How much motor and 2 or 4 stroke?

[lineslinger]

Giving serious thought to getting a Tracker 19' pro team and needed some suggestions concerning the power.  Don't want to go overboard, but want the most economical size that will move the boat using as little fuel as possible and don't want too little or too big.  Also, I'm tending toward 4 stroke.  Know it's probably not as fast and heavier, but they tend to be a lot quieter and I don't like having to mix oil/gas.  Just need all the input I can get cause I don't want to make a mistake and want a rig I'll be satisfied with for a long time.  Thanks in advance for all your input.  I've found this site to be a gold mine of knowledge and the willingness of all of you to share your vast experience and knowledge is PRICELESS!

[Wayne P.]

Get the motor that the boat is rated for. If you run that motor no more than 3/4 throttle as opposed to a smaller motor at WOT, you will use less fuel. You may want the additional speed at some point and will have it rather than wishing you had it.

"Been there, done that, have the T-shirt"

[smallie.huntin]

I have a 2003 90 HP Mercury 2-stroke.  In my opinion the motor isn't that loud.  Also I just have to add oil to the reservoir, no mixing required.  I would say get the highest HP your boat is rated for.  Just my opinion.  Good luck with your search.

[Way2slow]

If you get a four stroke, make sure you get all the Horse Power the boat is rated for.  This suggestion is not about the few extra mph speed, it's about getting the boat up and going easily when you have a couple of people and loaded.  There's just nothing like having to ask your partner to step up to the front of the boat to get on plane or have the boat straining with all it has to get up.  Four strokes are guite and they are economical but they don't make the power a two stroke makes.

For me, the motor of choice is the Evinrude E-tec.  Just as quit, very economical, much lighter, and lots more power (torque) for the same horse power motor.

Now, with that said, make sure you're not going to be fishing and federal parks that have banned two stroke engines.  

[22hertz]

If a 4 stroke is rated for the same HP as a 2 it should be equal no problem.

Also I thought I read an equivalent 4 stroke was actually 2lbs lighter than the 2 stroke.

[GLADES]

You cant go wrong with Merc, Johnson/Evinrude.

Go with a 2 stroke and get the largest HP recommended for the boat.

For motors under 100 HP, I give the nod to Johnson/evinrude ETEC

[senile1]

If a 4 stroke is rated for the same HP as a 2 it should be equal no problem.

Also I thought I read an equivalent 4 stroke was actually 2lbs lighter than the 2 stroke.

Since I already have my boat and motor I haven't really been reading up on the newest four strokes, but from my experience with motorcycles I would guess that this is incorrect.  Even when manufactured with lighter metals four strokes are heavier due to the camshaft, valves, and related hardware.  Four stroke dirt bikes have improved in power tremendously over the last couple of decades but they still don't match the weight of the two strokes.  With the same HP the four stroke would still be pushing more weight.

[Culln5]

The rule of thumb for HP is....

Minimum of 90% of the hull rated HP.  If it's rated for 100Hp, then go no lower than 90Hp.... If it's rated for 125 Hp, then go no lower than 112.5 Hp (or the closest available).

[bowfish12]

If a 4 stroke is rated for the same HP as a 2 it should be equal no problem.

Also I thought I read an equivalent 4 stroke was actually 2lbs lighter than the 2 stroke.

Four strokes are heavier. Two strokes give more torque and are quicker out of the hole.

If you can I would go with the Evinrude E-tec, they are 2 strokes but there is no mixing gas. They come ready to fish unlike most brand new motors, no babying it around the lake breaking it in. And very quiet.

[Ellesar]

I would seriously but the biggest motor you could get. Last year I bought a boat and I settled for what I thought I "needed" or "could get away with" and it didn't take long for me to regret that. So I bought a new bought this year and that means that I had to eat the depreciation. You might not think you really need a larger motor and that some smaller motor will give you what you want, but if you change your mind you may end up stuck with a boat that really doesn't suit your needs.

I don't know if you have a boat now, but if not, you might end up like me. I thought I knew what my needs were going to be last year when I bought my first boat, but it didn't take many fishing trips for me to see everything I had overlooked.

BTW you don't have to mix oil, they are stored in different tanks. But you do need to consider the cost. The 2-stroke oil I have to use for my ProXS is about $85.00 for 2.5 gallons. The dealer has said that should last for a few tanks of gas. With the 4 stroke I had on the boat I bought last year, all I had to worry about was the cost of gas.

The ironic thing is that I get about the same MPG now with a 175 HP motor onmy Triton that I got on my 60 hp tin boat. The tin boat I ran WOT most of the time. My triton I can cruise at an RPM range that gives me similar efficiency and I'm still going 15-20 mph faster than I was going in my tin boat at WOT.

[Raul]

If a 4 stroke is rated for the same HP as a 2 it should be equal no problem.

Also I thought I read an equivalent 4 stroke was actually 2lbs lighter than the 2 stroke.

2 stroke outboards look like toys right next to a 4 stroke of the same HP.

[Way2slow]

Normally aspirated four strokes can't come close to being the same weight or produce the same torque as the same HP two stroke.  

[Ellesar]

Normally aspirated four strokes can't come close to being the same weight or produce the same torque as the same HP two stroke.

Not necessarily true anymore . The 75hp EFI Merc 4 stroke weighs 399 lbs, the two stroke Opti weighs 375 lbs.

Not sure about torque, but the weights have gotten down to the point that it's not really an issue anymore.

[DawsonH]

25 pounds is a lot of weight.

[22hertz]

25Lbs is not that much for those looking for the benefits a 4 stroke offers.

If my main concern was for reliability 4 stroke is what I would get.

Basing my experience on dirt bikes I know 2 strokes are awesome motors but they just don't have the longevity potential a 4 stroke has.

As with anything its give and take, and what is more important to you.

[acar555]

A 75 E-Tec is 320 lbs, but being you are looking at a Tracker they only come package with Mercury motors.  Just get the max rated hp for the hull which will give max performance and resale.