Here's the problem.<br />I have a 14 foot jon boat. It's not the grandest vessel that has graced freshwater. It's what I have, and until next june, it's what I can afford.<br />I used my cousin's 1.75 hp gamefisher for two years. Well, it doesn't work anymore, I'm not messing with it. It's a gamefisher. Junk. I put 60 bucks into it to get it to run. Long story short, it's been making me angry, and yesterday, it wouldn't run. Well, it did, for about 2 minutes, and then no go for 4 hours. Had to be towed in. My marine battery isn't holding up like it used to, and it was getting dark. <br />My boat is rated for 10 hp. I don't know if I can afford a 10 hp right now. Especially new. I would buy a newer-used 9.9 if I came across one, well, I can't. I can't even find any used ones in the 800 dollar range.<br />I talked to a local shop that said to buy a Yamaha 9.9 and later get it worked to 25 hp. <br />question is, though, if I can swing a 5 hp, would it be worth it? If I spend 900 on a new 5 hp from Nissan, should I spend the extra hundred or so and get a four stroke?<br />Is it true that a 4 stroke is more powerful than a 2 stroke of the same hp?<br />I don't know what to do. I really want to get some outboard a.s.a.p. Duck season is soon, and i wanted to start hunting them this year. Muskies are heating up. <br />I can't seem to find any reasonable engines around here. I don't want an older engine. <br />I don't want a beat up engine either. <br />I don't know if I should waste my money and get a smaller engine or just bag it for the season and wait and get a 9.9 next year.<br />I don't know if Nissan is any good. I don't know if I want a mercury, johnson, mariner, yamaha..... <br />I hear that mercury is coming out with a whole new product line in the spring. I don't want to buy the old, when they're coming out with the new.<br />I can't afford a honda 4 stroke.<br />Nissan seems to be reasonablly priced, well, they're Tohatsu made until 18hp I'm pretty sure.<br />Parts for the gamefisher are EXPENSIVE. Considering it's so small, moves me at a blinding speed of 4 mph, it's not worth dumping the money and resources into the thing. I believe the flywheel is held together with a prayer on the thing. AHHH<br />Thank you for the help<br />Matt