Re: HAPPY WITH HONDA
It is truly amazing how pleasant a 4 stroke motor is to operate. I troll a fair bit, and it sure is nice to have the peace and quite. My first 4-stroke was a 2002 merc 50 EFI. Ran it for 3 years and went with a slightly smaller boat and a Honda BF25. I pick it up next week.<br /><br />After reading about everything I can find, talking to people, running in various boats with various 4-strokes, my conclusion is that there is a lot of unexpected things to consider in setting up a boat. My merc was a 4 cylinder and it was as smooth as butter, strong and reliable. I did learn that the extra weight is a factor though. <br /><br />When looking at 25s, I found that there is a very wide range in offerings, and my opinion is Honda was the right choice. The two main reasons are that it is 3 cylinder and it is lighter than most. Could not see going 2 cylinder in the yamaha or merc bigfoot. My friend has a bigfoot. No major issues, but just is not a smooth as a 3 cylinder. The suzuki/johnson 25 is a lot heavier (over 200 lbs.)<br /><br />I think once you get out of the small/mid range you really don't have to look at weight so much, and you know this is where most of the development dollars go.<br /><br />If I were to go less than 25 HP, I don't think I would go with a 4 stroke. The motors are just too heavy for small boats and there is not much you can do to compensate.<br /><br />Have fun with the new motor.
