Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by SeaOtter on 06/14/11 - 2:06 PM

I've been on the lookout for a new (to me) motor for my Whaler for a long time and just found a 25HP Mercury Bigfoot with remote controls from 2005 on Craigslist. My main concern is the Bigfoot model. My understanding is that the Bigfoot was meant for low speed high load applications, like pontoon boats. Does anyone have any experience with a 25HP Bigfoot on a 13 foot Whaler?

Posted by chadillac on 06/14/11 - 6:25 PM

I can't speak for the Bigfoot 25, but I have a 2005 25hp merc 2 stroke on my 66 13'. It does extremely well, jumps on plane with 2 big guys and fishing gear. The 2 stroke only weighs about 105 lbs though, and I have the interior moved forward a few inches. I would check the weight of the Bigfoot.

Posted by Joe Kriz on 06/14/11 - 6:43 PM

I do not know about a Big Foot motor either.

Seeing you are from California, I would suggest you definitely buy a CARB 3 rated motor.

See our article on "Current Engine Choices and Weights".
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=78

If you want a 2 stroke, I would recommend the E-Tec 30 HP at 177 pounds...

If you prefer a 4 stroke, then choose one of the lightest models available...
The lighter the better.

Posted by Tom W Clark on 06/14/11 - 7:38 PM

I am unaware of any Mercury 25 HP BigFoot that is a Short Shaft (15"), which is what a 1966 13 foot Whaler requires.

Posted by SeaOtter on 06/15/11 - 12:12 AM

It would be nice to have a 105 pound 25HP motor on my boat for sure, but that's not really an option in California unless you want to tinker with an older model motor.

@ Joe: The E-Tec 30HP would be my first choice, but I'm having a tough time swallowing the price of a new one and used ones for sale are pretty tough to come by.

@ Tom: The motor I was looking at is a long shaft, but finding newer short-shaft motors is getting tougher, so I figured there would be a good chance I'd need to stay open to the idea of either buying or building something similar to the Kentfab Transdapter or possibly permanently raising my transom with fiberglass etc.

So many choices . . .

Posted by Tom W Clark on 06/15/11 - 7:15 AM

So get a Tohastsu TLDI 40 with power trim and tilt in a 15" shaft. Not too heavy either at only 206 pounds. It is CARB 3 Star rated too.

Posted by Tom W Clark on 06/15/11 - 10:26 AM

From:

http://www.tohatsu.com/outboards/inde...index.html

"The TLDI® outboard motors meet all emission regulations stipulated by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and are CARB (California Air Resources Board) 3-Star rated for Ultra-Low Emissions."

Posted by Joe Kriz on 06/15/11 - 10:26 AM

#10

Thanks.

They must have changed something recently as last year it was not.

I changed the article...