posted 02-09-2012 04:58 PM ET (US)        

[Advantages] for the 48: tilt, power for skiing, newer, easy to work on, best corrosion protection. For the 35: LIGHT WEIGHT, starts first pull, better fuel mileage, don't need a battery, can take off boat easily to store inside in winter. [If] the 13 will self bail with the 35 on the stern it would be a big plus. Plus for Mercury 50: smooth runner, lighter than the 48, can't help it, it looks beautiful, much more complex to work on, but I enjoy tinkering so not a big negative there.

Will the [190-lbs] weight of the 48 make [the 13-footer] handle poorly? Will I be able to pull a skier with the 35? Will the Mercury be way smoother than the others? What are the [advantages or disadvantages] of each motor on the 13? I'd mount all three and try them out, but I can't bring myself to drill all those holes in my virgin transom.

This is my first post here on what looks like a great [website]. I've read through most of the posts, and realize that "best motor" is somewhat like the Ford-Chevy debate. A little background on my quirky habits. About 5 years ago, on a whim, I bought a 2-HP Evinrude outboard at an auction for $70. Cleaned the carb, new points, and it runs like a dream! I was bitten by the old outboard bug! I live near Cincinnati, have a boat dock in the back yard that gives me easy access to the Ohio river, so I'm on the water a lot. The neat thing about my area is the boating season is relatively short, and the fishing stinks, so you can find old outboards with low hours and no salt exposure real cheap.

posted 02-09-2012 09:19 PM ET (US)            

BTW, do you want to trade your 115 Merc. for my '61 Evinrude Starflite 75hp V4. Its a perfect running motor but I need more hp on my Sea Fury. Here is a pic. of it.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c191/floridaboy2053/ boat%20restorations/fintailboat6.jpg

posted 02-10-2012 10:11 PM ET (US)            

I will give you a call

posted 02-16-2012 02:53 PM ET (US)         

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/13/testimonials.html

posted 02-26-2012 09:17 PM ET (US)            

Just thought I'd check back with an update. Took the whaler out today with the 35 mounted on it 3/4 inch high. I made a spacer out of nylon. With my son and I in the boat, top speed was 35 on gps with the pin one hole down from the top. Thats 1 mph faster than the 1974 johnson 40 that came on the boat originally. I'm real happy!

I don't know how to post picts here, but the whaler floats real high with the 35 on the back, the drain tube was about 1/2 inch above the water at rest, should self bail well. with me in the boat, sitting on the rear seat, it was about 1/2 submerged according to my son. with me on the second seat it was out of the water completely, wish I could post picts.

I'll have to admit, I'd love to try a 50 on the back, but this motor just seems so perfect for the boat, I think I'm drilling the holes and mounting it permanently. The only negatives I can see are no power tilt, and as Tohsgib said, it is loud at full throttle. But it just seems right for the boat.

posted 02-28-2012 07:01 AM ET (US)            

Most running speed for me will be 3/4 throttle or less just knocking around, but I just can't help myself, once in a while I still find myself opening it up to see what she can do! The kid in me coming out I guess.

posted 02-28-2012 09:45 AM ET (US)            

I was often referred to by a less polite version throughout my Army career.

posted 08-06-2012 02:22 PM ET (US)            

Only difference with mine is mine does NOT have power tilt and trim--that gave me pause when I was shopping for a 13. But in the end, I don't miss it a bit. Manually tilting it is easy as pie. Two fingers to tilt it, move the pin to the hole you want and you're done--but I don't even bother with that anymore either. I haven't changed the tilt pin angle in two years. The motor has so much power that I just leave the motor trimmed for cruising speed and don't even bother tilting it down to get on plane. A quick goose of the throttle and it's up on plane anyway no matter what situation the trim is in.

posted 08-07-2012 10:30 AM ET (US)            

Bad Habits? Probably. I'd never do that with the 115 which seems hypersensitive to such conditions. That Yamaha is just awesome and I wonder if they are all that good.

Thanks!!

I would like to get into the carbs on the Yamaha and not sure how difficult that is.

posted 11-20-2012 06:25 AM ET (US)            

First off, I love my Evinrude. Figured like Peter, it is perfect for the 13. The negatives with the Tohatsu: the extra 39 pounds on the transome definitely makes a difference. With the Tohatsu on the back, the boat will porpoise if I leave a full tank of gas and battery in the rear at cruise speed. It sits lower in the water. At full speed, the handling gets a little squirrelly, the bow wants to dig in, just pushing the hull faster than it was designed to go I think. I don't think the Tohatsu looks as nice as the Evinrude on the boat, a little to big, maybe I'm just used to the Evinrude and it will grow on me.

The good points for the Tohatsu: three-cylinder, much smoother than the Evinrude. No oil-fuel pre-mixing. I can't tell you how nice this is, I never need to bring a jug of oil and measuring cup with me again! Quiet! The Tohatsu runs MUCH quieter at all speeds than the Evinrude. Of course, performance. If I were running the boat with just a kid, or just myself alone, I'd keep the Evinrude. But loaded down with fishing gear, coolers, my fishing buddy and myself, it really slows down as you would expect. Wide open we run about 25-MPH, an acceptable speed, but I won't cruise wide open, I just can't believe it's good for any motor to do that long term. So cruise ends up being 20 to 22-MPH with the Evinrude. With the Tohatsu, load makes MUCH less of a difference. I can easily cruise at 30-MPH fully loaded. Best speed with just me was 37-MPH, but the bow starts to dig at that speed, doesn't feel safe at that speed. At first, I was going to put the Evinrude back on, but for now, the Tohatsu stays. Smooth, no oil mixing, powerful. Makes up for the weight.

I know 50-HP is over the power rating for the boat, and I've read threads where people have said 50-HP on a 13 is irresponsible, even criminal. Others say 50-HP is just right, because of the great versatility of this wonderful hull design, I think. If I were powering it for kids to run around or for fishing alone, the Evinrude 25 to 30-HP would win a spot on the transom, no question. But people do more with these boats. Is it a great ski boat? Of course not, but with a 50-HP on the transom, it will get me out of the water on a slalom. Was it designed to ski behind? No, but who cares, it's still doable and fun! For the heavy loads I run with, the 50-HP works better for MY usage. I'll be honest--I'm going to miss the perfect balance and static trim that comes with the Evinrude, but the refinements and power of the Tohatsu win for me in the end.

And people who say they are getting 40, 45, 50-MPH with a 50 hp motor, maybe set up perfectly, high trim angles, working to get on plane, fighting porpoise and bow digging in, you could do it. But if you want to just bolt on the motor, set the trim pin and go, I don't think so. I get 37-MPH, like I said earlier. The high speed stuff isn't for me. But I can see why some would do it, just to see what speeds they can squeeze out of the boat. I do believe the differences of opinion on the best motor for the 13 arise because of the versatility of this design and the varied uses owners have for their boats.

posted 11-28-2012 10:22 AM ET (US)            

I am one of the few here, who also have a soft spot for carbed 2 strokes, (1972 2 Johnson, 1973 25 Johnson, 1993 25 Evinrude and 1998 200 Oceanpro)

I had a 92 40 Johnson on my 13 and it was great, shortly before OMC dided, I replaced it with a 99 50 johnson, both were great.