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I know I will need a new side mount control. Will I need anything new for the steering that doesn't come with the new motor? Or will the old steering cable bolt right on?

I'm assuming the bolt holes in the transom will line up, correct?

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You don't mention what boat you have and it is also not listed in your profile so I can't tell you about the steering.

As far as the boat holes..
Where are your holes drilled according to this Standard BIA mounting hole drawing?
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=82

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Sorry, I thought it was in my signature.

2008 130 Sport; 40hp Merc 4 stroke

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The steering will bolt on with no problem. I had a 35hp Mercury, then went with a 55hp Johnson, then to the 2011 ETEC, they all bolt up. What size ETEC? Your going to love the ETEC, I am so happy with mine, good luck!

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40 hp. That's the max for the boat. I'm a little concerned that I may lose a lot of top speed. The Merc runs really well at WOT. 38mph on GPS. I'm hearing I may lose 5mph on top end. That's crazy. I won't do it if I'm going to lose that much speed. I could live with 2 or 3 mph. The larger gearcase alone will scrub some speed off the top end.

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With my 60 ETEC I get a solid 36.5 with a 17P prop, 6000 RPM's, with my 55HP Johnson, I got 34.0 MPH. The difference in the power is night and day. The ETEC pins you back in your seat. I love it. I would research that setup and see what other people are getting as far as speed. I don't know how your feel about going with more horses, the 40 up to the 60 hp are the same weight. You would have to find out your laws in your state from the Coast Guard as far as going over in horsepower. I know here in New York it is legal, then again you would also have to find out about insurance, if you have any. Some insurance companies will not cover a boat with a motor rated higher than stated, others will. I have to say I am more than happy with this motor!

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Unfortunately, I haven't seen or heard of anyone with a 130 Sport w/ 40 E-tec.

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Ric -

Please clarify "you hearing". Let's discuss facts versus heresay given the significant investment you are considering.

I highly doubt you would loose 5 mph given that you are considering a motor of the same horsepower that weighs the same or less.

(edit- I now see the ETEC weighs 240lbs vs 216lbs for the Mercury so I may be wrong about loosing some speed)

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Yes, good point, Phil. I would never go on hearsay. I actually read an article in Bass and Walleye boats from a couple years ago (see link at bottom) where they compared about 8 different 50hp motors, including the E-Tec. The E-Tec was dead last by nearly 5mph. Surprisingly, it performed poorly on acceleration tests as well. Identical boats all set up by the motor manufacturers. The Merc 4stroke was a very close 2nd in the comparison. That's the only statistical info I have. Normally, I wouldn't give so much credence to a single test, but that's a HUGE difference. Other than that, I know:

1. The gearcase and prop are larger on the E-Tec, which will cost some speed. It was the only motor in the test with a larger gearcase.
2. The motor has the same "advertised" horsepower but Merc seems to push the +10% envelope on all their motors so I suspect my 40 is closer to 44hp. Not sure about E-Tecs. (On the heresay side, I've read comments by numerous people who have switched from Merc to some other brand of same hp and similar vintage and lost more top speed than they expected.)
3. I'm not worried about the weight because the manufacturer's tag on my motor actually says 233 lbs (vs the advertised 216lb weight). I've verified that the tag on the 40-60 E-Tecs read 240lbs (matching their advertised weigh).

Don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-Evinrude. On the contrary. I grew up with Evinrudes and they will always be my sentimental favorite. I just don't want a big drop in WOT if I go down this path.

BTW, here's the link to the BWB test in January 2009: http://bwbmag.com/images/elements/195...otout_.pdf