Powering up a new MacM

[Matt19020]

I am about to take delivery on a new MacM and I am undecided on what size motor to purchase. I have narrowed my choices down to two.
The Honda 50-4 stroke or the Suzuki 70-4 stroke.
I like the Suzuki however.....The Suzuki is heavier and much more expensive but I like knowing the extra power is there to achieve a true 20 mph with weight in the boat.
I also realize I am buying a SAILBOAT not a powerboat.
So my question basically is.....
If you have a 50 do you wish you would have went with more horsepower?
or
If you have the 70 was it a waste of money to upgrade from the 50?

Ultimately I would be putting more money out for something I really do not want to use which is "the motor" any feedback would be appreciated...

[kmclemore]

Oh, dear... get ready for the onslaught of opinions, Matt! That's like asking which woman to choose - homely but smart or pretty but daft!

IMHO, I'd go for the horespower. All depends on what you're personally gonna do with your boat though, Matt!

BTW, looks like you're near me, TonyHouk and Nice Aft.

[rjs11116]

I have a2005 26m with a Honda 50,I typically get 11-13 mph and unpredictable ventilation even on glass flat water.Squirrily steering when powering .The power is not good . Occasionally reaches15mph then ventilates, then you back the throttle down and attempt to build some speed again

[James V]

Well, Like it was said. A lot of views here. It really depends on where you are going to sail. The Mac is a wet boat above 7 mph. In Florida there is a lot of "SLOW SPEED" water area's. This means NO PLANING add to that a wet ride with much wind, I can only be on plane about 1/3 of the time under way. My last trip it was less that 1/8th. That was 500+ miles.

Time savings is not really a consideration with me. Even with a 90 mile trip you would save a little more than 1 hour going above 20 mph than 15 mph.

I do not want to pull water toys more than 15 mph.

My Merc 50 hp BF top speed is 17+ mph with a 14 x 10 SS prop

[delevi]

The two top rated outboards are the Evinrude E-Tec and Tohatsu TLDI. Both light-weight and are available in 50-70-90 hp. I have the E-Tec 50 myself and am very happy with it. The only thing I regret is not getting more HP, so my advice is to go with more power, especially if you plan on running the boat under power with ballast and want to get up to 20 mph. I top out at 21 without ballast with my 50, which is considered very good. With some current and waves, that goes down to about 16-18. Keep in mind that these boats create a lot of spray; I mean a LOT of spray when there is chop. Unless you want to get soaked from head to toe within 5-10 minutes, you won't be powering faster than 8-10 mph in such conditions. This may be a consideration, depending on your typical local sea conditions. Every time I wish I had a more powerful engine and get caught in some chop, I wonder how often I would actually use the extra power. Answer: not that often. Hondas are supposed to be very good engines. I actually asked my dealer to order one when buying my boat. He said that he could, but managed to talk me out of it. He said that the Honda 50s just don't push the Mac very well. Don't have any personal experience, however. I know that both your choices are 4-strokes. You may want to give consideration to the high-tech 2-strokes currently available (the two I mentioned.) They're perform great, are environmentally friendly... at least compared to their predecessors and use very little oil. No pre-mixing. You just pour the oil into a self-contained 2-quart cylinder inside the engine and forget about for a few months (about 35 hours.) The nice thing about the E-Tec is you don't have to flush it after salt-water use. You can if you want, but it is really not necessary. Says so in the owners' manual. That sold me. The outboard is very compact and packs a nice punch, probably better than most. Well, that's my 5 cents' worth. I'm sure many more opinions will follow. Good luck.

Leon

[David Mellon]

Congrats on your new , may you love it as much as I love The Yam! I love my Evenrude. I get 18 mph fully loaded and 20 solo and empty. The 60 is the same weight as the 50 and was only a few hundred more. I wondered if a bigger engine would get me more fun, but the increase in weight, size and cost kept me at 60. Since most of my time is spent offshore, I doubt I would ever get a chance to go much faster. Simple logic steered me to the 2-stroke...a 2-stroke has about 95 fewer parts per cylinder and almost no moving parts. Fewer parts means fewer chances for problems. Plus this new technology is very eco-friendly, Lake Tahoe Search and Rescue chose the etec. I get no smoke like the old 2-strokes used to belch, but I suspect it migt be louder than the 4's, the sales info claims it is about the same though.

[Phillip]

Got to your Evinrude dealer and ask for a copy of the DVD on the E-Tech, then make your decision.
Cheers
phillip

[NiceAft]

Matt,

I have the Honda 50 four stroke.

Heading down stream on the Delaware River, full ballast, and four adults on board, I have had the boat up to thirteen knots. Without ballast and the same conditions, I have squeezed a few more knots. As they say; for a sailboat, that ain't bad

I have pushed those speeds only now and then. I don't believe the extra horses are needed.

I can't tell you that a Honda is better than a Merc, or an Evinrude, or anything else. I simply don't know. I do know about what I need, and don't need. I was in a situation where speed was essential only once.

In Lake George last summer I was racing a bad looking sky back to the marina where I had moored the boat. It was full throttle all the way (about 5800 rpm) in choppy water. I GOT SOAKED Not from rain, but from the spray. When you are told that the Mac is a wet boat, you had better believe it. The 50 will be fine. In fact, the 50 is great.

Now to go off topic.

If you decide to slip the boat next year at Neshaminy, go for a 30' slip. They have 26' slips, and then they jump to 30' and beyond. You are not charged for the size of the slip. You are charged for the size of the boat. Not the boat and the motor, just the boat. You won't be sticking out beyond the dock, and you have plenty of room to dock. It's a nice place, with nice people. You could probably walk there from your house

Where did you eventually get the boat from?


Ray

[mtc]

I went with the Merc 60 - close in size to the 50, but with a little extra punch. It's a large motor on the back of my M, however. Transom boarding just doesn't happen.

[Catigale]

I was going to chime in with choose Fuel injection over horsepower as to where to spend your money, but it looks like you got there before me..



Ive been happy with my BF 50 EFI, but would probably jump up to 60 or 70 HP if I could 'do it over again'

THe FIJ motors purr like kittens at low rpm, and the fuel economy lets you cruise longer distances without hassling for fuel

[David Clarke]

Hey Matt,
Congratulations! All the motors no mater what size have there pros and cons. I have had excellent service so far from my Honda 50. I get about 19-20 mph. I work it very hard 95% of the time (W.O.T.) and it keeps coming back for more. It is very easy on gas too. I would prefer the boat came with the 70 stock. I think the extra hp is money well spent and the 70 is about right. If I were to up grade I would go for the big boy 140. It would fit my usage best since I do lots of powering around on my weekend get aways. I'm sure I would work the larger outboard a lot less than the 50. It is a bit of over kill for this boat but when the conditions are right I'm also betting it would be a blast to open up. Consider as other have said, what will you be doing, what will fit your needs and go from there. You will be happy with what you get in the end. Just my thought on what I would like.

[Jeff]

I have been very happy with my Suzuki 70hp on my '06M, although the stock propellor is pitched too high, but that's another topic. One of the things I really like about the Suzuki 70 is how quiet she runs. My very first day out this spring, my friend pushed us off the dock jumped aboard and anxiously said, "start it up!" I laughed and told him it's been running for 10 minutes now. Very quiet motor and decent speed even with the stock prop, 17 mph with two adults and full ballast. I expect when I get a lower pitched prop that I'll do much better than that.

[kmclemore]

I wouldn't get a Nissan or Tohatsu - around the Philadelphia area parts and service are really scarce for those motors (my boat came from out west). The only good Nissan / Tohatsu service guy I know is an old guy in Norristown - "Roman" is his name - and his shop is always backed up. I get parts there, but haven't had him service it yet - I do most of that myself presently.

[aya16]

ohh boy This is fun. Me if making a choice ,, I would go with the etech 90 white weighs less than a suzuki 70 and will have 20 more hp.

The white motor will look like it was made for the Mac.
2 stroke less moveing parts no oil changes and dont get fooled with the 4 stroke are so quite. they are very quite at idle up to about 2500 rpm
but they roar at full throttle. So does the etech but for me a two stroke has a more pleasing sound. The etech you wont be able to hear at idle
either.


cost not sure what the 70 suz runs, but the etech can be had from just under 9 grand or less if you shop around. That hurts dont it?
thats with all the stuff you need with it.

the etech 60 has gotten my respect from all the boats around mine in MDR
they perform great. My suz 50 four stroke is a nice motor but the etech 60 will run circles around it. My suz. will run circles around the honda 50.


Now the best engine that the Mac can use would be the most power with the less weight. Till the 4 strokes go on a diet (dont think they can) the only way to get this combo is with the etech or tohatsu.
or find a 90 two stroke from the 2002 years or less and that baby will
weigh less then my suzuki 50. but will smoke.

tuff call for you because so many will be giving advice and really all the motors are good. But if your looking for performance, even if you never use it, light motor easy maintanance than the etech are winners here.


The only motor I wouldnt use and its only because the Mac needs to get to at least 16 mph and keep it there to handle like a power boat should on plane is, And Im sorry guys that own them is the honda. With carbs to deal with and the stroke and bore is smaller that engine In my opinion
isnt the best choice. they are bullet proof well made and have been around for a long time but they just dont have the umphhh needed for the Mac.

[Frank C]

The "correct" answer to your question truly hinges on your intended usage patterns. The problem is, you frequently can't truly determine that until you own the boat - classic conundrum. The safe answer is to go with more horsepower, since it's totally impractical to make that change later. However, many here have done exactly so, at a cost of thousands.

Since the answer is so personal I won't even voice my opinion, just experience. Six years ago I chose the Suzuki 60 for two main criteria, EFI that was rare back then, plus the 14" prop for more pushing power. I've never had second thoughts.

Your options though seem to miss one key point ... comparing a carbed 50 to the EFI 70. If you elect lower horsepower (smaller & lighter) you should definitely also consider the Suzuki EFI 50. EFI is a major factor in reliability and owner satisfaction. All manufacturers are represented during brand-b!tch sessions, but carbed motor seems a distant second choice at this stage of electronics maturity.

Finally, I was impressed with the power of delevi's ETEC 50. It has a 14" prop and just as much power as my Suzi 60, and it's lighter too. The 2-strokes do have their benefits,, but I was a 4-stroke guy back then ... and still am now ... all just food for thought.