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I recently bought a 1977 Montauk 17 that I love. It was re-powered with a 1998 Mercury 115 HP 2 stroke by the previous owner. In addition to heavy fuel consumption I'm finding the weight of this engine(approx. 360 lbs.) keeps the stern lower than I'd like it to be. I am researching now to possibly re-power with a 4 stroke lighter smaller HP engine.
My usage is 90% my wife and I cruising around Narragansett Bay and some occasional fishing, so I don't need a lot of speed or power.
My local Mercury dealer suggested a 75 HP but the weight is as much as the existing 2 stroke 115 HP on the boat now.
I am thinking about a Merc 60 HP 4 stroke which would save about 100 lbs. over the 75 HP, but I don't want to under power the boat either.
I am interested to hear what other members think about going to this engine.