boats rather than manufactures and dealers who try to sell them. Any advice would be appreciated.
J

[blue angel]

no experience with that engine, but for me the bigger issue was number of dealers for merc and yamaha, plus you can get the bigfoot (merc) or hithrust yamaha versions with the bigger props, which is like getting 20 or 30% more horsepower without the weight of heavier engines,

the bigfoot versions were designed for boats like ours, most other outboards were designed for speed boats, not as good a fit. but I love my honda lawnmower, easier to find service and parts for that, and mostly the only bad comments on honda outboards one sees on various internet forums is about parts (waiting and expense) and/or service when they eventually need something

there are quite a few macgregors with honda 50s, I have been on one and it was ok, quiet but a bit underpowered, but I choose the yamaha hithrust instead.

your idea of not talking to salesmen was a good one, I talked to may outboard repair facilities, including many independent ones with no dog in the fight before choosing yamaha.

when you get yours let us know how it does.

[beene]

I have not seen anyone post with a Honda 90 on the back.

All of the 90 installs I have seen are either Etec 90's or TLDI 90's

I think you have made an excellent choice though. Should be a sweet engine.

I have a Merc 75 4s. It is big and heavier than a 50 for sure. But with almost double the cc's she gets the Mac out of the water and on a plane in about 5 seconds.

Enjoy.

G

[jjan]

I have not seen anyone post with a Honda 90 on the back.

All of the 90 installs I have seen are either Etec 90's or TLDI 90's

I think you have made an excellent choice though. Should be a sweet engine.

I have a Merc 75 4s. It is big and heavier than a 50 for sure. But with almost double the cc's she gets the Mac out of the water and on a plane in about 5 seconds.

Enjoy.

G

Hi G,
Thanks for your reply and thanks to anyone else who offered advice. How do you find your 75 with regards to fuel consumption and ease of push? I was initially looking at a Honda 75 but opted for the 90 because there was only $200 difference in the price due to the specials in Canada, I got a new Honda 90 four stroke for less than the price of a new Yamaha, Suzuki or Mercury 60 four stroke so as you can see it was a no brainer. I have had Honda and Mercury four strokes on previous boats and found the ride quality much better with the Honda IMHO. The Macgregor is totally different to anything I have had in terms of weight and purpose so I know nothing of it's characteristics but somehow a recommended 50HP does make me wonder and that is why I am seeking the best of all things ie performance and economy, there must be an optimal point where the both meet and I am trying to discover where that point is. I once purchased a new 16.5 foot pressed aluminium boat package from the dealer with the manufacturer Recommended engine which was a 40HP. The boat was rated for 5 adults and gear and I never exceeded the capacity. This empty boat was around one third of the weight of the Macgregor but let me tell you that there is no way a 40HP was big enough, probably a 60HP would have been more suited, not just for speed but push, performance and economy.
Thanks
J

[beene]

Hi G,
Hi J

Thanks for your reply
You're welcome

How do you find your 75 with regards to fuel consumption and ease of push?
She's great all around. With all that torque, she pushes the M around with ease. I have water skied behind her and taken many tubing with a big 3 person tube many times. As far as fuel consumption, I am very impressed. I use the size of the engine to get the boat out of the hole on on plane, then roll back till she is just barely planing, usually around 17-19 mph depending on loads, and sit there. The rpm is around 3500 at that spot, and for me, that seems to be the sweet spot for fuel/distance/noise etc.

I was initially looking at a Honda 75 but opted for the 90 because there was only $200 difference in the price due to the specials in Canada,
Sounds like a no brainer to me, good choice. If the merc 115 was $200 more than the 75 when I got her, I would have bought the 115 for sure.
I have installed transom wedges as the stern does not have enough incline to keep the bow down enough to get on plane easily and max out top speed. Also being able to see over the bow while sitting down is nice, and without the wedges, the bow would end up too high to do that.
I also installed 2 aluminum plates to strengthen the motor mount areas. This was done by other members before me with bigger motors, so I just followed suit. I do not know if they are needed or not, but I like that they are there.

Good luck with your choice of o/b. BTW I use a 14x13 Hustler Turning Point prop.

Cheers

G

[jjan]

Hi G,
Hi J

Thanks for your reply
You're welcome

How do you find your 75 with regards to fuel consumption and ease of push?
She's great all around. With all that torque, she pushes the M around with ease. I have water skied behind her and taken many tubing with a big 3 person tube many times. As far as fuel consumption, I am very impressed. I use the size of the engine to get the boat out of the hole on on plane, then roll back till she is just barely planing, usually around 17-19 mph depending on loads, and sit there. The rpm is around 3500 at that spot, and for me, that seems to be the sweet spot for fuel/distance/noise etc.

I was initially looking at a Honda 75 but opted for the 90 because there was only $200 difference in the price due to the specials in Canada,
Sounds like a no brainer to me, good choice. If the merc 115 was $200 more than the 75 when I got her, I would have bought the 115 for sure.
I have installed transom wedges as the stern does not have enough incline to keep the bow down enough to get on plane easily and max out top speed. Also being able to see over the bow while sitting down is nice, and without the wedges, the bow would end up too high to do that.
I also installed 2 aluminum plates to strengthen the motor mount areas. This was done by other members before me with bigger motors, so I just followed suit. I do not know if they are needed or not, but I like that they are there.

Good luck with your choice of o/b. BTW I use a 14x13 Hustler Turning Point prop.

Cheers

G

Hi G,
Thanks, you gave me all the answeres to my questions and the ones I was hoping to hear. I am getting the transom beefed up with aluminium plates inside and out. The dealer who is doing the job has fitted many Macgregors out and I verified this so hopefully he will sort everything out for best performance. After reading your post regarding your performance and speed, the honda 75HP would probably have been spot on for my needs but as I have already said, the Honda 75 and Honda 90 are the same size etc except for the extra 15 horses for $200 more. I will post my finding on the combination when I get on the water. Also to everyone who posted, thanks
J