what is make and model?

[fatlenny]

If you want to take the max out of that 50 HP motor, prop it right to run towards its max wot rpm range factory stated, will need to install a tach for that specific purpose.

Happy Boating​

Understood, have a small tach that I did some testing on with the trashed prop that came with the boat. I know there will be a lot of testing to get as much "fun" out of this 50hp as I can. I just wonder how close I can get to figuring out what pitch I will need without buying more than a prop or 2. The one that came with it is a 13 x 19 and a bit beat up (I do understand the math on figuring that out). If I remember right I got 36mph out of it with all the waterlogged foam under the floor and the crap prop. I am hoping after lightening her up with this restoration, Jack plate, and a good prop I can get mid 40's out of her. I bet that will feel like you are flying on a 14 foot boat. If I came across a light weight 65 or 70 HP motor at a great price I may play with the idea but not till after I got some good use out of what I got.

 

[JimS123]

Getting the right prop isn't rocket science. With RPM and GPS data you can dial it in right the first time. If you want performance go with a cupped SS performance prop. Lots to chose from.

The internet is full of opinions. Some good, some bad. So take everyone's with a grain of salt. Mine is that if your 50 runs good, stick with it. Running high HP on a little boat can be dangerous unless you are a racer and drive it accordingly. Not for a family boat though.

Many will say: "Nobody ever said they wished they had less HP!". Well, I don't think I'm the first, but I sure ain't nobody. I've had 2 boats that were originally equipped with "regular" motors. I decided to go bigger, right to the max. In both cases, I took off the big one and went back to the next smaller one. I collect outboards, so I have a bunch to chose from.

An experience boater can "feel" it when she gets squirrely. Don't make the mistake of flipping it 15 feet in the air like a recent poster said.

If you want to maximize your boating experience, upgrade to a 4-stroke. nothing like them. All my 2-strokes are now wallhangers.

If all you want is SPEED, then good luck to you.

 

[fatlenny]

If you want to maximize your boating experience, upgrade to a 4-stroke. nothing like them. All my 2-strokes are now wallhangers.

What do you feel is the advantage to a 4 stroke outboard in the performance area? I am not wanting to start debate on here, but I just dont see it. I am open to opinions.

 

[Sea Rider]

Once the material that has collected water over the years has been removed so to run a much lighter boat, go for a wot run as usually loaded with current chewed prop, check the max wot rpm achieved on flat calm water conditions and compare those rpm numbers to the min-max wot rpm numbers factory stated. Will know if in need to drop or add pitch on next new prop. Personally would stay with current 50 HP motor well propped right. Once done that combo will fly....

Happy Boating​

 

[JimS123]

What do you feel is the advantage to a 4 stroke outboard in the performance area? I am not wanting to start debate on here, but I just dont see it. I am open to opinions.

Quieter, smoother, starts instantly, less gas usage, easy maintenance, don't have to add oil to the gas, can run at idle for hours without fouling the plugs, no oil burning smell.

When 4-strokes first came to the forefront the pundits all claimed they were heavier and had poor torque and 2-strokes had better performance, yada, yada, blah, blah. What does performance mean? Hole shot, top speed, fuel economy? All I can say is that my 60 runs better than the 2-stroke 60's I had in the past. Compared to a 4-stroke I/O my 150 is so much better its laughable.

Now, the downside is that you need a computer program to fix one. Whereas any half way competent mechanic can work on a 2-stroke. So, if you LIKE to tinker, then a 2-stroke should make you happy. I DO like to tinker, but my new motors are so reliable that I don't have to!

 

[SavinRaven]

Check Best Marine near Lima OH. Jeff Best used to do a lot of work on my grandfathers back in the day.

 

[Bob Sander]

What do you feel is the advantage to a 4 stroke outboard in the performance area? I am not wanting to start debate on here, but I just dont see it. I am open to opinions.

Buying a new lawn mower... outboard, etc.... Get the 4 stroke. The emissions and noise laws are slowly tightening the noose around the neck of the 2 strokes.
2 stroke outboards are banned in most Canadian Provincial Parks now, and it's just going to get worse from there.

 

[Sea Rider]

When your 2 stroke 50 HP motor gets banned in your boating area, time to go for a 4 strokes one, meanwhile till that happens continue to have fun with current motor...

Happy Boating​

 

[fatlenny]

What does performance mean? Hole shot, top speed, fuel economy?

I understand the downsides. What I meant when I asked about "advantages in performance area" was well,,, Performance area. When you are talking about a car and talking about performance you may be talking about a sport car. This is the kind of question I am asking. I am not talking about my family sedan, I am talking about the vehicle that may be covered in the garage that I only get out on a really nice day and I want to play. Feel my self pushed back into the seat, listen to a loud motor screaming, take a corner at 50 plus MPH that I would take at 15 in my family sedan. I get it that the new motors are all electronic fuel injected just like cars and you need a doctorate education just to try to figure out why the check engine light is on. (I miss the good ol days with carbureted motors, simple ignitions, and a transmission that didnt require a computer to shift gears.)

So to try to make it simple imagine my question from back when I was much younger, (and we didnt have many options other than carburetors) on your street/drag car what do you feel the advantage is using a Holly vs a Edelbrock carb for performance at the track? This is what I meant when I asked What do you feel is the advantage to a 4 stroke outboard in the performance area?

 

[JimS123]

I understand the downsides. What I meant when I asked about "advantages in performance area" was well,,, Performance area. When you are talking about a car and talking about performance you may be talking about a sport car. This is the kind of question I am asking. I am not talking about my family sedan, I am talking about the vehicle that may be covered in the garage that I only get out on a really nice day and I want to play. Feel my self pushed back into the seat, listen to a loud motor screaming, take a corner at 50 plus MPH that I would take at 15 in my family sedan. I get it that the new motors are all electronic fuel injected just like cars and you need a doctorate education just to try to figure out why the check engine light is on. (I miss the good ol days with carbureted motors, simple ignitions, and a transmission that didnt require a computer to shift gears.)

So to try to make it simple imagine my question from back when I was much younger, (and we didnt have many options other than carburetors) on your street/drag car what do you feel the advantage is using a Holly vs a Edelbrock carb for performance at the track? This is what I meant when I asked What do you feel is the advantage to a 4 stroke outboard in the performance area?

Sounds like we have similar backgrounds. I remember my Ponch Tri-Power with great fondness. Later I had a Cat with a 400. Both had Rochesters, not Hollys, and both were factory setups.

As much as I reminisce, the old days weren't the "good" old days. Tune ups every 1000 miles, constantly dressing points and oh those carb rebuilds. I'm too old and lazy to go thru all that trouble today and glad I don't have to.

I never raced either car, but they sure would lay a lot of rubber if I wanted to. But, OTOH, my current Lincoln has just as much guts.

Taking a corner in a boat at 50 vs. 15 is more of a function of the hull not the engine.

Last Fall (and the following Spring) were wet and cold, so the boats were on the hard longer than usual. Come Spring I had my 2 newer boats out 2 days in a row. Click the switch and they were both running within a fraction of a second. In contrast, the next day with my classic 2-stroke saw me cranking for several minutes before she fired.

On a nice Summer day I enjoy taking the oldie out and meeting up with friends with similar ihterests. I keep a tool kit and spare parts aboard. But, when I HAVE to go fishing or take out the family I use the 4-stroke.

When I leave the no-wake area I usually throttle up slowly to about 25 MPH. From there if I punch it she goes to 50 as it throws us all back in the seats with a whiplash. Now, that's performance!

If you listen to Sea Rider he is obsessed with prop maximization. And so am I. To get the max out of any engine it needs to have the optimized prop, whether 2 or 4 stroke.

I'm guessing anyone that did the upgrade would never go back. The only reason not to would be because of higher capital cost.

 

[Sea Rider]

If you listen to Sea Rider he is obsessed with prop maximization. And so am I. To get the max out of any engine it needs to have the optimized prop, whether 2 or 4 stroke.

Thumbs Up, It's not that I'm obsessed with prop maximizations, now know the huge performance difference achieved. Motors with factory delivered props ar usually medium pitched and only good for motor's break in period, soon after need to prop right your motor whether being 2 or 4 stroke to run at least middle to max wot rpm range as loaded depending if wanting tad more top end speed or faster hole shot, you decide. A prop maximization on your motor is the wisest investment ever...

Happy Boating​

 

[fatlenny]

Its been a long road but we put her in the water for a shake down run this last weekend. Hit 42mph, Forgot to pull out the GPS to confirm. Using a merc 800.
Short video here.

 

[roffey]

42 mph in that little boat must feel like your flying. It looks very stable, good job on the restoration.

 

[fatlenny]

42 mph in that little boat must feel like your flying. It looks very stable, good job on the restoration.

It was incredibly stable and smooth. I just want more! Mid 50s is my goal. I just wonder if the water pressure speedos run faster or slower than your going. I read in the Sierra instructions that speedometer will read 5-10% faster on an outboard with its own pitot.(this is what I am using on the Merc 800) This would be disappointing if so. because that would mean I was doing 2 to 4 MPH slower. But this is confusing to me as this pitot hole on the outboard seems much smaller than the one that mounts on the transom. This smaller input would lead me to conclude that less water would be allowed into the system, causing less pressure, then throwing a lower reading than what I am actually going. Unless the factor is that it is lower units mass in the water and the tube is at a point where the water is a higher pressure due to the size of the lower unit being forced forward through the water creating a higher pressure reading at the gauge, and or the water coming off the bottom of the boat at the transom mounted pitot with the larger entrance hole to allow more water, creating more pressure needed due to the some of the water being dragged along with the boat hull vs the water a bit lower at the pickup point on the lower unit. Am I on to something here? After GPS reading I will report back with findings, but that might be a while as its back to snowing here, then rain for the next 10 days.

 

[roffey]

In my boat the spedo stops working at about 45 then start going down to 0. It has done this since new. I suspect it has to do with trimming the motor up to hit top speed, lol. Speedometers are inaccurate to say the least, take in to factor the water current and even the spin of the earth. This is why in the marine world we use knots and not miles per. I use my phone and the GPS on it.

 

[racerone]

I believe ---KNOTS ---are used because it is based on an actual dimension on the charts.-----Based on the size of our planet and not the length of someone's arm

 

[JimS123]

A quality pitot tube speedometer, with a transom mounted pitot tube, properly mounted with a solid hose sealed at both ends, will provide a speed that is +- 1 mph of the actual water speed. The "hole" on an outboard motor may not provide accurate results because of changing trim of the motor.

The reasons that most people say they don't work well is because the pitot hole may be clogged or the hose has a leak. If the leak is at the head, its possible to bring water up and destroy the unit.

I had a brand new boat come from the factory with a non-functional speedometer. Found a kink in the hose. Replaced the entire hose and 35 years later it still matched my GPS. My woodie has a 1952 speedometer and with a new hose that also reads perfect.

Obviously, since its only a calibrated pressure gauge, they don't read at all below 5 or 10 mph.

 

[roffey]

so I quickley looked up knots and here is what I found. "The term knot dates from the 17th Century, when sailors measured the speed of their ship by the use of a device called a “common log.” This device was a coil of rope with uniformly spaced knots tied in it, attached to a piece of wood shaped like a slice of pie'

I think I knew this before but not sure. Just a bit of trivia, lol. Absolutely nothing to do with the OPs question.

 

[racerone]

A nautical mile ( knot ) is equal to 1 minute of latitude.----Something found on a chart.

 

[fatlenny]

my understanding of "knot" must be different.