How about a throttle stop on your current rig. I mean adjust the throttle so that your current engine will only turn 2000 rpm WOT. If you can live with a non-planing, planing hull and it does what it needs to (such as carrying you thru inlets with a stiff current and such) Go For It.. You will discover the current engine is way more efficient at the slower speeds. You could get a much smaller motor, possibly find one with a larger lower unit (BIGFOOT that will give you a lot of thrust and better handling) and a small pitch prop so you aren't lugging the motor. It works for pontoon boats without killing the motor. A 50 hp 4-stroke gets crazy good mileage, you can run all day on less than 6 gallons. It would defeat your goal of spending less per trip unless you could find something cheap. Then, how long will it take you to get to and from your dive spots, reliability issues with buying something on the cheap. Playing devils advocate here. I think I want the 150 Optimax on mine, but don't want to give up the extra 100 hp from the 250 I have now and don't want the extra weight of the 3.0L 200-250.
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