I ran 19 years with a 130 V4 Yamaha on a boat rated for 115 Max. Why? Both the 115 and 130 Yamaha's were the same motor. Was the 130 Heavy on the back? Yes, but no heavier than a 115 would have been, and lighter than a 115hp 4 Stroke of it's time. A high Cupped prop helped, and proper weight distribution was needed.
2017, I wanted to upgrade, an 18' boat in either brand I was shopping, had a Max Rating of 115 hp. Price difference between a 115 and a 140hp Suzuki was only $500, and the 140 was lighter than the 115, again, same motors, but different lighter mounts on the 140. A 115 and a 150 Yamaha had a big price, weight and torque jump, so did the Suzuki. $3500, and 70 n/m of Torque and 40-50 lbs. So because the Boat had Lifetime warranty, I went 1 size larger boat 20' rated for a 150 hp, and a 140 motor.
Torque and Weight is what will stress your transom/boat, not an extra 2-3 mph at WOT. Therefor a 140 Suzuki, lighter than a 115 Suzuki, with only 1 N/M more torque, would probably have been easier on the 18' than a 115 hp Max Rating, had there not been a Lifetime Warranty. But a Bigger Bore, Heavier, 70 N/M more Torque 150 would have been too much. The 150 being basically the same motor as a 200 hp Suzuki.