Re: Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips
OMG. You have that entrepreneur gift. Great clip. I would love to see some more pics or video of the 385ft. It did seem very quiet, at least using your voice as a gauge. What does the 2hp weigh? Also, did you try it at full throttle?
It is very quiet, I wasn't even talking loud in the video, just very lightly .
It weighs 29lbs dry and around 31 with the tank filled up. It runs pretty much a entire day on a tank.
I would guess a gallon would last close to a week of fishing, depending on the size of the lake.
The one lake I fish has 42 miles of shoreline and is a little over 1800 acres of water surface.
I can cover it on a tank.
Yes , I did try it at full throttle. I'm getting 7.5 - 8 mph in perfect conditions (cell gps) and into the wind in chop I'm getting 6.5 mph.
However, the throttle doesn't want to stay up all the way, the slider comes back down a little but I'm looking into seeing if I can tighten it up.
Still i would say that's pretty much the speed of it on the 385ft. That's pretty good for a 2hp,,However I am at the edge of the weight limit on the motor mount (35lbs)
I don't know if I would get that speed on the M4 with a 2hp ?
I'm going to use it on the M4 Hopefully this coming week. If i can get a day free that is.
Here is another little clip of the 2hp on the 385ft running in at the end of the day :
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3yiLTYk72ThTnp6LUstdExSUm8/edit?usp=sharing
Here is a pic of the johnson 2 on the 385ft,, One of My friends said Where is the 50cal Mount ! LOL It does kind of have the look of a vietcong boat.
As for buying outboards the fall and winter is a good time to find one.
I would look for a used one.
Craigslist can be Very good !
If you live in a state where you can still use a 2 stroke, I would go that route ! More power and lighter weight !
Plus the 2 stroke oils out there now are VERY clean compared to back in the day.
If you know about small motors at all, you can pick them up cheap by checking the compression and looking over the engine in general. There isn't a whole lot to a small outboard.
If you Don't know anything about them,,, make sure to tell the seller you want to see it run first.
You probably will pay more that way, but its a good protection if you don't know about small outboards.
Water Cooled is quieter, so keep that in mind too but you need to make sure that it is spitting water or your going to have to probably change the impeller.
As for light weight though, some of the air cooled ones are Crazy light !
There was one made called "cruise n' carry" Model 6700 and it was a 2.7 hp that was only 16-19 pds !
I have came across a couple of them but they were just 1.5hp models and that's not enough for me.
Please keep in mind the Hull speed of the M4,, and the weight of the outboard.
There is a Balancing act here.
More weight in your build will take more hp to get to the M4's hull speed, So Consider that when looking for a little outboard.
Fastest your going to get in the M4 is 8-8.5 mph.
Also, If your using say a 3.5hp and your using the original motor mount on the M4, I would recommend putting a hyrofin on the outboard. This will fix a lot of issues that you will find ! Trust me on this !
It will keep the boat tracking Super straight and it will Level the craft while relieving tension on the motor mount.
Depending on the weight of the outboard , you may want to also bypass the internal tank and use a external.
I did this with my Clinton 3.5 and it helped a good bit with weight displacement.
Sincerely Desode
PS @MZNEWMAN there are still some 2 strokes out there that are brand new, you just have to look around. Yamaha still makes a 2hp.3hp and a 4hp 2 stroke. There are also some places on the web that sell used ones and they are very reputable places.
which will help me do the edges, and worst case scenario, I will have access to an orbit sander.
