Re: 1960 evinrude 10hp vs 1971 9.5
well I guess that answers that, I will sell the 9.5, or keep it for a backup, but I am going to try it out first.
I have a '64 9.5, and a '54 10, both Johnsons. As long as it works, and you have someplace to keep it, I vote for keeping the one you don't use as a spare. There are few things worse than a fishing trip with a balky motor. Believe me, I speak from experience.
As for which one is better, that depends on what you're looking for. The 10 is certainly faster, but if you're not going far that doesn't matter so much. The 9.5 is lighter if you need to carry it in or out, and it's easier to fish over - at least, it's easier to fish over than
my 10 is. My 9.5 is a lot quieter than my 10 is too - but the '54 models were a lot noisier than the later ones were, anyway.
So which do I use? Well, my brother and I take two boats on our annual fishing trip to the St. Lawrence River. One of them uses the 10, and I have a '56 15HP Johnson on the other. We take the 9.5 along as a spare, and we'd be fine with it on either boat, as I used that 9.5 on the same boat that now has the 15 for around 30 years. But then, the way we fish up there, speed is the most important thing. Going to another place, maybe a small lake, I'd probably trade the 10 for the 9.5. Might even trade the 15 for the 9.5, if I had to carry it very far.
