The mother of all HP Questions

[SkunkBoat]

My V20 had a Merc150 2 stroke when I bought it. Topped out in the mid 40s which is all you need for ocean running. As said before, its rare to be able to run faster than 30mph in these light boats with any kind of swell. For me there is a 1/4 mile stretch of the river on the way out&in where I can go balls to the walls.

Replaced it with a zuki 140 four stroke (there were no 150s until the next year...)
The 140 topped out in mid 30s, got great gas milage, trolled at 2mph at idle speed(Quietly...without fouling plugs and choking you to death!), towed tubes and kneeboarders.

I think a 150 four stroke is the perfect ocean motor for these hulls. Lake boats could make use of more HP more often so maybe a 175. I wouldn't pay up to get a 200.

Now my Grady265 is a lot heavier, Twin 225s and I can run 40mph in stuff that would slow the V20 down to a crawl.
I've run a 23cc SeaHunt with a 250 that had the weight to run hard too, but you got wet and you tended to bang your knees on things...

[Genie Aye]

First, I also run a 200HO Evinrude Etec like bgreene.
Speed capability in excess of 50knts.
Economy I do as well or better than any 4 stroke on the market. I average 2.4mpg to 3.0 mph depending on load and water conditions.
As for water play, skiing etc, 2 strokes just come out of the hole faster..period.
As for trolling, I have around 750 hrs trolling on her, around 2.4 knts at idle.

[BillTex]

Originally Posted by Genie Aye

...3.0 mph depending on load and water conditions.

I think I can paddle that fast.

[bradford]

Glad to see Genie Aye around again, been a while.

[Para]

Sorry, that did sound like a bit of a rant. I guess what this boils down to is that I need an engine that will do a couple of things:

1) I troll for striped bass with lead core line and a tube worm and if I remember I need to go REAL slow, like 1.8 mph or less....I mean just barely moving. I had an old 2 stroke (sample size of 1 I realize) and re-propped it and it still did not go slow enough. The old carbbed 2 stroke would load up and stall if I turned the idle too low.

2) I want above average water skiing performance. I realize that It will never be a Ski Nautique, but I think with the right choice I can get this to be pretty good too. Good water ski perf is all about torque, acceleration and getting up on plane quick

3) Good fuel economy. After a day of running around maybe have to put 10 -15 gallons back in.

Flat out speed does not matter one bit.

I think after reading these I may already have the answer: A 150 or a 200 hp modern 2-stroke with a much more sophisticated carb system. Are these newer 2 strokes EFI ? All things the same, a 150 hp 2 stroke probably pulls like a 200? Hp 4 stroke? Have they worked out all of that 'finicky-ness' innewer 2 strokes? Loading up, flooding, stalling, etc? How reliable are the 2 stroke oil pumps systems?

[spareparts]

you need a fuel injected four stroke with troll control. Some had it with mechanical controls, but most newer engines are going to fly by wire. You could get what you want out of n Optimax, or another direct injected two stroke, but ease of use will always favor the fourstroke. Keep in mind, parts are starting to get obsolete on many direct injected motors, so do some homework before you buy a used DI motor