new outboards?

[yater]

I'm thinking about picking up a jon boat with an 8-15hp motor. I had a 14' alumacraft with a yamaha 8hp 2stoke until a few years ago...I think I traded it for drugs or hookers (don't remember). Anyway, I'm looking for another and think I'll pick up a NEW motor for piece of mind. Does anyone have any experience with the newer 2strokes or 4strokes? The 14' boat will be pretty weight sensitive so maybe the 2smoker will be better--and so simple to keep up with. Are there any real "duds" these days as far as outboards go? Sure seems like they run forever....should get 20+ reliable years out of a new one

[RideRed250R]

DONT GO 2 stroke
get yourself a like a 15 horse yamaha 4 stroke... you will love them... theya re SO queit its not even funny.. . we go deep sea fishing and have a 27 foot mako with twin yamaha 115 fourstrokes, we get up and scooot!!! the boat ways 7,000 pounds filled and ready to rock, tackle and all and she will do 45... which ant bad, i say go 15 horse yamaha... and you will do at least 30 depending on prop and all... most lakes are switching to 4 stroke regulations. cause 2 strokes even tho they have gotten better at fuel economy, let about 30% of the gas back into the water, 4 strokes leave 0-1% in the water... i say go 4 you wont scare fish (they have done research) the four stroke is a dull sound instead of a sound.... go four if you got the money but they are expensive.. .best thing is to buy them from florida and ship them to your residence.
adam

[yater]

4 strokes are a huge pita compared to 2stroke outboards. These twin cylinder 2strokes are pretty much gas and go for YEARS. A 9.9hp 4stroke weighs 20-30lbs more than the comparable 2stroke. That makes a difference when you're talking about portable motors (carrying it around before and after use). The 9.9 4stroke really seems to rattle the hell out of a jon boat too. Also, your laws in CA are JACKED UP. 2strokes won't be "outlawed" around here anytime soon. They are being phased out of production but existing motors will be grandfathered in. I'm not buying into the 4stroke hype on this deal--my last yamaha 8hp was good to me since 1985 and is still ticking today

[Quickonstep]

want a good motor? a 9.9 mercury shortshaft 2 stroke will push that boat just fine.. they make portables up to about 40 hp, but they are heavy.. the 25's are fairly light, about the weight of picking the rear of a 3 wheeler up.. a 25 shortshaft (15") will push the boat real nice, but may sink the transom into the water a bit..

My suggestion is the 9.9 shortshaft..

Jesse

[yater]

That's what I had in mind. Where is mercury made? It looks like johnson/evinrude was bought up by bombardier...so I'll have to pass on those 2. I'm thinking about the nissan/tohatsu, yamaha, mercury, mariner, anything else?

[BIGCRIP28]

id go with a yamaha 2 smoke.
i got a 25 on a 14' duracraft and aint got no problems.

[Oldshell4481]

we have a 25 two stroke yamaha- 6-7 years old, and it has a bad prop but still pushes the boat wicked fast, the boat and motor has sunk twice but still running strong, i would strongly recommend this motor, my friends brand new 4 stroke yamaha 25 quit on us while we were out on an island, sucked.

[TRI Z Racer]

get mercury, they are more reliable, and if you need people to work on them there are 5 times more mercury mechanics. Mercury Outboards are made in Fond du Lac WI. They are bullet proof, id say they are the honda of outbords, better reliability then the honda outbords from my experience. The 2s are lighter then the 4s by a long way. Ive worked at a marina for 3 years now, i will never put a non mercury motor on or in any of my boats.

[wheelie king]

Stay with 2 stroke for ease of maintinence and less weight. Any mid 90s or newer merc, yammie, or johnson/rude would be great. You are correct, John/rude is now Bombardier (and that is not necessarily a bad thing). I would go with yammie if you can.....quiet, efficient, and reliable, but parts are more expensive.

Good luck