60 hp vs 50 hp Tillers

As a lot of you have more than likely already read, I was considering a move from a 60hp tiller to a 70hp tiller. However more recently have decided against over powering the boat. It just seems the pros are by far over ridden by the many cons of doing something of the sort.

However, still in search of the elusive 60hp tiller. I ran into a pretty good deal on a 50hp Yamaha. I have yet to pull the trigger as I am afraid of the speed reduction going from the 60hp motor to a 50hp motor.

Previously on the boat (710lbs hull weight) with a 60hp Johnson tiller (245lbs) I would run about 28mph TOPS. Unloaded and just me. The prop on the 60 was in rough shape and the motor didnt seem to run flawlessly either.

I am curious to see what you guys think as to what you guys think I should expect pertaining to speeds on the 50hp motor? I am in favor of the slower idle speeds but do not want to run 20mph every where I go.

Using the lbs of boat to hp of motor I came up with the following, I am aware that the actual weight will be considerably more than 710 due to persons, fuel, and extras.

60HP Tiller 245 Lbs = 15.91 Lbs/HP
50HP Tiller 189 LBS = 17.98 LBS/HP

Thoughts????

well on my dads alumacraft navigator with a 50 merc i usually get about 27 mph with one other person and gear. i would think that you should get anywhere in the low to mid thirties with a 60. that boat is a 16.5 footer. what length is yours? i would think you should get higher speeds with 60 and a good prop. i would think that 35 isnt unresonable.

I’m no expert but the prop has a lot to do with how much power you have. By playing with pitch size you can increase your proformance greatly. For example, We have a 90hp merc that from the factory comes with a 19pitch prop. Running the reccomended RPMs we get about 31-33mph fully loaded. With a little bit of research I bumped it up to a 23p prop, now we get 40+mph out of it. The important thing is to not change the diameter if you change the pitch because that will affect the result. I wouldn’t think that going from a 60hp to a 50hp would have that big of a difference in total proformance. The higher pitch prop will push you faster but you loose holeshot and the more weight you add, the harder it is for it to get on plane. A hydrofoil also might help.

You might try to get a test run of the motor on your boat before you buy it then you can know for sure.

Quote:

---

However, still in search of the elusive 60hp tiller. I ran into a pretty good deal on a 50hp Yamaha.

---

Are you looking for used or new? Yamaha makes a 60hp.

The tiller I am looking at is a 2003. I think I could get it on my rig for 2500$.

How is that era of Yamahas? I dont know much about those years.

The boat is a crestliner viking. Similar to todays fish hawks, but a tad deeper with wide gunnels.

To ad to the last post:

it is a 16 foot boat

For what it’s worth, I have a 2000 Lund Explorer 1650 w/ a Honda 50HP tiller, factory prop. With just me & my gear I can squeek 30mph out of it on glass. 2 other guys & gear and I max out around 24.

My Father has a 92 Lund Pike Rebel with a 40hp Merc 2 stroke/factory prop. I believe the hull weights are similar to yours. With two guys & gear, if I remember correctly, we could do 24-28mph with an average chop. Hope this helps.

First off welcome to IDO!!

Do you intend to keep the boat a long time?
How often do you get out?
Big or medium size lakes?
Stable job situation?

Reason I ask is if you intend to keep the boat get the best, biggest motor you can afford. I stuck a new 60hp Yamaha on a 18′ Tuffy and couldn’t be happier. But, I intend to keep the boat a long time. If I was going to upgrade in the foreseeable future I would have gone used and saved a few bucks.

Another reason I went new is I troll near 100% and wanted the four stroke. If you live bait, cast,jig, mix in other presentations then the motor requirements for you will change.

Consider everything you do, then factor in your income. That will help you decide the direction to go.

I was reading your post and it got me thinking. I remember riding in a buddies 16′ Lund Rebel. It was rated for a 45HP and he put a 30HP on it trying to save cash. It was terribly noticeable how underpowered that boat was.

With that being said, I’ve been in larger boats that are rated for 225hp and had 175hp on them. They had plenty of power. Plenty of hole shot with plenty of top end. Of course what’s the difference between running at 55mph vs. 60mph?

In fact my new rig is rated for a 175hp and has a 150hp 4 stroke on it. I’ve tested boats with both and I wasn’t to impressed with the larger engine. I was told the extra horsepower only gained me a little more top end. I wasn’t worried about top end though.

The proper prop for your application will make a world of difference as well.

There is no comparison in power between the Yamaha 50 and 60. The 60 wins by a long shot.

This will vary by brand but keep in the mind the Yamaha 50 is a hopped up 40. And the Yamaha 60 is a de-tuned 70. Displacment makes torque, which means power.

A friend of mine has owned both motors on very similair boats and the 60 wins hands down…

I have owned the Yamaha 50 myslef and its a great motor, but just not the power of a Yamaha 60.

Quote:

---

This will vary by brand but keep in the mind the Yamaha 50 is a hopped up 40. And the Yamaha 60 is a de-tuned 70. Displacment makes torque, which means power.

---

I agree, you can’t beat cubic inches. But,,,, according to the 2003 60 4S owners manual, the 60 has 60.8 in3, the 75 4S (there was no 70 in ’03) has 97.4 in3., a 60% increase. The 2003 50 4S has a 57.1 in3 displacement. Not sure how these compare to your current 60 Johnson 2S.

HRG

This reminded me of something that happened last year when I was looking for a new boat. I was looking at a boat they had on the floor it was a ranger 619VS with a 200 verado on it. They also had another 619VS with a 225 verado sitting next to the other with a price difference of I think about $6k but looked to be setup about the same. The salesman who I know quite well said you don’t want the cheaper 619 because that one is a four cylinder 200hp engine , and the other is a six cylinder engine. The four on that heavy boat is just a turd. he said they got the boat through some program, and would never order one like that. That is why it is priced the way it was. My point is that I think that 50 vs 60 yamaha are very valid points these guys are making. Remember 200hp v4 vs 225hp v6 can be apples vs oranges. much like 50hp vs 60hp may be a much bigger difference than you would think.

Quote:

---

The tiller I am looking at is a 2003. I think I could get it on my rig for 2500$.

How is that era of Yamahas? I dont know much about those years.

The boat is a crestliner viking. Similar to todays fish hawks, but a tad deeper with wide gunnels.

---

That motor is almost bulletproof.I had a 2003 with no problems for 3 yrs.I now have a 2005(bought new in ’07),same deal.Should have no problems with it.

The 60 should give more umph,it is a different block(Yamaha).More displacement than the 40/50.

Thanks for the insight guys, I must say I didn’t expect such a response. Guess thats why IDO is so reputable.

Situation update:
’03 yamaha sold late last week. Back to lookin for a motor…

for those who were wondering:

I found a used 60hp 2 stroke Yamaha that was in really good shape, so to make things simple, I bought it!

Good luck with the new motor. I also just got a new package and bought it mostly for the Yamaha on the back.