Aluminum Boat - Texas Lake Fishing

I decided either triton or ranger aluminum 18.8 ft.

Now to the engine....

115 - 2 stroke or 4 stroke?

4 stroke check the crankcase oil then gas and go. They are quieter too.

thanks

With an aluminum 18-19 foot boat, a 115hp will send you flying. Depending on how fast you want to go, you could probably save some bucks on a smaller motor, say 75hp to 90hp.

Will also save you bigger bucks in fuel economy.

Id say 100hp four stroke will make that aluminum turn into a rocket!

I use a 25HP Nissan 4 stroke on my 16 ft Alum and is more than enough speed for me.

i have a 18 ft G3 witha 4 stroke 90, fully loaded it runs about 35 to 39. in reality that is as fast as most need to go.

Get the most HP it's rated for.

I have a Tracker 190 with a 115 Pro XS, it runs 55 at WOT.

Thanks all for the great feedback

4 strokes are quieter, slower, and require winterizing (more expense). 2 strokes require mixing oil/gas, are faster (for same HP), slightly louder, and simpler to operate/maintain. Usually the more you run a 2 stroke the longer it will run with virtually no care...basically its a toss up, just kind of depends on your intended use.

Two strokes have been the mainstay in the outboard industry for almost 100 years and from a performance standpoint they still are. In the same way automotive racing passes down its R&D to the designs the manufacturers use in production models, the same is true for the outboard industry and nothing as of this date will change that fact since the modern 4 stroke was introduced in 2002 or so (with the exception of Honda 1997).

While there are some who will swear by the 4's there are in fact still being tweeked upon trying to overcome the issues they have had since there introduction. Who do you know that spends thousands of dollars on a piece of equipment that wont defend their decision to the very end.......not many. When your main selling point is "Just buy the extended warrantee and don't worry about it for 5 years" you know your starting out on the wrong foot. If you want the real low down on something don't ask the buyer ask the certified mechanics who have to work on them day in and day out, and I don't mean the ones who are affiliated with a dealership or particular manufacturer either. Pick a certified independent who doesn't have a dog in the fight and no manufacturers reputation to defend, then and only then will you get your answer.

If I were forced to get a 4 stroke it would be a Honda. They have much more time in the development of the 4 stroke technology and in MHO have a much better grip on the design than any other current offering. Until then I will stick with the one who brought me to the dance over 40 years ago and what is still dominating the waters regardless of what is marketed on the inter-webs and on TV.

I had an 18 foot Lowe, 180W Stinger, with a 90 hp mercury optimax and it would top out about 40 mph

Go with the two stroke while you can still buy em and just talk louder.

Here is the real deal.
[img]http://www.g3boats.com/uploads/sites/4/f...0-06-26-alm.pdf[/img]

Look at Xpress boats. I have a 2002 21ft bay with 2C 200hp Yanaha and it will scoot 60mph. I can bass fish, crappie fish, troll, drift what ever. I still love it.

my 2004 G3 tunnel hull 1860 with 90hp yamaha 4 stroke runs 38.5 with all our gear and loaded. It's plenty fast and I really have liked the motor.

Thanks - great feedback!

Okay school is now in session. 2014 RT188 with a 115 ETEC, best run GPS verified has been 47.2 and thats with an aluminum prop , myself and 1/2 tank of gas and 3 batteries. The ETEC is quieter than a F115 Yamaha, side by side comparison at the lake, and has the lowest emissions of ANY outboard on the market HP to HP. Oil is direct injected so just like Opti's you just add to a tank, just add gas to the gas tank that simple. Direct fuel injection injects the fuel and oil(it's own infection) after the piston has closed the intake reed so more oil being pushed out the exhaust, its burned during combustion. Modern 2 strokes also have a lot less fewer parts and are way cheaper when it comes to repairs. The torque of the Etec's or Opti's is way better than a 4 stroke, in the class you are looking at, with top ends being very comparable. Does all this make my ETEC or an Opti superior, not really, but it gives you options, especially when you realize the truths of present day 2 strokes. If I was to go 4 stroke I would go Yamaha or Suzuki both rock solid, though Suzuki's dealer network isn't close to Yamaha's. Honda introduced the first 4 stroke,the GB30, in 1964 btw, also a decent choice. For me as long as uncle sam allows 2 strokes thats where I'll be.

thanks glockfather

+1. I think that pretty much nailed it.

4 stroke for sure.

I have a 16.5' Alum Lund Pro Angler with a 60hp 4 stroke the boat is rated for a 75hp, but Mercury didn't have a 4 stroke 75hp at the time I bought the boat. Mine is a tiller with a steering wheel I think 110hp is the right size, so I would get the highest rated HP for the boat, an 18' Ranger is a heavy boat don't under power it. But my Mercury 4 stroke is a really great motor, now the 2 stroke Mercury Opti is a really great motor especially if it is a big motor. The 4 strokes were heavier than the 2 strokes.

I know an 18' Alum Lund Pro V would take a 175hp Merc Opti and run like a charm, my buddy had one.

Looked it up uo to 200hp for the Pro V

Lund Pro v

Good lord. Either my boat is severely underpowered, or Lund thinks its boats have to run like a nun with her hair on fire!! My boat is an 18.5' fiberglass center console, rated for a maximum of 150hp. The 115 Optimax pushes a top speed of about 40mph. Cannot imagine the speed that aluminum Lund would do with the max rated motor of 200hp on it!!

Lund not the only one xpress x19 (18'10) rated for a 200 also.

I bought a 18ft Express all weld aluminum side console with a 70 hp 4stroke Yamaha. It's a great boat. Looking back I should have got a center console. It's a little rough tiding in big chop and tends to get blown around in the wind. I chase stripers, whites, hybrids, crappie and catfish. There are days I wish I had a bigger boat. Over all I'm pretty happy with it. I just have to be more careful on big water with windy conditions.

As I recall it was a quick boat it was a 2002 Lund Pro V 18 with the Merc 175hp. But these boats are pretty heavy, well made, but heavy. Mine is a 2003 Lund Pro Angler 16, rated for 75hp tiller.

This is similar to mine:

+1 for the ETEC. I've been running a 200 hp ETEC and love it. It's quiet, uses little oil, starts right up every time.

We carry the Lund's up here on Ray Roberts. If you would like to come test drive several with different motors come by and see me. We have a 1875 with a 150hp, a 1775 with a 115hp, a 1675 with a 90hp and a 1650 with a 60hp. It would serve you well to come drive a few and see what you like.

I have a 2 stroke 115 Pro XS and it runs quiet, fuel and oil injected. Fill with gas, fill with oil and off you go. Great on gas too.

I just bought a 17.5 Xpress Hyper V with a 90 Yahama, check it out before you buy. They make it in 18.5 also
I could tell you how fast it is but you wouldn't believe me.
With a 24 volt TM, GPS Hummingbirds front and console, and aluminum trailer, it has all I want in a boat
Also quieter than the 2 strokes.

Good Luck

I bought a Triton V 197 Magnum, that translates to 19 ft. 7 in,4-years ago used. It is a 2005 model and I just Love it , plenty of Rod Storage Carbon Fiber Cabinets/Deck { no rotting } and more than enough storage. Built in Ice Chest drains to the Bilge.It sports a 150 HP Merc and is rated for 200 HP.. Trimmed up and smooth water it'll do 57 mph that's enough for me..

If you get much bigger than the 115, you may spend a lot of time washing it and wishing you had gas money. My Yamaha 90 is about all I care to feed.

I have a 90 four stroke Mercury and I have been accused of having a sticker for a gas gauge after a day of fishing.

I fished with 2 strokes for ever, like most here. Bought a new Xpress XP18CC last year with the 70hp Yammy 4 stroke on it, and absolutely love it. Now I'm not worried about squeezing every mph I can out of the rig, but it will run a solid 33-34mph loaded with three full grown men and fishing gear, and I can get 38-39mph out of her with perfect conditions and trimmed to the ragged edge (rarely seen or wanted) with just me and minimal gear. The way I interpret the difference in performance is, great for only giving up 4-5mph considering a potential 400-450 lb load difference in a smaller/lighter rig. Not saying one couldn't see as good, or better, results from a comparable 2 stroke power plant, just an observation on mine.

I will also say, in doing research before buying the new boat, I asked as many people as I could find how their 90hp engines (max rating for my hull) worked on the same hull design I chose. Most reported their boats would run about 8-10 mph faster than mine will, but commonly reported that to do so their boats were a handful at speed. Most readily conceded that safe running speeds were a lot closer to mine than others were willing to admit.

I recognize that for resale, buying the max rated HP for a given hull is the way to go. I depart from that line of thinking, in that, I plan on having my boat for, well, ever. Until it is literally too used up to fish anymore (no lifetime payment stemming from upgrading rigs every 2-3 yrs). So resale value was not high on my list.

A few things I have noted over a year of fishing with the 4stroke;
1) I cannot get over how quiet the 4 stroke is. No more raising my voice to talk to someone who is right next to me in the boat, or even another boat within reasonable distance. I can hear the pee stream hitting the water over the engine noise up to about 2000rpm.
2) The power curve is much smoother compared to the many, many 2 stroke boats I've been in over the years. No powering up to the 'power band' then backing off to maintain desired speed. You set the throttle where you want it, and that's where it runs.
3) Yes, I have to do oil changes, so not much financial difference from a 2 stroke. But I love the fact that I don't have to fill/mix 2 cycle oil every time I go to the lake. And no oil injection to fail and wipe out a power head.
4) Engine specific, I completely understand; but my F70, being a modified version of the 60hp engine, is very small and light compared to most other 4s engines I've seen on the water. Especially looking at some of the rather large 90hp 4s engines I've seen hanging off the back of newer boats.
5) Absolutely flawless cold and warm start-up. I have yet to even have to squeeze the priming bulb on this engine in the year I've used it so far. It busts off with monotonous regularity.
6) Fuel efficiency is phenomenal compared to my old carb'd 85hp 2 stroke. I'd venture to say better than double the hrs per gallon. Not a good comparison to an EFI 2stroke, I understand.

Ultimately, time will tell on the wisdom of going 4s over 2s for this ride. Like I said earlier, i don't care about top en speed so much. I've never caught a fish going over 5mph anyway. I can only hope that this engine will give me half the service life of my last engine (a '79 Johnson V4 85hp, huge and heavy for the HP rating compared to today's standards), never any major work done, and was faithful as anyone could ask, even if a bit finicky to get started at times.

As for the time and possible expense of winterizing, I wouldn't know. My boat gets used all winter, so the only concern for me is draining the lower unit to avoid water freezing in it and rupturing water jackets.

I concede, my situation might be much different than anyone using high HP, high performance, engine packages to push hulls to max abilities. But barring any unforeseen catastrophic failures in the future, I will advocate 4 stroke selections for small to mid-range applications like mine when it makes sense. Of course, there are so many variations of size, weight, and HP ratings across different manufacturers; that while my choice made sense for me, if looking at another type of rig, my choice might have been very different. To me, it's almost impossible to make a blanket statement that a 4stroke is better than a 2stroke, or vice-versa. Just too many variables at play.