Johnson 15 2strk -great but thirsty!
Last year my (up till then) 10 year old trustworhy evinrude 9.9 threw a rod, so I had to replace it. I had about 2 weeks before a major boat event, so I didn't have a lot of time to consider options. Chose a 2000 Johnson 15, LS/ES with a 4-blade prop. It's a great motor, but thirsty (I use about 1.2GPH at 5.2-5.5 knots). Fit, including tilting up out of the water, with only very minor surgery to the non-structural lazarette hatch. I picked it up on Thursday, worked on it Thursday and Friday evening after work and was done with the installation Saturday evening. Including finish work and running remote control cables! If I had it to do over, I'd look at a Honda 8, it's small enough to look like it would fit w/o surgery (the biger Hondas need you to cut the transom area). Not sure the 8 would give enough power for me (I motor a lot), but others have said its OK for them. Best to try one out if your dealer has a demo you can borrow. I'm very happy with the Johnson, just wish it was a litle more miserly on fuel, and less polluting.