I need to replace the old (1978) 6-hp Evinrude trolling motor on our 17' Arima with something more reliable in preparation for our upcoming halibut fishing trip to the north end of Vancouver Island.* The Evinrude has served us well but it's not without its intermittent problems and we want something more reliable that we can depend on for a get-home engine in case the boat's primary 90 hp Yamaha develops a problem.* Where we will be fishing is not a place we'd care to be caught out without a source of propulsion.
My initial inclination was to go with a new Yamaha 7hp 2-cycle motor.* The Evinrude is 2-cycle and the retractable mount on the boat is not intended for heavier, more torquey 4-cycle motors.* Plus 2-cycle motors are cheaper.
However they are getting harder and harder to find, particularly the Yamaha in this area.
Based on our experience, I have always been a devotee of Yamaha motors and have dismissed the Mercury-Johnson, etc. crowd as being too unreliable and short-lived.
I am curious if anyone has had experience, good or bad, with any of the current generation of low-power (6-8 hp) 2-cycle outboards of any brand still on the market.
My initial inclination was to go with a new Yamaha 7hp 2-cycle motor.* The Evinrude is 2-cycle and the retractable mount on the boat is not intended for heavier, more torquey 4-cycle motors.* Plus 2-cycle motors are cheaper.
However they are getting harder and harder to find, particularly the Yamaha in this area.
Based on our experience, I have always been a devotee of Yamaha motors and have dismissed the Mercury-Johnson, etc. crowd as being too unreliable and short-lived.
I am curious if anyone has had experience, good or bad, with any of the current generation of low-power (6-8 hp) 2-cycle outboards of any brand still on the market.