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50 hp is to small and will work to hard . 90 Suzuki is a good choise . superior quality and plenty of Power to work easy With speed enough to not plow the water but fly on top of it . reinforce the hull With an 100x100 aluprofile and an aluplate . extra weigth is no prob - put battery in the rear of bunk under cockpit . dont buy e tec - they dont like to much lowspeed .

I have a 2007 E-Tec 90 on my M. It has been to the shop 1 time for a 3 year routine maint (due for it's 2nd maint). Did replace 1 bad plug at one time. Does not require any stern reinforcement. Can be rope started if needed and self winterizes. I have never had any problem at trolling speeds with it,1000 rpm or lower, hours on end. Have had boats and motors since 1959 (actually still run my 1959 runabout) and my 1st choice for a next motor would be another E-Tec.

Sex religion politics oil change intervals outboard motor brands

Forums are funny things, I approach them by reading the whole thread then re reading the original post.

Your question seems to be Honda or Yamaha. My question is do you do your own oil changes? Plugs? Fuel filter? Gear Oil?

If you do your own maintenance you won't need a dealer unless you have a major breakdown or a scheduled service to keep up your warranty. In that case you seem enamored with the Yamaha so go with that since you'll only be towing your boat to the dealer once a year or less.

If you don't do your own maintenance you'll be taking your boat in 2 or more times a year, if you're a busy household and you've got to get it in for service quick before you leave on a trip then dropping it off before work etc is going to cost you 30 minutes compared to two hours. You don't want to head out on the water knowing you didn't have time to get the plugs done or filter changed(especially if your motor was anything but butter smooth last outing). Then definitely go with the engine from the closest dealer-Honda.

I agree that there's little difference between brands if you're buying brand new. The biggest difference is e-tec vs 4-stroke. And some 4 strokes like the Yamaha F70 are as light or lighter than the comparable e-tec.

About more power, only 1 or 2 Suzuki 90's I've read about(or met in person darrenj ) are hitting 28+mph, 25+ seems to be triple digit horsepower territory. Most of the 70s 75s and 90s are around 20-25mph. The was advertised as doing 20+knots and in some wording 25mph(IIRC) at the very least 20kts is 22mph. This is squarely in the territory reported by F70 owners. The hull should be able to handle 20kt cruising. F70 at 247lbs is only 20lbs heavier than my old merc 50 so transom weight is a non issue.

As for crossing big wakes thrown up by big boats, I'd get off plane or at least lower my speed if there was that kind of traffic, but that's what any skipper should do(there are horrifying examples of hitting someones wake too fast on youtube including one that was posted here a few years ago).

Insurance with a motor over 50hp is covered in many other threads. Many have been told by their agent that they are covered.

So far I just dont have the dough to upgrade. With my new prop I get to 15kts in a nearly empty If there's no sudden winfall of cash I'll just try another prop for under $100 and hope for another knot of speed.

Either way I'm sure the thrill of a new motor will leave you smiling not wondering

Willy

It is a cool feeling to push the throttle foward and feel the boat really come up on plane and take off .it really feels like that is how it is meant to perform .i still think I get little under a gallon a hour at 5.5 -6 knots .everybody has a opinion .was out this past weekend and our friends Honda started acting up .on a hunch I unplugged the throttle position sensor and that's what it was ,it is riveted on ,anyway that night we go to order a 8-12 dollar sensor and you can not buy just the sensor ,you have to buy the whole throttle body for like 400 bucks .maybe its because I live on the east coast and it is salt water but we see all of Hondas with the lower units going bad ,water in the oil or really bad corrosion problems .i never thought I would own a etec but I could not be happier .that said that is why they make Suzuki ,Honda ,Yamaha ,mercury,and etecs .........some swear at them ,some swear by them .come to think of it ,I have never personally seen a mac with a Honda ????

Not long ago, 5yrs maybe the majority of the Macs here in the Pacific North West were Honda powered. Of course that's judging by used boat ads. But as the turns 20 many a boat has seen a re-power and they're often zipping past with a Suzi 90 on they back like they're ashamed me and my 50hp are flying the same burghee

We did a MacFoulie last September on an with a Honda 50, this spring it got new steering and a Suzi 90. I think it has more power than it's tow vehicle now I'm just kidding about the tow vehicle.

I looked at a different than mine with a Honda, my friends dad has an with a Honda. An in our club that was for sale last year had a Honda. And I can think of a couple MYCBC boats that until recently had Honda's. Is Wind Chime sporting a Honda?

The biggest problem I've noticed is that skippers tend to rely on Honda's good reputation more than on maintenance. The boat I considered buying had trouble starting but the owner admitted it hadn't been run in a year and the plugs and filters were a couple years. That boat was kept in the Saltwater too.

That probably goes for other brands that are being sworn at too. I mean it would be pretty tough to look at your family and friends as you're foundering in heavy weather with no power and say "I'm sorry guys I haven't changed the plugs, oil, filter, impeller, or gear case oil in give or take 5 years; come to think of it I don't rotate the fuel tanks and we've probably been cruising on 2 or 3 year old fuel today.....it's really all my own fault" instead the brave skipper looks into the fearful eyes of the damned and shouts "#$@%ing Honda! You should have let me buy that e-tec 90 this spring!....honey".

MORE POWER!

Enjoy your cruising, just check your oil and fuel and filters and impellor first

Willy

DaveB wrote:I had the 1997 Honda 50, it is no match for my 2013 Merc. 50 bigfoot...
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Time has tested the 50 bigfoot after 20 years in service and parts are easy to find and much less costly.
Mac X is rated for 50 hp, most marine installers will not put on more HP...
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My feeling is that adding a 90 hp that can do 28-30 mph will do damage to centerboard pivot point and line, along with constant pounding of hull and connections...
...built in water ballast could also be fractured...
...standing rigging and mast at snap jolt can fracture...
...Force is enough to damage chain plates or brake a strand or two on your stays or much worse.(most likely spreader bent)
Dave

I am very much in line with Dave. You ought to be careful. There are usually design reasons the manufacturers are placing a max engine power . Beyond localized strength issues, perhaps the other Mac sailors with high power outboards can offer their experiences in regard to the dynamics of the boat. Whipsyjac above seems to be an experienced sailor on this issue.

In my case, Hondas seem to offer better accessibility to parts which outweighs performance issues pointed by DaveB. I have no experience with Merc. but so far my experience with Honda BF50A (regardless of her age) it was sweet like honeymoon