Re: Need some opinions?
I have a 17' Lowe Roughneck, prime use as a duckhunting boat (I also do some crabbing and fishing). <br /><br />From my previous 14' Livingston I had for years, I tried using my 1996 2-stroke 25 HP Suzuki. This HP was not enough when loaded moderately or more, so I purchased a slightly used 4-stroke 40HP Yamaha a couple years back. This worked just fine. For cold weather (10 degrees and below) I learned the hard way to use synthetic oil (I use Mobil 1). Dino 10-30 would not flow very well at those temps (not at all at zero degrees!). Synthetics normally have approx a 20 degree lower "pour point".<br /><br />The Yamaha 40 was a great engine, super quiet (especially at idle), and smooth. My only problem was it was manual start, and I recently had rotator cuff surgery. I just upgraded 2 months ago to a 2004 Yamaha 4-stroke 50HP electric start/trim/tilt.<br /><br />I think the statements are correct that mapping to a good local dealer is an important part of your decision. I hear good about the E-Tecs, and I was impressed by the Tohatsu (and Nissan) TLDI engines. You might check on tiller availability, though. I was going to purchase the Tohatsu 50, but they have no tiller kits!!!! I'm not sure on the other brands .....<br /><br />As far as prop vs jet - I'm sold on the prop myself. I hunt mostly in shallow mud flat areas and fish in rivers where mud and gravel are common. I put a "river runner" metal skag protector on, and have had no problems. The prop versions seem to be less noisy, and of course are much more fuel efficient. But, if 90% of your time is running through gravel/rocks and 4" of water, I suppose a jet should be considered.
