MacGregorSailors.com

James V wrote: My 06 Merc 50hp Bigfoot is very quite at 5mph. People do not hear it coming. 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.
Power tilt is needed for the heaver motors. I had it installed by the Merc dealer.

the decible level that you're experiencing is pretty common at WOT for most of the newer outboards. one way to minimize that is to block off the noise that enters from under the helm seat. i've seen this done several different ways...




i'm surprised by your comment about power trim/tilt.
i assumed that nearly all engines with remote come with power trim/tilt as a standard feature.

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

DLT wrote:My 40 gives me performance comparable to most 50s. But then I'm spinning a 14 inch prop, while most 50s are spinning smaller props.

If that were so, then all of us with 50s could simply upgrade to larger props so they can perform like 60s.

In six years of owning the Mac and five years on both this board and the previous board:

1) Plenty of people defend motors as small as 9.9HP as "good enough for the way I use my boat." Of course by defnition they're right, how can you argue when you're not the one using their boat?

2) Plenty of people say, "I wish I had gone for a bigger motor." HP envy; can't argue that either. Count me among these with my 50.

3) Never once have I heard of anybody saying, "My motor's too big; I wish I had gotten a smaller one." Anyone...anyone?

Go for a 50 minimum.

Chip Hindes wrote:If that were so, then all of us with 50s could simply upgrade to larger props so they can perform like 60s.

ok, go ahead and put a 14inch prop on your motor... Lets see how that works out for ya!

I meant comparable...not exact...but comparable... Do you see over 20mph with your 50hp? Just judging by what other people have posted here, it looks like most 50hps get 16-18 mph with the kind of loads I carry.

Some lighter boats no doubt see over 20mph with a typical 4 stroke 50hp.

But, I have all kinds of crap on my boat, Air Conditioner, 4 batteries, refridgerator, etc... 50hp boats with significant mods (extra weight) seem to get speeds real close to what I see. So, I stand by my statement that I get "comparable" performance.

Now, I generally attribute that to the bigger prop. Maybe that's not real accurate... Maybe there is some other reason, like more torque (which lets me spin the bigger prop)...I dunno... But, the numbers speak for themselves...

DLT wrote:
ok, go ahead and put a 14inch prop on your motor... Lets see how that works out for ya!

I meant comparable...not exact...but comparable... Do you see over 20mph with your 50hp? Just judging by what other people have posted here, it looks like most 50hps get 16-18 mph with the kind of loads I carry.

Some lighter boats no doubt see over 20mph with a typical 4 stroke 50hp.

But, I have all kinds of crap on my boat, Air Conditioner, 4 batteries, refridgerator, etc... 50hp boats with significant mods (extra weight) seem to get speeds real close to what I see. So, I stand by my statement that I get "comparable" performance.

Now, I generally attribute that to the bigger prop. Maybe that's not real accurate... Maybe there is some other reason, like more torque (which lets me spin the bigger prop)...I dunno... But, the numbers speak for themselves...

14" diameter on a 40hp. that's huge. don't see that much.

the '02 Suzuki 50 that i previously owned only allowed enough clearance for a 12". there was about 12.25" of total clearance from the center of the hub to the area of the gearcase housing.

as long as we're talking about props, i do know that as with that Suzi 50 i owned (and even with my 90 tohatsu), maximum prop surface area is a must for a Mac. also low pitch is a must.
that is, to push this big, heavy boat (3,000#), with this undersized engine (40-60hp), you really need a "pontoon boat" prop with big dog ears.
that way it will grab as much water as possible.

my previous Suzuki required a 12" x 10 pitch to reach the required RPM range.
my current Tohatsu 90 uses a 14" x 11 pitch Quicksilver "pontoon" style prop. it maximizes water surface area and gets near the top end of the rpm band at WOT in a moderately loaded X.
granted, i can't go as fast as a 14" x 15 pitch prop (which is abt 5mph faster yet way below the minimum rpm range at WOT), but i won't ever lug/damage the engine.

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

To Marlene,

Remember that a ration of horsepower will reward well the owner who faces PNW tidal currents. Even my Suzuki DF60 is noisy at WOT. But the benefit of it's 4-stroke economy, massive torque and big prop ... it delivers a nice, quiet 14 mph cruise at 3500 rpms. So, benefits of a big 4-stroke are quiet mid-range cruising with zero exhaust smells and excellent part-throttle economy. Blue Water Yachts (BWY) just swapped an ETEC-70 back to the heavier Suzuki DF 70 for precisely these reasons, in spite of the costs involved ... a "pretty emphatic pocket-book vote" to debate. (I think BWY might be your best, first call for motor advise.)

Regarding DLT's 40-horse ETEC:
It's attributable first to the 2-stroke ETEC, and the larger prop is just a by-product of the ETEC, as torque & gearing are ample for the 14" prop. Except for the Bigfoot, other 50s are geared for a 12" prop - can't test out the larger prop since it wouldn't fit anyhow.

I've been impressed with speeds reported by the ETEC guys - DLT's 40 and Leon's 50 ETEC. They well exceed any other speed reports among the 50s. However, they will definitely incur those other by-products of oil smoke and noise ... as for fuel economy? - jury's still out.
(Unless you figure BWY is part of the jury?)

BWY was probably the jury forman.

After much consideration, we decided that a very reliable new suzuki 4 stoke was the best way to go. BWY gave us a great price, and the peace of mind that we'd have a great motor, quiet, power, economy, reliability, and smoke free.

Did the 50hp. When I have the need for more speed, my other boat is a jetboat, 50mph, so I'm good.

Thanks for all of your help with this one!