Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by buckyhenson on 06/18/14 - 1:34 PM

New to the board. I've already pulled the trigger on this, but I'm interested in any thoughts anyone might have.

I recently bought a 1989 Montauk 17. It came with the 1989 Yamaha 90 2S that was original to the boat. It runs fine but loud. I took the boat in for a repower to a new Yamaha In-line 4S 70 hp. It's a good 100 lbs. plus lighter than the new 90. We mainly use the boat to tool around Perdido Bay in Alabama and on some rivers inland. The quieter outboard is key. Horsepower is not so much key.

It's my first Whaler. It took a long time to find one in the kind of shape I wanted. It's a nice Montauk.

Anyway, if anyone has any experience with the newer 70's on a Montauk 17', I'd enjoy hearing about it. That's all I'll have for another two weeks while I wait for the repower.

Great board, folks. Thanks!

(corrected name of the boat to Montauk 17')

Edited by Joe Kriz on 06/18/14 - 1:58 PM

Posted by Joe Kriz on 06/18/14 - 1:58 PM

Hi bucky,

Congratulations on the new boat and motor.
Let us know how it performs.

I corrected the name of your boat to Montauk 17' as the Montauk 170 was not made until 2002.
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...lbum_id=34

2 completely different hulls.
Here is the Montauk 17' model you have.
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...lbum_id=14
If you look at the name on the stern side of the boat, it should say MONTAUK-17'

My 2 choices of motor for the Montauk 17' would be either the Yamaha F70 like you have or if people need or want more power, the E-Tec 90.
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...ticle_id=5

I think you made a great choice.
I owned a 1978 Montauk 17' with an Evinrude 70hp 2 stroke on it for 15 years.
http://users.sisqtel.net/jkriz/Montau...ntauk.html

Posted by Silentpardner on 06/20/14 - 10:47 AM

Congratulations on the new boat/motor, and welcome to the absolute best Whaler site on the internet!

There is another new member here looking at repowering a similar boat to yours, so when you go out and test that new engine on your boat, it would be of great use to him, and interesting to us all I am sure, if you could let us know how your new boat performs :)

Happy Whalerin'!

Posted by The Dude_Case5284 on 06/20/14 - 11:47 AM

My dad and I undertook an 1984 Montauk 17' that came with an 1984 Johnson, repowered with a 70 Yahama four stroke and I love it. It tops out at 36 with 3 people on board. We live in Fairhope and navigate the bay, Dauphin Island, and the rivers with it very well. For the savings in money (and weight) over a 90, I would definitely suggest the 70.

Edited by Joe Kriz on 06/20/14 - 11:57 AM

Posted by SENC on 06/20/14 - 5:50 PM

Don't just give away that 90, though... lots of folks (myself included) love the old 90 2-strokes from Yamaha - they are just about bulletproof. If you weren't so far, I'd ask to buy it as a backup, as the whaler I bought recently has the same 1989 engine. You should be able to make a few bucks on it if it is in good shape. For example, mine had a few trim system issues - I think I paid $300 or so for a trim system in very good shape off a 1990 engine, a good savings and better result than replacing the trim motor and having cylinders reworked and resealed.

Posted by jharrell on 06/21/14 - 9:01 AM

I just replied in another thread with my recommendation for the F70 on a classic Montauk, you can read it here:

http://www.whalercentral.com/forum/vi...ost_125243

In short it is a great motor for this hull.

Posted by Unclebarney on 07/04/14 - 8:09 PM

I had a Yamaha 70 4 stroke installed 2 weeks ago on my 1993 Montauk 17 to replace the original Johnson 70. Mounted 3 holes up, I get a little more speed with it-and so quiet! It weighs about the same as the Johnson , I thought about the Yamaha 90 but didn't want the extra 110 pounds. It's nice not having the darn oil tank in the way! Good luck, I think you made a good choice. By the way, I read quite a few posts on re-powering here and thanks to everyone at Whaler Central for the good advice.

Posted by alan heckmamleper on 07/05/14 - 3:17 AM

I put a Yamaha F70 on my 1999 Alert 17 this year and I love it. The fuel economy is unbelievable. It will push my boat 38 MPH, it,s quiet, it starts easy,the boat handles great with it, and oh did I remember to tell you the fuel economy is GREAT. I fish for walleye on Lake Erie and I can run out and back and troll all day with my Tohatsu 6 hp. On less than $10 of gas. My dealer say this May be the best motor Yamaha has built and I agree. Enjoy your new motor,I sure do.

Posted by nyc511 on 08/07/14 - 9:17 AM

#10

Thanks - this is exactly the thread I'm looking for as I may be in the market for a new motor on the same boat. Local Evinrude/Yamaha dealers are quoting me about the same for the Etec 90 and Yamaha 70 4 stroke; about 12k all in. If I were to be able to get my hands on a new leftover Yam 70 2 stroke, how would that compare to the above engines in terms of smoke, noise, performance, upkeep etc? Any concerns about buying a leftover that old? Much thanks!

Posted by tedious on 08/07/14 - 9:48 AM

#11

Wow - I'd be shopping that $12K figure around. My F70 plus new controls was under $8K for the parts, and the install won't take more than an hour or two.

Compare to the eTec or the F70, the old school two stroke will be much smokier and much louder, particularly at idle. Maintenance is pretty easy on all, and there would be no concerns buying a leftover - it's a time-tested design.

Tim

Posted by nyc511 on 08/08/14 - 9:23 AM

#12

I have found an Evinrude dealer that verbally quoted "around 10" all in, and the same for a Yamaha dealer, but both seem a little "fly by night," if you know what I mean. The 12 was specific, and the bulk of the difference was the install at about $1200. The 12 was local; the others would require me getting a trailer, a hitch put on my car, and/or hiring somebody to transport.

Not surprising, but the Evinrude guy sings the praises of the ETec and lashes out and the extra expenses associated with a four stroke, not to mention the under powering, and the Yamaha guy says the etec technology almost sank Evinrude/Johnson to begin with, not to mention that they are coming out with something new to correct the old, and it is ugly as s--t.

A little dismayed that options for a 17 foot center console, a pretty common boat I would think, are limited to 2 pieces of machinery because of weight and hp. My gut instinct is to go with the Japanese over the Canadians on these things! But I've got time because when it's all said and done the season will be over anyway.

Posted by nyc511 on 08/11/14 - 7:40 AM

#15

Sorry Phil. I wasn't trying to drive the thread off-topic - thought the cost of the product was relevant. Administrator suggested an engine alternative and I thought following up on that advice and comparing the two was OK. I'll re-post elsewhere.

Posted by GPJ on 08/11/14 - 8:11 AM

#16

Silentpardner wrote:
Congratulations on the new boat/motor, and welcome to the absolute best Whaler site on the internet!

There is another new member here looking at repowering a similar boat to yours, so when you go out and test that new engine on your boat, it would be of great use to him, and interesting to us all I am sure, if you could let us know how your new boat performs :)

Happy Whalerin'!

I believe I may be that other new mumber Silent refers to. I have a 1975 Montauk 17 and have narrowed my repower choices down to the F70 and Etec 90. I will eagerly await your performance report! Maybe you could toss in a few photos as well so we can get a sense of how the motor looks on the boat!