If you run long distances or pull a trawl, the extra cost of four stroke saves on gas. If you fish close to the launch two stroke would be fine. I have always had evenrudes. When I repower my choice would be either E-tech or Yamaha four stroke. Just my 2cents.

if u plan on keeping the new motor a long time, i would definetly go with the 4 stroke, gas milage is great and don't have to buy that expensive 2-stroke oil!! i would go with the 70 hp yamaha 4-stroke or if u want more speed the 90!! and they are so much quieter, than them 2-strokes!!!!!!!! i have an 16ft alumacraft and a yamaha 60-4stroke and i get about four to four and a half hours running time on 9 gallons of gas! my boat does like 40-42mph on top end!!! your boat mite be heavier???

I would hang a new 70 Yami four stroke on that baby and never look back. That motor would have good power and should run around 38 to 44 depending on how well you get it tuned. I went by my friends and asked him how many hours he had on his yami four stroke and he said he didn't know so I jumped in and turned the key and it was over 1700 hrs, he uses it to crab. Asked him what hes done to it so far and he's changed the water pump twice and changes engine oil and lower unit oil once a year and thats it. I saw an older gentleman friday evening with a 70 Yami four stroke at his camp and he said he runs to camp then gulf canal 3 times over the weekend and back to launch and usually uses around 8 to 9 gallons all three days. Thats some pretty long runs for eight gallons. Hope this helps.

...he built that same boat for me a few years back...we used a loop-charged Johnson 70 hp and it ran like a scared cat making wide open turns w/o skidding...it's a great boat w/that HP, but the only problem I had w/him was spray'n that zinc undercoat...it was like pull'n teeth...cheers

Thanks for the feedback everyone. The Yamaha 60/70 looks attractive as does the Evinrude 60/75. I was talking to someone earlier today. They said for someone who uses the boat/motor for recreational sport fishing any of the choices would be fine. They said to make sure to buy any of the motors from a reputable dealer who places a priority on customer service. They also highlighted that the owner needs to keep up with the maintenance also. Either by having the dealer do the recomended servicing when needed or by the owner. Todays technology compared to what I have is a world of difference. I have some dealers in mind for Yamaha and Evinrude. Boat Stuff for Yamaha made a good impression as did Magnum Outboards and Blue Dot for Evinrude.

I've been running a Yamaha 115 4 stroke on my flat since 05 and love it. No issues ever. I have 2 friends that bought an etec a while back and they both have issues with the over heating light coming on. When this happens, you have to wait 20 min or so for it to cool down before it will restart. It happens when they ideal for a while. They both brought it to the dealer and he couldn't find anything wrong. If the pricing the same, I'd go with the yamaha, and if possible, I'd go with the 90. It's always nice to have a little more power when you occassionally have to outrun a storm!

I agree on the yammi 4 stroke. My friend has a brand new ( well 1 year old) etech that is sitting in the shop now after a fishing trip 2 weeks ago. He's pissed. Too many stories of that happening. Im waiting on my 2004 2 stroke yammi to crap out( unfortunately it runs like a beast) and then I'm definitely upgrading to a yammi 4 stroke.

I finally pulled the trigger and bought my first 4 stroke. I liked both the Evinrude 75 and the Yamaha 70. Having a 16 foot boat that can make it into some shallow low water areas played a big role in my choice. The Evinrude 75 hit the scales at 320lbs and the Yamaha 70 hit the scales at 260lbs. Thats a good 60 lbs less weight hanging on the transom. Boat is going to the dealer Thursday for the new outboard. Thanks for sharing the advice and recomendations everyone.

scott

Hey fastcat, where did you buy it? I'll be shopping for a new Yam. soon. Did you compare dealers? Thanks.

I bought motor from Boat Stuf, Harvey, La. They came highly recommended for their service and customer relations. Its pretty much the peak season for boat dealers and their outboards. I did shop around for awhile and did not limit myself to one dealer or manufacturer for the motor. Yamaha prices regardless of dealer were on the high end compared to just about everyone else with the exception of Honda. I am happy with the deal I got. Got a little off the initial price, not much and got a free battery in the deal. You may get a better deal in the fall or spring then in the summer. Good Luck.

Congrats on the new motor, that should make for a fantastic rig. One more thing you can do is put some steps or pods on back of your hull if you want to increase performance. They will allow you to go shallower, be more stable, get up quicker, trim up more while running and stop porpoising. Jay at custom boats (custom boats builds the flats for tims)does a fantastic job. They also make the boat run better in rough water as it doesn't allow it to bounce near as much. Please post how your boat runs once you get it tuned, I would like to know speed and prop used. Thx

Thanks for the reply. Good luck with it.

PoppinCork....You may want to go to G & H in Raceland, Louisiana. The owner is a guy by the name of Eric. He is a Yamaha and Evinrude dealer. Great prices and even better service.

Hey cajun, thanks for the information on G and H.
I will note that info. I have list of Yam. dealers in La. but G and H wasn't on it. The list is from the Yam. outboard website. Will check with him(Eric) when I'm ready for the motor. Thanks!

Took the rig down to Lafitte this past week. Really impressed with the performance of the 70 hp Yamaha. No problems. Observations revealed I needed to change the prop from the 13 pitch. I could not reach full throttle and have upgraded to a 15 pitch prop. Brought the motor up to 5800 rpm and still had throttle left. Motor is rated at 5800-6300 max rpm. Speed attained on 13 pitch prop was 32mph with throttle left at 5800 rpm. I have installed the 15 inch pitch prop and will update with performance after next trip.

Glad your motor is working out well for you. I had purchased the exact hull you have from a guy that had an OMC 48 and it ran 41 mph. I have a custom flat with 54' bottom out of .125 instead of 100 with all aluminum floors and big rear deck and I get 35 mph gps. I helped my friend buy a used 17 ft x 60 Tims last summer with a 60 Yami four stroke and I worked on tuning it a little and he gets right at 38 GPS. I think you should be able to get around 42 out of your rig. From picture it looks like you live just about a mile from my house. If you want I would be happy to try to help you maximize performance MPH on your rig.

bigjim, I did not want to push the motor to hard on the break-in out on the first run. Put approximately 4 hours on the engine in the first outing with two adults in the boat. I think with swapping the prop from a 13 pitch to a 15 pitch I will be able to do some more fine tuning with the rig. I have the thicker aluminum guage on my boat also. Its been rock solid for nearly 25 years of use. Tims Customflat hulls are built to last for sure. I live in Gretna, so we are not that far apart. Really not looking for a speed demon. Running at 30 plus mph is not something I will do very often in this boat. 20-25mph is plenty fast enough for me and will get me where I want to be. The 70 Yamaha is only 10 pounds heavier than the 60 Johnson I had as well as the new 60 Yamaha. The investment for a few hundred more on the 70 was worth it.

i got a 60, wish they would have had a 70 when i bought mine!!! but, i love my 60!!!

Hey Beast what size boat do u have 60 on and do you have high thrust lower unit with big foot or regular lower unit. How fast does she push your rig?

I have one on a 16' heavy flat and it jumps out the water does 32 gps with all fishing stuff.

i have a 2008, 16ft, 50 inch bottom alumacraft center console and i have a regular foot!! me and my grandson and ice chests and gear, got right on 38mph when i first got it, but raised the motor 2 notches and now get 41mph!!! on 12 gallons of gas, we get about 4hrs. or better running time, give or take depending on conditions!!! i carry a spare 3 gallon tank, just in case, but never ever had to use it!! after a year, i dump the gas out and use it in my lawn mowers and put fresh premium gas in it with marine stabil!! i use regular gas in my 12 gallon tank and put stabil in it every maybe 3 trips!!! never had no problems, knock on wood!!! when i bought the 4 stroke, i asked my dealer, which is the best motor, 2 stroke or 4 stroke, he said one is just as good as the other, just the 4 stroke gets a lot better milage and you don't have to buy that expensive 2 stroke oil, but, the 4 strokes are more expensive!!!! to each his own!!!