[THEFERMANATOR]

For lightweight and toughness you'll be hard pressed to beat the 50HP OMC engine. They are by far not the fastest 50HP engine as the big 2 cylinder engines just don't have the grunt to them that the 3 and even 4 cylinder engines have to them, but they are tough and time tested designs. The YAMAHA is a good engine as well, but parts cost more and I believe they are a bit heavier and more difficult to work on wit hthe electronic ignition and primestart carbs. They run good when there right, but they can drive you nuts if your not good with multi-carb set-ups. I believe the older MERCURY engines(not the 4 cylinder ELPTO's) were also good engines, I don't have any real experience with the newer 4 cylinder ones though. For the most HP for it's size though, the 3 cylinder SUZUKI's will outrun the rest IMHO. I had a 25HP SUZUKI that would outrun most others 40 horse engines. And my grandfathers pontoon boat has over 1K hours on it's 85HP SUZUKI and still runs STRONG. It needs a set of carbs as the throttle shafts are worn out, but other than that it is all origanal and is still using the oil injection system.

For low cost and brute strength though, my vote goes to the 50HP OMC. Or if you want a good cheap screamer, step up to the 3 cylinder OMC 60HP and have one of the finest outboards ever built.