Best 25-30 HP Motor?

Jebadiah · 01-16-2008, 05:21 PM

I have a 14' Hewescraft w/ a 15 HP Johnson SS w/ tiller steering and would like to move up in power. The boat has been customized with marine plywood flooring, with exanded foam injected in the subfloor, and is sealed with epoxy. The back corners were boxed in and sealed, so the transom is well supported. I have a bow mount for trolling,and could use some help picking a motor to haul 2-3 guys, along with a bunch of gear.

Pelagic Captain · 01-16-2008, 08:16 PM

For a good value proposition I like the 25hp. merc. M L 2 stroke...I ran mine on a big jon boat ( 17') this engine was run hard year round in fresh and salt water handled big loads.. this engine was bought new in 98 and was running stong last fall when I switched to a pump...I did have to run the engine out of gas after each use otherwise it would flood and start hard..A really rugged and strong engine

ICHTHYDEMON · 01-16-2008, 08:22 PM

Yamaha

fish junky · 01-16-2008, 08:32 PM

I 2nd that

Jebadiah · 01-16-2008, 08:41 PM

Thanks for the answers so far. Would you go with a 4 stroke or a 2 ? Any experiences with a Honda BF 30? How do they compare?

Starfish · 01-16-2008, 08:51 PM

The four strokes-- especially Honda and Yamaha-- are awesome and quiet and efficient. However, you'll find that just about all of the four-strokes are quite a bit heavier than their 2-stroke cousins. So take a good look at how your boat sits in the water and maybe even try hanging and extra fifty pounds on the stern to see how it looks. If your stern is hanging too low you'll be unable to fish in rough water. You can look up the engine weights on the manufacturers' websites and compare them with the one you have and with other models.

Jebadiah · 01-17-2008, 11:54 AM

It appears that the boat will sit fine in the water with a 160# outboard. Any more experiences with the various brands?

phamf · 01-17-2008, 12:34 PM

I have a 20 hp honda for a 15ft smokercraft alaskan and it seems to do a good job. I'm happy with the performance and it is extremely gas efficient. From the specs the motor weighs 131 lbs (for a powertilt/long shaft model). Tillers are 108lbs.

For the price, any 2 stroke would beat a 4 stroke in that catagory. The good thing is, 4 strokes generally have a longer warranty. Not sure if longer warranty means more reliable, but at least the manufactur has you covered just in case something happens. Another plus, is the resale value of a 4 stroke is higher.

I've noticed that most of the Hewescraft boats that are sold in the NW are equipped with Honda outboard engines.

icbig1s · 01-17-2008, 09:37 PM

I've got an old(73) Gregor 15ft with a 96' 25 merc 2 stroke. It pushes me and brother at 25mph and will run most of the day on 6 gals of gas. This old boat has a shallow transom and weight is an issue when coming off plane. If the motor was any heavier, I'd probably flood the back of the boat and I still take it easy when slowing down. I've noticed the new 4 strokes are very big compared to my 2 stroke and another thing to consider is the bouncing around on the transom while trailering. Make sure what ever you decide on, you use some brand of transom saver on the lower unit to the trailer frame. It'll keep that transom in good shape for many years and give you peace of mind when hitting potholes and rough roads. The last thing you wanna see in your mirrors is your new outboard bouncing down a dirt road at 20 mph.

KingFisher85 · 01-17-2008, 10:01 PM

I have my 14ft smokercraft and when I got the boat it came with an 1998 2 stroke 20hp Merc...Boat did great with me and 2 others, Heck, it even planed with a total of 4 people out on the lake once. Me and 1 other it did a good 25mph.
Kicking myself for selling it but I ended up picking up a nice 30jet for my little boat and didn't see myself using that prop motor much anymore.

With that being said, the Mercury was nice, only was 120lbs. Great on fuel. I have always like the 30hp and under 2 stroke Mercurys for some reason. Easy motor to work on if it ever needed worked on and they ran!

1pump · 01-18-2008, 09:42 AM

I have a Merc 25M that I converted to a long shaft on my 15' Klamath. I bought the motor new in '87, and it's still going strong despite the thrashing I've given it over the years. It'll push the boat at about 25mph with a couple people in it, maybe close to 30 by myself and no gear.

I was a die-hard 2-stroke guy until I spent some time with the newer 4-strokes- especially the Yamahas. I'm not fond of the weight and extra maintenance, but the lack of noise and blue smoke make up for it. Not to mention screwing around with premix.

I'm tired of trolling all day long in a cloud of oil smoke (gack). My next motor will be a 4-stroke. But my Merc just won't die. They have awesome survival instincts.

Jebadiah · 01-18-2008, 03:38 PM

Great responses so far, more would be appreciated, with your personal opinions.

jcarufo · 01-20-2008, 09:40 AM

I have a 25hp Honda on a heavy 14ft Western and love it. Starts easily, fuel efficient, able to talk in normal voice on plane, ie. really quiet, and NO SMOKE. If I were to do it again though, I would buy the 30hp. Both the 25 and 30 are the same motor. The 25 is just detuned. Buy the 30; more juice for the same weight.
Have a Great Day!
Jean

Squirrely · 01-28-2008, 12:06 PM

This is a good thread on a useful outboard range. I have noticed that in this years line up some outboards in this horse power range have been dropped. I didnt see the 25 merc 2 stroke or the johnson/evinrude 25-30 stroke. And I think the honda and yahama 25's are not longer manufactured. So in a 2 stroke that leaves us with the 25 yamaha? And in a 4 stroke a johnson/suzuki 25-30?

Also most of these motors are now in the mid 3k range. The days of getting a 25 2 stroke merc for 1999$ from stevens marine are gone!

phamf · 01-29-2008, 09:37 PM

Just checked honda-marine.com. Looks like they still market 25 and 30 hp outboards.

Chrome Bumper · 01-31-2008, 03:09 PM

I like my 30 hp honda. 3 cylinder. Got it used for pretty little.

Jebadiah · 02-01-2008, 06:49 PM

Any more input out there?

Patman · 02-05-2008, 02:57 PM

While at the Portland Boat Show I talked with several dealers selling motors in the 25-30hp range. The 30 hp Tohatsu was the best deal and there are at least two dealers in the Portland area who sell and service them. Channel Marine quoted me a price of $3,860. This was for a long-shaft four-stroke 30 hp Tohatsu tiller model which featured electric start and power trim and tilt. This price was nearly $800 less than all of the competition. I had also learned that Tohatsu makes the powerheads for Mercury. I have not owned a Tohatsu but the price is very tempting.

Bootstrap Bill · 02-08-2008, 10:55 PM

I have a 25 hp Yamaha 4 stroke on a 15' G3 sled and it is more than enough power for such a small boat.

Blind Bobber · 02-09-2008, 08:58 PM

I have a 1995 25 horse Mercury 2 stroke which has yet to let me down. I can even troll with it. Only problem I made for myself last year was higgin a submerged something which cost me a ton of money to have fixed. Still do not understand how Mercury does not seem to have any shear pin on the prop to ease lower unit damage should one like me hit something. Yikes!!
BLIND BOBBER

EMO870 · 02-15-2008, 08:49 PM

Jebadiah, I sold my 15' Gregor recently and my 1999/2000 is currently in the shop for a rebuild (don't ask). I'll be selling it when the dealer gets it done in a couple of weeks as I'm looking for a new boat that is bigger for the family. If you are interested I'll be posting to Craigslist soon. It will be basically a new motor without the premium price. Give me a call or email.

Erik Olson
emo870@hotmail.com
503-353-0974

P.S. It was seriously fast for my Gregor and will have the power to get you out of trouble.

BuKuBass · 02-15-2008, 09:34 PM

If your boat is rated for the power, I'd go with the Tohatsu/Mercury the 30 horse. Here's a test:
http://www.mercurymarine.com/look_de...=250&Filter=10