The mother of all HP Questions

[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