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I have a 1979 17' Montauk with a old 1979 merc 90 HP
I am considering a 90 Yamaha or merc 4 cycle. I have heard a few concerns about the weight and how low the transom is on a 1979.
Some one suggested repowering to a merc 60 4 cycle to save on the weight on the transom
Has anyone repowered with a 60 HP motor?
I could go 2 cycle, just trying to go 4 cycle and reduce the noise and oil burning

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You do not have to go with a 4 stroke to reduce the noise and oil burning.

You can go with a new, clean, 2 stroke technology like the E-Tec...
Compare the motors here in our "Current Engine Choices and Weight".
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...ticle_id=5

All the motors listed are CARB3 rated... Clean, fuel efficient and quiet as compared to the older 2 stroke motors.
The lightest 90hp motor is the E-Tec.....

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Is the transom on the 1979 montauk any lower then all the other classic 17 montuaks?

I have been looking into re-powering the Whaler I have yet to find as well. =) The Yamaha 90 was my long time front runner, but I'm also considering an E-TEC 90, Suzuki 90, or a Yamaha 70. The weights of these engines are below.

After doing more research, I have been leaning more towards the Yamaha 70. I believe a big factor is how you plan to rig up the boat and what you will be using it for. I will be adding a bait tank (essential for fishing in Southern California), which will add a lot of weight to the back of the boat. From my research, it appears that a lot of guys who add the heavier 4 strokes move their batteries to the console.

Yamaha 90- 369lbs
Yamaha 70 - 257lbs
E-Tec 90 - 320lbs
Suzuki 90 -341lbs

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I own a 1979 Montauk which I bought new in May 1979.
The transom is the same as all the others!

I bought this boat with a 70 hp Evinrude 2 stroke in 1979.
I replaced the 70 in 1997 with a 90 Johnson 2 stroke.
In 2005 I went with the Yamaha 90 4 stroke.
I could not be happier. Instant starts, no smoke, no mixing gas and oil. I get twice the range with the Yamaha. So Quiet!!! I moved the battery to the console.
And yes it sits a little low in the back, but as I have stated before, no one has ever told me, your boat is sinking in the stern.
If you reverse the motor quickly and put excessive rpms on, the water will overcome the transom and come inside. But it never bothered the whaler. I put on the bilge pump in the sump well and in a few minutes the water is gone.

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JMHMD - You have a nice classic rig there with a 1979 Montauk and same year Mercury Tower. I have the same setup and I love it. Why not keep it all classic and have the engine re-manufactured to new? Might cost you 3K, a lot less than any new engine. These guys will do it for you.

http://classicmercuryoutboards.com/homes.com/home

Here's mine, it should look familiar:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v42...?start=all

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Wrangler...Did your Yamaha 90 have the same hole pattern as the original 70 Johnson?

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My experience is that it does, but in those days most of the dealerships installed the OMC engines on these shallow transom Whalers with the blind hole mounting. Modern engines can't use that system, so transom bolt hole work probably had to be done to the boat.

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To answer Captain Morgans question.

The Johnson 90 and the Evinrude 70 used the same holes.

The original bottom ones did not work. These were plugged up. The Yamaha uses the 2nd one down from the top which was original and it was redrilled using the Yamaha 4th down from the top. This way I have no cavitation problems and the motor is deep enough. They are all through bolted with nuts with no lag screws used. It has worked fine since installation in 2005.

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I have 75Montauk w/platform and 50hpYam 4stoke and a couple of large pals who like to fish. Problem is getting up to some kind of speed with anything more than 2 people ... 'wallowing' I think is the term.
I am looking to repower and it is either the new 70hp or a used 90hp and the weight difference vs performance is tricky to figure. Will the 70hp be able to handle 650lb of live meat and a lunch bucket?? Will 20hp be enough difference?? The prop is a basic Yam issue. The motor is on the transom ... I do not see a bracket. Pictures are on my personal page but I do not know how to link to this message. thanks for any comments

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TLAW,

Your personal page link automatically shows up under your name and avatar on the left side of every post you make. This way everyone with a personal page has their link shown.....

My 2 choices...
Yamaha 70hp 4 stroke
E-Tec 90hp 2 stroke

It would depend on how fast you want to go and the load you want to carry.
I think in your case the 90hp would be the choice...

Nice Montauk. I like the forward platform.
http://www.whalercentral.com/photogal...oto_id=362

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thanks for opinion
Platform works well for getting around and carrying gear. I have cleaned boat up quite a bit, gelcoat repairs, rub rail replacemet, varnish etc but having too much fun so no updated pics yet.
Summer is not far away.

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By the way, you never responded to a question at the bottom of your personal page.... You might check it out... If you don't want to respond, that is fine...

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Sorry, I saw that comment last year but I read it as a comment not a question, and yes, as near as I can tell it is original and in good shape. Around here we put up with that couple of days of blistering sun :>) and avoid the windage so it appears to be relatively un-used
thom

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No problem. That is why I put a ? behind the sentence.

Any photos of the canvas?
What brand of canvas? Mills?
Suntop, Flytop, Forward Shelter???

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I did not know there were different makes ... I will go to the shed tomorrow and see what I can find out.

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I do not see a canvas maker label so it must be a refit ... in very good shape tho.
I have a pic but do not know how to post it.
thom