I bought 26X without a motor. Need Help selecting one.

[marlenemwa]

I went to see the boat. She looks beautiful, and in very good condition. We agreed on a price & put money down, and now need to get a motor installed.

I'm still lost in options for this motor. I would like a 50 HP, Fuel Injection. Four stroke would be nice, but a bit pricey so very ready to settle for two stroke.
Quiet running is important to me. As is quality, I'd like it to be new or like new, rebuild w/, warranty, at a great price. I still don't know enough to care which brand. Seattle area.

(at the risk of becoming lost yet further, I ask....)Does anyone know where I can find my inexpensive, new, dream motor?

[DLT]

You might ask BWYatchs.

[argonaut]

I think there's an equivalent for outboards to the "fast / high quality / cheap " corollary used in economics... (pick any two).

For outboards: Cheap / powerful / reliable
Again, pick any two, favor whatever brand there is ample service for.

I'd be lookin at the smaller 25HP Catigale mentioned, unless you need to pull skiers, or whatever size you can get that still comes with an alternator.
They are (relatively) cheap, will drive you at/slightly above hull speed, sip fuel, are easy to maintain, (single carb) and if it breaks just unbolt it & throw it in the pickup, less weight. I use a gallon of fuel on a weekend average. The 25 will help you dump ballast, but that's not a real requirement. I've loaded mine ballast-full plenty of times.
Just my three cents, adjusted for inflation.

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

I'm still lost in options for this motor. I would like a 50 HP, Fuel Injection. Four stroke would be nice, but a bit pricey so very ready to settle for two stroke.
Quiet running is important to me. As is quality, I'd like it to be new or like new, rebuild w/, warranty, at a great price. I still don't know enough to care which brand. Seattle area.
(at the risk of becoming lost yet further, I ask....)Does anyone know where I can find my inexpensive, new, dream motor?

a new outboard is not cheap unless you settle on an old & used 2-stroke smoker.
if you want really, really quiet...go with a suzuki 50 (about $6-7000 installed). i had a new one and really enjoyed it for 3 years. it's very efficient and quiet at slow (harbor) speeds. WOT the decilble level is similar to the new tech 2-strokes.
i re-powered last year to a 90 2-stroke because i was not satisfied with the suzi 50's power. it's my issue as many on this board love the suzi 50 and is enough power for them.
i just found that i could barely get to 16 mph when i was fully loaded. i did not like that.

so, now with my tohatsu 90-tldi i can cruise at 19-20 at 2/3-3/4 throttle. that way i maintain fuel efficiency and low decibles (similar to a suzi 50 at WOT).

Bob T.
"DaBob"
'02X w/ '04 90-TLDI

[Chip Hindes]

For outboards: Cheap / powerful / reliable
Again, pick any two, favor whatever brand there is ample service for.

Old tech (carbureted) Nissan/Tohatsu had all three. In 2000 when I got mine it was nearly $2K cheaper than the Merc 4-Stroke. Although a 50 is a 50, a 2 stroke will out hole shot the same HP four stroke 24/7. Tohatsus are known to be pretty much bulletproof. They were nearly 100 lbs lighter than the equivalent HP four strokes.

If you're talking 3-5 year old used, hard to beat the Nissan/Tohatsu
in these four areas.
Pick any others: Quiet? What? Speak up, you're mumbling.

Fuel efficient? Only comptetitive with a four stroke at WOT. At part throttle, you'll be lucky to get half the mileage of even the carbureted four strokes.

And, really smokey/ stinky.

Based on the way I use my motor, the two stroke was a mistake. For some it's fine.

Later models, the whole story changes. More money of course, though I believe at least the Nissan/Tohatsu are still fewer $$ than the four strokes. Eveything (except Honda) is fuel injected; the TLDI/ETEC two strokes are quite competitive for to the four strokes for part throttle fuel mileage. The wieght advantage is not nearly as large as before; four strokes are getting lighter, while the two strokes are getting heavier. The two strokes are quiter than before, but still not nearly as quiet as the quietest four strokes. The two strokes don't burn nearly as much oil as they did before, so the smokiness is reduced as well.

[Catigale]

I compensate for my Enviro- Friendly Merc EFI 50 HP BF with one of my many 30 year old 2 stroke British Seagull tender motors...no reed valves, short crankcase bearings that need 10:1 gas to oil mix to seal...

Advantages

- All bugs within 1mile radius are dead
- No EPIRB required - CG follows smoke plume
- AUto GPS trackback feature - just reverse course and follow smoke plume home - even if blinded your sense of smell works.
- Boat does not corrode due to deposit of 2S oil on all surfaces
- 2S oil coating also synergistically enhances the white hull effect for faster hull speed.

[marlenemwa]

Ugh...this is so dificult.... the motor is the most important part, and I'm such a rookie..

What do you all think about this one? Its an affordable Four Stroke....

http://www.boatmotors.com/motorparts/in ... 069&flag=2

I did not get a chance to call Blue Water, I will do that tomorrow. I want to be on the water by the middle of next week.

[Lease]

This mob in Canada have a 40hp very cheap.

http://www.sharkinflatableboats.com/mar ... how=motors


Apparrently they put them together using Yamaha parts.

They say they have a 60hp on the way.

[marlenemwa]

Regarding the Shark, would a 40HP be enough power? I had started to consider something greater than a 50, but read that it not recommended for an X.

If its a two stroke, won't it be noisier?

I read a "Mercury bigfoot" was noisy, are all mercury's noisy? The 50HP on the following page looked interesting:

http://www.smalloutboards.com/m99.htm

[Catigale]

$3750 for a 50 HP BF EFI, 2005 model, is a great price indeed.

There isnt any company information other than a 727 area code which is Florida I believe...anyone in FL know about this operation??

On edit - Im not sure that is for the Big Foot model, which is a more appropriate engine for many modes of Mac operation imho.

Art Reiders charged me $7300 for my 2003 BF installed by comparision....whatever he made in profit was well earned...all of his advice was sage indeed...

[DLT]

Regarding the Shark, would a 40HP be enough power?

Enough power for what? My 40 moves the boat well. It won't fully plane, almost but not quite. I can go over 16mph, which is enough for pulling tubes, but not for skiing, etc...

Personally, I'm still torn as to whether I'm going to upgrade. I thought I had a deal on a 90hp, but it looks like that fell through. So, I'm kinda dissapointed and am rethinking the idea of replacing a 1yr motor with a 7yr warranty...

If you want a real go fast boat, the Mac just aint it. But, with bigger engines, you can get well above 30mph. With a 40-50hp you'll max out at or below 20mph (almost certainly below if you add much weight to the boat - which we all do...)

My 40 gives me performance comparable to most 50s. But then I'm spinning a 14inch prop, while most 50s are spinning smaller props. So, depending on the 40hp you install, you may get less performance than me...

[marlenemwa]

You're right. Its just that so many postings on here seemed want more HP, I don't know if I'd feel the same way soon if I bought a smaller motor. Speed is not as important to me, now at least.

Less noise is important to me, as is less smoke, easy start. Probably things about motors that are typical concerns for a woman... Like lifting it. I'm told I'd want a power lift.

Keep the feedback coming... I appreciate it. I really want to order this motor today.

[Catigale]

ANything like a 50 HP you will want power trim (you just cant lift these things by hand, realistically...but I dont think you can buy an engine of that size without getting power trim...

A 4 stroke 50 HP sounds like the best choice for you if you want to move quickly...balancing:

- Resale value of the boat
-Ability to maneuver in stronger winds and currents
- Ability to motor to 'full' capability of the boat
- Pricing of about 4k (make sure you know what installation will run so you get the full budget picture)
- You will also need a control system (throttle and keyswitch) and a prop, which can add some money to your engine purchase


I guess at that pricing if you decide to move up or down later on you can get 80-90% of your money back if you take care of the motor.


You have to accept some risk that if you buy to get on the water quickly - you might change your mind about your motor later on, of course....

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

Enough power for what? My 40 moves the boat well. It won't fully plane, almost but not quite. I can go over 16mph, which is enough for pulling tubes, but not for skiing, etc...

Personally, I'm still torn as to whether I'm going to upgrade. I thought I had a deal on a 90hp, but it looks like that fell through. So, I'm kinda dissapointed and am rethinking the idea of replacing a 1yr motor with a 7yr warranty...

If you want a real go fast boat, the Mac just aint it. But, with bigger engines, you can get well above 30mph. With a 40-50hp you'll max out at or below 20mph (almost certainly below if you add much weight to the boat - which we all do...)

My 40 gives me performance comparable to most 50s. But then I'm spinning a 14inch prop, while most 50s are spinning smaller props. So, depending on the 40hp you install, you may get less performance than me...

DLT,
you sound exactly like me about 18 months ago.
and although i'm now about $3500 poorer, i smile everytime i'm powering my X knowing that i can be loaded up completely (passengers and gear and ballast) and still get on a plane.
i am so glad that i "bucked-up".

also, as you stated, all of these new outboards (90 hp) come with a 6-7 year warranty (or cash back).

BTW, see this posting below with Roger's & Mike Inmon's comments about the larger motor on a Mac...

http://macgregorsailors.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=5291

Bob T.
"DaBob"
'02X w/ '04 90-TLDI

[James V]

My 06 Merc 50hp Bigfoot is very quite at 5mph. People do not hear it comming. The water slapping on the hull is louder. At 8mph it is not bad. At 15+ mph I can hardly hear my hand held VHF sitting next to me when I sit on the helm seat.

I can hardly smell it. No smoke, no oil trace. Power tilt is needed for the heaver motors. I had it installed by the Merc dealier.

When installing, Change out the power wiring from the battery to the fuse box with stuff that can handle 20 amps. All of the wires will be going through a storage area and should be protected. I had a piece of 1 1/2 pvc pipe put in. That way if I had something laying on the wires it would not wear through. I do plan to put a lot of miles on my . So far 1000 in 4 months.