Buying a Mercury 6hp -2 stroke or 4

[bjarnold1]

I'm looking at buying a kicker motor for my Bayliner 19ft Capri Sportsman. I found a 6hp four stroke and a 2001 6hp 2 stroke. Which one is the better of the two?

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: Buying a Mercury 6hp -2 stroke or 4

If it for trolling/fishing, all day long 4 stroke.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Buying a Mercury 6hp -2 stroke or 4

The 4 stroke is a lot heavier.Two stroke you might need a second tank.
What motor do you have now?If you have an I/O then the 4 stroke is the logical choice.You can hook right into the fuel system.
Tell us more about the boat and setup you have now.

I'd look for a 10hp at least.A 6 ain't gonna do anything if there is any kind of wind.J

 

[jrs_diesel]

Re: Buying a Mercury 6hp -2 stroke or 4

I have the Mercury 6 HP 4 stroke (2007), and it is not all that heavy. Mine is a long shaft and weighs in at 59 lbs. For comparison, I also have a 1972 Johnson 6 HP (2 stroke) short shaft that weighs 56 lbs. Not much of a weight difference.

The Mercury 4 strokes these days in the U.S. are made by Tohatsu (30 HP and below), who also make the same motor for Nissan. I have had very little issue with our 6 HP. It normally starts on the first or second pull, and runs great for trolling (mine is mounted to our sailboat).

If it were me, I would pick the 4 stroke for the Bayliner, which I assume has an I/O drive, and thus a 4 stroke engine. You could very likely plumb it into your existing tank.

 

[bjarnold1]

Re: Buying a Mercury 6hp -2 stroke or 4

The boat is a 2000 Bayliner Capri 1954 with a Mercruiser 3.0. The only reason I was looking at the 6hp is weight. My dad use to have a 1988 Capri 1950 and had a Yamaha 9.9hp 4 stroke with electric start. The motor was way to heavy for that boat. I plan on using a factory Bayliner outboard mount that bolts to the swim platform

 

[jrs_diesel]

Re: Buying a Mercury 6hp -2 stroke or 4

Good call, the 6 HP is not all that heavy (for me anyway). It is more ackward than heavy, unless I have to carry it far. I can't say the same for a 9.9 Johnson I have in the garage, it weighs 77 lbs, and I really don't like moving it around at all.

Another thing to consider is how much weight can that mount support.

If your looking to troll you can get a high thrust "elephant ear" prop for that 6 HP as well. Huge flat blades, but pitched less so it moves a lot of water without lugging the motor. I will be getting that prop for mine for next season since it will work much better on my saiboat than the standard high speed prop does (although that prop works great on my inflatable dinghy).

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Buying a Mercury 6hp -2 stroke or 4

The platform is strong enough to hold a 220# man.I know I used to install them.
If the 2 stroke has a built in oil tank on the motor use it.J

 

[rg2]

Re: Buying a Mercury 6hp -2 stroke or 4

I recently sold a 2003 6hp 4-stroke. I was using it on a 15' modified V Polarkraft. It was light enough to move around fairly easily and it Literally sipped fuel but it had just slightly more power than the oar. Seriously, on a boat that size even a slight head wind could cause some problems. If fuel supply isn't an issue I would recommend the 2 stroke. Good luck.

 

[jrs_diesel]

Re: Buying a Mercury 6hp -2 stroke or 4

I recently sold a 2003 6hp 4-stroke. I was using it on a 15' modified V Polarkraft. It was light enough to move around fairly easily and it Literally sipped fuel but it had just slightly more power than the oar. Seriously, on a boat that size even a slight head wind could cause some problems. If fuel supply isn't an issue I would recommend the 2 stroke. Good luck.

That could very likely have been caused by the prop. The Merc 4-5-6 HP is the same engine for the most part. The 4 came with an internal fuel tank, and a connection for an external tank. The 5 and 6 only had an enternal tank. The 4 and 5 came equipped with a 7.7 x 7 propeller, but the 6 came with a 7.7 x 8 propeller.

I mentioned earlier, that with my 6 HP, the standard propeller (7.7 x 8) ran great on my 9 ft inflatable dingy. On my 22 ft sailboat, it's another story. That boat wieghs 2600 lbs with no gear or people on it. The 6 HP is adequate at low and midrange RPMs, but will not go to it's full RPM range. I am overpropped in this situation and lugging the motor at full throttle. There are 4 prop choices for the normal high speed props, 7.7" diameter and either 6, 7, 8, or 9 inch pitch. There is a 5th prop which is a 8 3/8" diameter, 6" pitch "elephant ear" high thrust prop available. That is the one I will be getting for my sailboat for the upcoming season.

Like rg2, mine literally sips fuel. Mine came with a 4 gallon Quiksilver tank, which I filled up only once last season, and I still had about 2 gallons left when I hauled the boat out for the season.

The new 6 Hp is also coming out with a few neat features. An internal tank option (like the 4 HP), and a 6 Amp alternator. Both of those can be retrofitted to the older engines. The alternator is another upgrade I will likely get for my engine.

 

[xeddog]

Re: Buying a Mercury 6hp -2 stroke or 4

It looks like you are in California so go with the 4-stroke. If I remember correctly, there are some lakes that ban 2-strokes, and there will most likely be more.

Wayne