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okay, i am torn between getting an older motor which i know is lighter in weight and easier to work on to a point and a newer motor. i don;t think i will go later than the late 80s.

i currently have a 16' flatboat with a 25 Merc 2001 tiller - engine seems bulletproof to me. was a commercial motor before i bought it and it runs great.

if you have upgraded to a newer motor from an old one, give me a fuel efficiency comparison - i will probably run 25-40 miles fishing each time. semi-loaded - tackle, 2 people max, ice chests.

how hard is it to male a tiller into a control box unit. this motor has the tiller control that engages the transmission depending on the direction of throttle twist, vs. others that have a separate FNR lever for example.

thanks.

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With a motor this size I doubt you will ever make up for the price difference between an old 2-stroke and a new 4-stroke in fuel savings.

Lets say the 13SS will average 9mpg with a late 80s carburated 2-stroke and average 11.5mpg with a 2010 4-stroke. For your 40 mile fishing run you'd consume 3.5 gallons with the modern technology and 4.5 gallons with the old technology. If gas is $3/gallon and the price difference between a good condition late 80s carburated 2-stroke and a modern 4-stroke is $3k that's a thousand of those fourty mile fishing trips before the fuel savings makes up for the higher purchase price.

If you want a modern engine for less smell, less pollution, or less noise then go ahead and get one for those reasons. The difference in fuel economy is a non-issue on a boat/motor this size.

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i had no idea that the MPG would be that good as i am mostly used to 22'+ with 200+HP motors - 1.8MPG was my best economy in that range.

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I dont really think the "average" would be quite that good but is prime conditions it could easily be that good.
According to BW( from the performance data on their web site) the new SS130 (which I have) with a 40 4 stroke will go 72 miles on 6 gallons at optimum cruise. (which is around 20-22 MPH)
I dont think you would get 11 MPG wide open but it can be done.

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I'm assuming 13' SS means a classic 13' Super Sport. Shrimpy assumed 13' SS meas a 130 Super Sport. It could be either. Which is it?

I'm going to guess a 22' deep V boat cruises @ 120hp and a fairly flat bottom 13' classic whaler cruises @ 20hp. 1/6th the power needed means approximately 1/6th the fuel needed...

I burn about 2GPH at full throttle with a premix 2-stroke Johnson 28. I don't know exactly what the GPH is at 4000+-300rpm where I typically run, but it is significantly less. With two adults, two six gallon gas tanks, and a large rubbermaid container full of stuff, full throttle is ~28mph and unless the water is prefectly flat I do typically cruise in the low 20s for the smooth(er) ride at that speed.

Evinrude has a performance data sheet for a Etec 30 on a Carolina Skiff JV15. The JV15 hull weighs about 300lbs more than a 13' Super Sport Whaler, but otherwise I'd consider it a similar boat.

http://www.evinrude.com/Content/Pdf/n.../PE740.pdf

At a slow troll or typical cruise speed in the low 20s, fuel economy on this type of hull is not an issue. If you are trolling for wahoo/tuna or it gets choppy so you keep it just below planing speed to be nice to your front seat passenger's back, you will get "horrible" gas mileage.