MacGregorSailors.com

It is kinda like saying what kind of tool do I need. It depends on what you are going to do with it. In my case I'm sailing on a relatively small lake and power is of secondary concern. My biggest concern (after reliability) is weight. So I picked the lightest one. Get a motor that will do what you need it to do but you don't need a sledge hammer to drive a nail.

Well.....you guys are making me chime in..............I have a Venture 25 with a 7.5 honda 4-stroke. What an awesome little motor. You don't use much gas, no stinky oil smell(don't get me wrong....I ride snowmobiles....stink there is okay:)) Start easy, economical, plenty of power, yes the alternator works, but don't think it charges batteries.(unless run for hours on end) Properly cared for, will probably outlive you. They are a little heavier, but when you have a tank full of gas at season end, pour it in your car.

Fairwinds

I don't know about sound but the 4 cycles seem to have more vibration. In addition the motor mounts have different ratings for the 2 cycle and 4 cycle motors. I've been real pleased with the Honda but if I was gong out of protected waters I admit I would need a larger motor. The thought even occurred to me to add another motor mount (With threaded backing plates and wing nuts to allow removal when not in use.) under those circumstances of cruising the Gulf etc and take 2 motors a two cycle Merc and the Honda.

Mike

Congratulations on your purchase! You did great!Clark howard would be proud-Check out his website www.clarkhoward.com He is a must for frugal people.I have listened to him for 16 years.He was like the smart uncle giving me sound ,entertaining financial advice.I used to drive my wife crazy listening to him-(she called him "EL VIEJO CODO" which means in Spanish the cheap old man!)His advice paid off big time for me.I spend money and am not as frugal as him but I work double hours each mon-fri to compensate so I end up living below my means.I like Dave Ramsey but he doesn't hold a candle to Clark Howard(check out his audio archives) You probably already know about him but for everyone else ENJOY!-Curtis Becker

Once again, many thanks for all the input!! I swear, the internet is the best thing since canned beer- there is just no way this wealth of info could be gathered any other way, and on top of that, it's FREE!

Even this cheapo boat has used most of any boat budget I had, work is pretty slow around here. So at this point, the overriding factor in any motor purchase will be cost. This will probably force me towards a 6-to-8 HP 2 stroke. I already have a well-developed Craigslist habit, so I'll just lie back and wait. Seems like a good time of year to buy cheap. Of course the perfect deal will pop up before I have any money... But I have plenty of low-cost projects to keep me occupied- replace trailer bunks, lots of cleaning, a little paint here and there.

One problem I didn't first realize is I need a 25" motor, and they are not real common. Unless I modify the factory cast-aluminum bracket, it looks like a 20" motor wouldn't get the prop fully in the water even when calm, much less when heading into a chop. But I have seen very few on CL, even across NC.

On our '83 Mac 25 we run a 1976 Evinrude 9.9 2 stroke long-shaft that was totally rebuilt to the 15 HP specifications. I had the motor rebuilt because we needed to keep our alternator set up on top of the engine. I installed a 55 amp 1 wire delco alternator on top of the engine housing, coupled to the flywheel with a rubber connector. Keeps our 2 Optima Yellowtops fully charged and our refrigerator running! I am trying to find out what prop I should be running, maybe a 4 bladed unit. We can motor along most times at 6.5 knots at a reasonable fuel use and its not that loud. Our engine also has electric start which I haven't hooked up yet as it pull starts so easily...1-2 pulls when cold is all that is needed.

You might find an older Johnson "yacht twin" which is the same basic engine. Good luck!

You have gotta post pics of "Mr. Fusion" . I have another outboard (Johnson 15) like your Evinrude, so I have an idea of the flywheel on top. It has electric start and an alternator(5 amp or so), but the top mounted alternator sounds interesting. Do you have a frame attached to the powerhead or just mounted to the cover? How fast do you need to spin it to get what kind of output? I use a Honda 4 stroke on the sailboat, and it has the recoil on top of the flywheel (no electric start on that one). I made a Briggs powered alternator for something else, but it has a 6 inch pully that drives the stock alternator pulley. It needs to run at least a couple thousand rpms( guessing 2 to 1....4 k at the alternator) to get a decent output(55 amps or so).

John