Motor recommendations for a 14' jon boat

So, I have this dillemna going on. I don't know what motor to buy. I have a line on a 15hp honda 4 stroke 2001 for $1500, seems like a nicely used motor with a fair price. The motor will be put on a 1436 lowe flat bottom that is rated for a 15hp. I load the boat heavily with decoys, people, dog and such for duck hunting. Is this going to be enough power? The 20hp is the same weight as the 15 but gives the extra power option. I have heard not to expect the power of a 2 stroke from the 4. I had a 2 stroke 15hp on it and it pushed the boat along nicely, but a step down might not be enough?

Then my decision is furthur confused when looking into the 4 stroke maintenance requirements. THey have more electrical stuff and require yearly tuning. Not stuff I can do at home. I want an easy/reliable motor to start because I hunt in some really cold weather. I think the 4 stroke would be better for this.

Now throw in the fact that a new 15hp tohatsu or nissan motor can be purchased for about 2300 new online and it makes the decision even harder. Is a 2001 honda worth 1500 when a 2012 tohatsu is worth 2300?

What to do? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I am a college student on a tight budget so making the right decision the first time is paramount. I'm stretching it trying to get a running motor on this boat to begin with, maybe duck hunting from a boat is not for me. . .

Thanks, Kelpy

Re: Motor recommendations for a 14' jon boat

The problem with the 4 stroke is it's added weight. You're not going to do well with 2 guys around 200lbs., a dog, decoys, guns, shells, snacks, etc. with a 15hp. It's just too much weight. The ideal motor for your boat would probably be a 15hp yamaha or mercury 2-stroke, or a johnson/evinrude 15hp 2-stroke if you can find one for the right price in good condition. Actually, a lightly used johnson or evinrude 15hp from the 1990's or late 1980's would be a really nice motor for your boat. They start easy when cold and are very reliable. Regardless of what you get, you'd better do a lake test with a good load on the boat to make sure it'll hold gear under the load at wide open throttle. I'm thinking you're going to have a very difficult time planing your boat out with the kind of load you're describing with any 15hp motor. But then again, you may not need to plane it out and it will work fine for you. Just make sure you do not shoot any mallards; just scare them down south to me.
JMO,
JBJ

Re: Motor recommendations for a 14' jon boat

Thanks for the information! I seem to keep coming back to the older 2 stroke idea. That probably is the right answer, I just need to find one in the next month before the season starts

I had a 2 stroke 1953 15hp evinrude on there until it died the other day. It would plane the boat with a full load but was unreliable at best. Is there a lot of difference in the power of a 15 two stroke of that era and a modern 4 stroke 15? I just wish that I knew somebody to run one and see if it is comparable. . . It wasn't super fast under a full load (13-15mph) but it got us there quicker than plowing water all the way. I have about a 5 mile run to my spots and it takes forever plowing water with my 7.5 evinrude.

Re: Motor recommendations for a 14' jon boat

I have a 1436 Tracker with a 7.5HP (detuned 15HP) Force and go out often with a 500# load, scoots along no problem and the fish finder speedo says around 23MPH. I've taken out another person at max load (or a touch over) and it would still plane, probably 18-19mph.

If I had to buy another OB, I would be looking for a Johny/Rude 2 stroke, my boat has a 10HP max rating. The 4 strokes weight too much for such a small boat. My Force is something like 57#.

How much does your load weigh, total weight of everything added to the boat? I have taken my boat up to 9000' where the elevation is killing OB performance and the boat would only run 13-15mph. If you were only doing 13-15MPH flatland, either that 15HP Rude wasn't putting out 15HP or you were really overloaded.

Re: Motor recommendations for a 14' jon boat

There is definitely a difference between the 15 2-stroke and 15hp 4-stroke. The 4-stroke is not going to have nearly enough power at low rpm to get you on plane with a big load so that the motor would finally get up enough rpm's to actually make it's full 15hp. I would compare the 15 4-stroke as far as planing power to a 10hp 2-stroke, or worse. I'm sure that some will disagree, but that's my experience with them. I did once own a nice lightly used 15hp 4-stroke Mercury and although it ran smoothly and quietly, it didn't have nearly the power that I was accustomed to with a 2-stroke 15hp. I only kept it for about 2 weeks and sold it.
A '53 15hp Superfastwin is relatively speaking, quite a powerful motor, and one of the faster. 15hp OMC's made. If it has been properly tuned with good compression and new ignition, it is very reliable. You are not going to find a 15hp 2-stroke or 4-stroke that will outperform the '53 15hp if they are all in good running condition.
From my experience, a 550 pound load on a lightweight 14'36" jonboat with a 15hp 2-stroke would have a hard time getting on plane, and max out about 19 or 20mph at best. My 2-stroke 15hp outboards go about 22mph on my boat (15'42" duracraft johnboat) with just me and a 6gal. tank of fuel.
Basically, I would check the compression on the '53 model and if it has around 105psi and both cylinders are within about 5psi of each other, I'd clean the carbs, replace the coils, plug wires, condensers, points, fuel lines, water pump impeller, and use it. If the lower unit leaks, it's about a $40 repair if you do it yourself. You might even add a fuel pump and use a single line modern tank for about $40, or install a pressure tank rebuild kit for about $30. If your motor has good compression and a good set of gears and clutch dog, fixing it correctly yourself would be the best and cheapest route to go if you want a 15hp motor.
Just an idea,
JBJ

Re: Motor recommendations for a 14' jon boat

jbjennings said:

There is definitely a difference between the 15 2-stroke and 15hp 4-stroke. The 4-stroke is not going to have nearly enough power at low rpm to get you on plane with a big load so that the motor would finally get up enough rpm's to actually make it's full 15hp. I would compare the 15 4-stroke as far as planing power to a 10hp 2-stroke, or worse. I'm sure that some will disagree, but that's my experience with them. I did once own a nice lightly used 15hp 4-stroke Mercury and although it ran smoothly and quietly, it didn't have nearly the power that I was accustomed to with a 2-stroke 15hp. I only kept it for about 2 weeks and sold it.
A '53 15hp Superfastwin is relatively speaking, quite a powerful motor, and one of the faster. 15hp OMC's made. If it has been properly tuned with good compression and new ignition, it is very reliable. You are not going to find a 15hp 2-stroke or 4-stroke that will outperform the '53 15hp if they are all in good running condition.
From my experience, a 550 pound load on a lightweight 14'36" jonboat with a 15hp 2-stroke would have a hard time getting on plane, and max out about 19 or 20mph at best. My 2-stroke 15hp outboards go about 22mph on my boat (15'42" duracraft johnboat) with just me and a 6gal. tank of fuel.
Basically, I would check the compression on the '53 model and if it has around 105psi and both cylinders are within about 5psi of each other, I'd clean the carbs, replace the coils, plug wires, condensers, points, fuel lines, water pump impeller, and use it. If the lower unit leaks, it's about a $40 repair if you do it yourself. You might even add a fuel pump and use a single line modern tank for about $40, or install a pressure tank rebuild kit for about $30. If your motor has good compression and a good set of gears and clutch dog, fixing it correctly yourself would be the best and cheapest route to go if you want a 15hp motor.
Just an idea,
JBJ

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Thanks for the detailed post. I tried to save the outboard I had. Its compression is at 65/75. It's dead for sure. If I could find another one I would pick it up because I have brand new everything for the ignition system and impeller and such for the other one.

Great posts fellas it really does help me decide. Now that I know what i'm looking for I will keep my eyes open and its just a matter of time before one comes available.

Thanks, Kelpy

Re: Motor recommendations for a 14' jon boat

Well, I was going to add some perspective on your two 4-stroke options but I guess the 2-strokers have won out. I'll just say, if you can get a ride in a similar boat with a 4-stroke you might be surprised. A lot of the bad-mouthing of 4-strokes on this forum is not terribly accurate.