Upgrading to a 50 hp Tiller

[LundAngler1650]

Hello, thanks for having me on the forums, joined today, and this is my first post.
I bought a in 2018, it was a boat show package deal, Lund 1650 Angler, Lund trailer, Mercury 25 hp tiller style outboard. We really like the boat, but made a mistake in taking the boatshow special package, instead of upgrading the engine. With the two of us, gas, cooler, gear, 2 great danes, and stuff, the 25 hp Merc is awfully under powered.
So with plans to upgrade to a 50 hp tiller, does the brand make a huge difference in reliability and usability? I like that Yamaha has the 50 rpm bump at the push of a button when trolling, but the Honda, and Merc look good to. So before spending the money on a new engine, is there 1 of the 3 to definitely avoid, or a must buy because it is vastly superior to the others?
All feedback is greatly appreciated, my ignorance of these outboards is large.
If it makes a difference, yes they will be hooked to the battery for electric start, and to charge it as it runs the lights, and electronics. No it will not ever be converted to a console with steering wheel, it will be hooked to a removable style gas tank, and yes I do imagine that they probably all use their own style hose to attach, I'm not concerned about buy a new gas tank for whatever model, I will sell the Merc 25 liter tank with the Merc outboard.
Thanks Again.

 

[LundAngler1650]

Sorry for the typos, I don't see an edit button either, so cannot correct them.

 

[Sea Rider]

Is this motor same as the Merc 25HP tiller style you bought ?​

If so have good news for you, that's a rebadged Tohatsu 25 HP motor, which can be upgraded to 30 HP for peanuts costs, once there install 2 less pitches from current one and will have a different motor with minimum investment as to spend a lot more on a larger HP motor. If interested let me know to guide you in the 25-30 HP upgrade.​

Happy Boating

 

[roscoe]

I have the Alumacraft version of the same boat, with a 25 as well.
Yes, get the 50. You won't regret it.
You will think you bought a whole new boat.
You'll be up on plane and have a drier ride.

Merc, Yamaha, or Honda really makes no difference.
It comes down to price, availability, and a local servicing dealer that you are happy with.

 

[Sea Rider]

I have the Alumacraft version of the same boat, with a 25 as well. With same Tohatsu motor ? If so, way over propped, counting with extra 5 HP and correctly propped makes a huge water performance difference. The conversion only costs about $ 150 greens and any 50 a pile more, it's up to the OP whichever he wants to go for....

Happy Boating​

 

[LundAngler1650]

Is this motor same as the Merc 25HP tiller style you bought ?​

View attachment 337882

View attachment 337883

If so have good news for you, that's a rebadged Tohatsu 25 HP motor, which can be upgraded to 30 HP for peanuts costs, once there install 2 less pitches from current one and will have a different motor with minimum investment as to spend a lot more on a larger HP motor. If interested let me know to guide you in the 25-30 HP upgrade.​

Happy Boating

I have to go pop the cowl off again for another look to say for sure, but I don't think so. Would like to go up more than 5 hp as well though. It was my own fault for impulse buying the special price deal at the boat show. It looked like such a nice package, and I do like the boat, trailer, options it came with, and couldn't ask for a nicer fishing boat, but it's cruise speed is pathetic, so usually After a 5 minute warm up, I just run it wide open to get somewhere, and even then its slow. I don't feel too bad about running it wide open, as the revs are not sky high from the sound of it to my ears, nor does it sound overly stressed. I could Re-prop it, and gain a bit sure, but the reality is the motor is simply too small for the boat, and the load we put in it. My old 14' Princecraft had a 20 hp Yamaha, and in a race would easily win. Loving the boat itself, I have no plans to sell it, and with a rating of up to 60 hp allowed, the 50 is still not maxing it out. But I am certain that with a 50 on it, I can operate how I would like, using full throttle to get on plane with our heavy load, then throttle back to around 70% or so once it's planing. Just glad this boat has a battery andbis set up for electric start, while I have never pull started a 50 hp, I'm guessing that it requires a pretty good pull. Before this boat, any outboards I had were pull start, but were only a 9.9hp, and 20hp. Still have the old 9.9 Honda and use it on the Achilles inflatable when we take that.

 

[LundAngler1650]

I have the Alumacraft version of the same boat, with a 25 as well. With same Tohatsu motor ? If so, way over propped, counting with extra 5 HP and correctly propped makes a huge water performance difference. The conversion only costs about $ 150 greens and any 50 a pile more, it's up to the OP whichever he wants to go for....

Happy Boating​

I truly appreciate your help, but still plan on upsizing, the bigger cc engine size will not only up the hp twice, but should add a healthy amount of torque. While I have no numbers on the amount of torque increase, it should be ample to allow for it to easily get up and plane. In the beginning I had actually considered going with a 60, but then again It's another weight jump, so a 50 should be a perfect compromise. Leaning towards the Honda, it is the lightest of them, and well its an older engine, tried and proven, a few reviews I read seem to like it, and stellar fuel burn numbers, so i won't be needing to lug around 5 or 10 gas cans just to go somewhere. Several times per year we go to large lakes, and do some lengthy trips, so fuel burn is a factor, more for the amount of fuel needing to come along, than the cost to buy it, although paying less is great to. Until I figure out how far it can truly go once repowered, I may add another couple 3 gallon gas cans, to the 1 I always carry no matter what, and occasionally carry 2 of them. A few times before, and again last summer, I actually gave my spare 3 gallons ( really its more like 3.5 gallons or more ) to a stranger, who found themselves desperately in need of it. The couple last year was staying at the same resort as we were, had a lodge rental boat, and they were out of gas, as we were going past they were standing up, and waving frantically, so turned towards them, and discovered their plight. Gave them our spare gas, which would get them the last 10 miles of their journey back to the lodge. We just didn't go as far as planned that day, because I was pretty sure that we would have also run out on the way back. Sorry if my conversion to gallons is a bit off, being Canadian I buy gas in liters, and do rough math to gallons, which most of you are likely more familiar with, the Mercury tank that came with my boat is 6.6 gallons according to Mercury.

 

[82rude]

Isnt B.C. the land of Yamaha and Suzuki?When I was out there in 2012 on the big island that's all I saw with maybe a merc here or there.

 

[LundAngler1650]

Isnt B.C. the land of Yamaha and Suzuki?When I was out there in 2012 on the big island that's all I saw with maybe a merc here or there.

A lot of Honda and Merc dealers to, and see a ton of them on boats. At least in the areas I frequently boat I would say that in order of most popular to least it is Mercury, Yamaha, Honda, and Very Very Rarely a Suzuki or Evinrude. I don't remember seeing a Suzuki or Evinrude even once the past few years. After many calls, and I do mean many, finally located a 2020 Honda 50 still new in the crate, in a small town, 4.5 hours away, we drove down Friday, made a mini vacation of it, stayed overnight in a Hotel, and returned home last night. Opened the crate, made sure everything was there, and it wasn't damaged, screwed the lid back on, loaded into the back of my pickup, and now once I am healed up some more, will uncrate, assemble, and install it. It was literally the only 50 I could find within an 8 hour drive. They "sort of lost track of it in the back of the shop lasf year, when it got busy, found it in November when things slowed down, and we were cleaning up to bring in snowmobiles ". That was what the owner told me, and he said they could have easily sold it last year if they had not forgotten it was there. Still gets full warranty starting from yesterday's date on the bill of sale. They guy gave me enough filters, leg and engine oil to change them about 5 times each, and a good deal on two Honda gas cans, and hoses, selling me both for the price of the cheaper 3 gallon one, so the 6 gallon was free, and a spare prop at no charge. So while I didn't actually get a discount off the msrp of the 2020 price, despite being a year old, I got lots of free stuff, and I prefer putting it together myself, over who know what experience level of the person doing it there.