25hp, 2 or 3 cyl?

[JonBoater]

Hi, I have a 14' jon boat thats rated for a 25hp engine. I have owned this boat since 1987 and I have grown really fond of it, it's a great fishing boat. The boat has had a 9.9 Evinrude on it since new. While this is a very reliable motor it just doesn't have the speed I desire, especially with 3 or 4 people. I plan on repowering to a 25 within 6 months and am looking over my options. The new motor would be a short shaft, tiller steer, pull start. I would love a 25 Honda but $3500 is just to much to spend on this kind of a boat. I think I have pretty much ruled out all 4-strokes because of the cost factor. I feel either a Yamaha or Johnson 2-cycle would be the way to go. Is there any kind of advantage with the 3cyl models over the 2? I would think there would be a little more mid-range torque, but is it significant? I haven't priced either model for either brand but I would think the 2-cyls are cheaper, and definitly lighter. <br /><br />thanks<br />James<br />ps Not to offend anyone but I would buy a Dodge before I bought a Merc/Mari!

 

[jeffers]

Re: 25hp, 2 or 3 cyl?

Hey jonboater<br />Have you thought about a Nissan or a Tohatsu?<br />Nissan is made by Tohatsu, of course I have owned both of these engines and believe them to be one of the most reliable and powerfull 25hp engines on the market. And it should be $400.00 to $500.00 less than the yammy or johnson. I can tell you this from experiance that when I had my 14ft 48inch bottom jon boat I could put 4 men and a lab plus all our duck hunting gear and still run 26-27 mph by a gps measurement. But if the nissan is not an option I would say go for the yamaha.

 

[JonBoater]

Re: 25hp, 2 or 3 cyl?

Hey thanks for the reply, your old boat sounds about the size of mine. Thats really what I wanted to hear, that is some real world experiences. What kind of mph's did you get with a light load? Stock prop? I'm thinking with 2 people and fishing gear a higher pitch prop could be used and maybe see around 31-33 mph wide open and be able to use some thing that I can't with my 9.9, part throttle.<br /><br />I definitly will consider a Nissan, I have noticed Cabelas has them in their catalog. Freight may jack the price up a bunch I would think though.

 

[jeffers]

Re: 25hp, 2 or 3 cyl?

Hey again,<br />I put a 10" pitch prop on my motor. If I remember corectly the stock prop was a 12 or 13". As far as what it would run @ wot my guess would be 33 +/- 2mph. Like i said just a guess never checked with a gps. On the other hand the 10" prop I did and just me in the boat it would quickly top out at 29.8-30.3mph, with four people and a dog 27.5-27.9mph. All gps gauged. Before buying from cabelas go nissan's web site to see if there is any dealers in your area, you should save a few bucks. :d One ther quick thought, the reason I went with the 10" pitch prop was forthe hole shot. My dealer recommended it.<br />Hope this was helpful.