Which outboard for my 14 ft. Lund?

[Bobby B.]

My boat is rated for up to 15 hp. I've never owned an outboard before. Is Mercury a good choice? Honda?

Bobby B.

[Blastoff]

Originally Posted by Bobby B.

My boat is rated for up to 15 hp. I've never owned an outboard before. Is Mercury a good choice? Honda?

Bobby B.

I would think you could go upto 25hp, I know I have seen them. My brother had a 30 on his Lund, it came with it from the dealer. I got a 20 on my 14 foot. Merc, Johnson or Honda are all good.

[Bound2Fish]

I had a Merc 15hp on mine. With 4 people and gear it wasnt an issue.

[375FMNE]

Got a 25 HP Merc on my 14ft Lund but if I was going to buy new I would seriously consider a Honda, the couple people I know that have them really love em. All of their products that I have owned have been super dependable. Mind you, my Merc has never let me down.

[Big Red 250]

I have a 20 johnson on my 14' lund. My dad has a 25 Yamaha on his. both great choices but the 25 gets up on plane a lot quicker.

[Swath]

A fishing lodge I have been going to for year uses 20-25hp 2 stroke mercs on 16 foot open Lunds. Three guys, 10 gallons of fuel and lots of gear have never been a problem to get on plane

[TROLLER]

I run the Yamaha 9.9 High Thrust as a kicker on my 16 Crestliner and it will move me through the water at 8 MPH so it should move your 14 along at a pretty good clip.

9.9 High Thrust is claimed to be the equivalent of a 15 but cannot say for sure.

Myself if I was buying I would go with Yamaha over Merc, Honda or Yamaha which ever one gives the best deal. And for sure I would go to a 25 with electric start and power trim.

[Sneeze]

If your boat is rated for 15 hp - that is exactly the size I would put on it.

You may be able to cheat a bit using a two stroke engine.

Over sizing your engine works really good until the moment it doesn't.

That 2" or so of draft could be the difference between swamping it in a wind storm or getting home safe.

[Swath]

OP stated a 15hp max rating. I do agree with the 9.9 but for the minimal price difference in the used market I would suggest you go with a 15hp 2 stroke.

Kijiji has an ad for a 1999 15hp Johnson that looks pretty good.

http://alberta.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...AdIdZ470751319

[dodgeboy1979]

i'd stick with a 15 hp johnson or evinrude, 2 stroke

[sanjuanworm]

I had a 15hp and switched up to a 25hp. Much much better.

[58thecat]

15 HP Honda, I got the same set pretty much and I run this engine all day on little to know gas consumption and at idle I forget it is behind me. Great engine, highly reliable 4 stroker the way to go!

[Lazerloop]

I had a lund 14 Light weight that was rated for 15hp and I had a brand new merc 15hp on it and it was good to go! Don't put anything on over the rating as it most likely wont turn out very well.

[Safety D]

Power to weight ration. 25 merc two stroke. burns a bit more gas but really how far you planning on going?

[mach123]

9.9 is the besy and don't need boat lic..........Johnson of course

[The Fisherman Guy]

I don't know you Bobby B, but by reading your posts - you like quality.

For a 14 foot tin boat, your best quality outboard would be a Yamaha or a Honda. Depending on payload, I think that a 15 or 20hp would be PLENTY of power. You could definitely get away with a 9.9, but it could leave you wanting a little more speed and power to get on plane.

If you plan on just puttering around, or regularly taking the motor off the transom; stick with the smaller, and lighter motors. If it will stay on the transom, and trailer; go a little bigger.

Four stroke motors are ideal for trolling, and achieve great fuel economy. Two stroke motors have plenty of jam, but can be annoying to troll at low speeds.

[mach123]

Hello fisherman guy, you ever watch those etec johnson eat the yammies for breakfast, best darn tug a war I have ever seen, lol

[Hunter Trav]

Evinrude E-Tec all the way, in whatever size is the max rating for your boat...

[TROLLER]

Originally Posted by mach123

Hello fisherman guy, you ever watch those etec johnson eat the yammies for breakfast, best darn tug a war I have ever seen, lol

ETEC hmmm makes ya wonder why the guys at Serengeti Charters who have just posted pic's of their beautiful new boat run 250 Yamaha's Pretty sure they could run whatever motor they wanted but for some reason chose the Yamaha.

don't those guys know they can't win a tug o war?

Maybe they are more concerned with engine life or something silly like that. Who wants long engine life out of a 4 stroke anyway.

[LeonH]

If you choose two stroke go with Evinrude/Johnston.
Four stroke Honda, Yamaha, Mercury are all very good options.

Assuming you would get something new or relatively new.
Max your HP but do not go over the rated HP as it is there for a reason.

[Bobby B.]

I need to clear up something. As stated in my first post, my Lund is rated for up to 15 hp. It's not rated for a 20, and it's not rated for a 25, nor is it rated for a 30. The plate on the boat states maximum 15 hp and a 15 hp is exactly what I will buy.

My question is which brand of outboard is the best? Is a Merc as good as a Honda? Is Yamaha the best? I'm not on a budget so I'm more than willing to spend the extra $$$ for a superior product. And, I do want a 4 stroke.

Thanks, guys.

Bobby B.

[Blastoff]

Originally Posted by Bobby B.

I need to clear up something. As stated in my first post, my Lund is rated for up to 15 hp. It's not rated for a 20, and it's not rated for a 25, nor is it rated for a 30. The plate on the boat states maximum 15 hp and a 15 hp is exactly what I will buy.

My question is which brand of outboard is the best? Is a Merc as good as a Honda? Is Yamaha the best? I'm not on a budget so I'm more than willing to spend the extra $$$ for a superior product. And, I do want a 4 stroke.

Thanks, guys.

Bobby B.

Honda is your answer for me.

[bubba 96]

Originally Posted by Bobby B.

I need to clear up something. As stated in my first post, my Lund is rated for up to 15 hp. It's not rated for a 20, and it's not rated for a 25, nor is it rated for a 30. The plate on the boat states maximum 15 hp and a 15 hp is exactly what I will buy.

My question is which brand of outboard is the best? Is a Merc as good as a Honda? Is Yamaha the best? I'm not on a budget so I'm more than willing to spend the extra $$$ for a superior product. And, I do want a 4 stroke.

Thanks, guys.

Bobby B.

I have a 14 ft crestliner with a 15 horse merc 4 stroke, and it pushes it very good, I sure like my merc its 4 yrs old and only thing iv done is the routine maintence, engine oil leg oil and a set of pulgs....down side is it trolls to fast on slowes speed.....

[Hunter Trav]

If your goal is a 4 stroke, Honda or Yammy, in that order...

[Swath]

If money is no object and you want a four stroke I would side with the Honda or Yamaha. Problem is finding certified repair shops outside of the city. I don't know about the little guys but see if you can get a charging circuit on whatever you pick especially if you put an electric troller on the boat as well.

[Hugepickerel]

Get a old evinrude I have a 64 18hp runs like a beauty and no trouble .

[Penner]

Gotta watch out with any 4 stroke if you plan to lay them down in the back of a bed on a pick-up or similar while traveling? Oil can leak out of the crank case causing a ton of issues and a mess.

2-Stroke Evinrude/Johnston from the early 70’s onward are pretty much bullet proof as long as they haven’t been purposely abused. I have a mid-70’s Johnston 15HP and also a 9.9HP. Only had to replace the water pump once on the 9.9HP from when my old man bought it brand new back in 70’s. It has many many many hours on it and still runs like its new. Use new fuel, good quality oil, and swap out new spark plugs every 2-3 years and you’re golden. Starts every spring, can idle down to a crawl, no issues in cold weather, and only weighs about 75lbs. That would be my recommendation.

Always try to go to the maximum HP rating.

Originally Posted by Hunter Trav

Evinrude E-Tec all the way, in whatever size is the max rating for your boat...

FYI, BRP doesn't make an portable E-Tech Evinrude in any size (9.9HP, 15HP, 20HP, etc.). I believe BRP now offer's portables but they are not E-Tech's.

[Rick.]

How old is your boat? If it's old it's rated for a 15 - 2 stroke not a 4 stroke. I hate (not really) to throw that into play. I'm a OMC (Johnson/Evinrude) fan of any 15 HP from say 78 on up. They are very good engines and will crawl if you want to troll. If your only going to have one engine on the boat you certainly want it to go slow just as much as you want it to go fast, but actually slow would be my main concern. Good luck with your decision. Many valid points mentioned above as well but this is kind of like asking who makes the best coffee. LOL Rick.

[Big Red 250]

Originally Posted by Hugepickerel

Get a old evinrude I have a 64 18hp runs like a beauty and no trouble .

first motor I had on my 14' was an old 18 Johnson from the 60's or early 70's. That was a good motor.

A friend of mine had a 35 Johnson short shaft with tiller that I borrowed for a day for my 14'. That boat would go like a turpintined cat, but was scary off the getgo. Needless to say, I switched back at the end of the day.

[winmag]

stick with proper Coastguard HP rating for your boat. Had Yamaha 15 HP 2 stroke on 14 foot Harbourcraft the boat was new the motor was old but bullet proof . I could backtroll all day with no trouble i even installed fins on the cavitation plate huge differance in stable turning and getting up on plane. Watchout for the older American motors like 9.9's they are rated at power head the Japanese are rated at prop ,. a 8.8 HP Nissan used to kick my 9.9's butt years ago all things equal that really bugged me. If you buy used make sure you see it run and its spitting water [water pump] use a garbage can and also a banged up prop usually means abuse stay away . Tohatso,s are reasonably priced and reliable good luck winmag