Motor Advice
Some Outboard Basics: You need to understand the difference between a few options in order to choose the correct outboard for your boat. That and the fact that you have a displacement hull. A Mac/Venture 25' is rated for a ten HP motor. Without exception, you will find that most 10HP motors have an actual rated output of 9.9HP This is mainly for tax and registration loop holes but you will find that the output of a 10HP is going to be pretty much the same accross the board. A two stroke ten puts out no more power than a four stroke ten, but it is a little lighter. 2 Stroke vs's 4 stroke. This is almost a no brainer. Many waterways, lakes and recreational aread are now closed to two stroke engines as they are gross polluters. Many more areas are currently under legislation that would ban two stroke outboards. 4 stroke motors run cleaner, quieter and have much greater fuel efficeincy. So here is your choice: Do I want a two stroke that is noisy, dirty, requires gas oil mix and is banned in certain recreational areas?, or do I want a clean, quiet, fuel effeceint four stroke that I can run anywhere? What Size? I have used a Johnson 2 cylinder, 2 stroke folding foot 3HP motor to move my Mac 25' around the anchorage. Will a 3HP move a 25, sure. If I had a lot of wind and wave action would the 3HP have been OK? NO WAY. I Need all the power that I can get when wind, waves, currents and tide gang up on me (and shame on me for not seeing it coming). So from 3 to 10 HP what size should I chose, Personally, i'll take the one that has enough output to keep me off a lee shore. At this point we know I favor a 10HP and a 4 stroker. What have you chosen? Final questions. Having a displacement hull, I know that my speed is limited and reguardless of how much power I strap on, I will blow out the stern before I go on plane. True, a sixHP, under most conditions, Will push me around as fast as a tenHP. When I have additional wind, wave or current to overcome, The extra power will help, it won't make me go faster (Limited by Hull) but does give the power to overcome these other outside forces acting on my boat to maintain a safe and effective headway. The motor mount is rated for HP not weight. That is because the major destructive force at play is the vibration and flexing caused by the power being applied to the transome of the boat. It will support the weight of a four stroke fine. Being smother and quieter, I have to believe that the four stroke is not vibrating and straining my mount near as much as a screaming 2 stroke would. Final Thoughts: The Honda 4 strokes, 7.5 HP and 10 HP are almost identical. It was been a pursuit of many many So. Cal Mac owners to find that Honda outboard that has been so closely affiliated with the Mac 25', The Honda 10HP. A classic choice, proven by thousands of owners and best of all: It has that little 12Volt charging curcuit to keep your battery up. Happy Sailing, Mike
