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Hi all,
This is my first post so if this subject has already been covered I apologize.

I have a 1987 whaler 13 foot. The motor recently has had some issues and I am leaning towards repowering the boat. My question is what is the best option for repowering? I am a pleasure boater out of Rhode Island we use the boat for water sports. Regularly we will have 2-3 adults in the boat and one being pulled on a knee board. The boat is powered by the original Mercury 35hp which weights about 150 pounds. I am leaning towards either and Erinrude 30hp which weights 150 pounds or an evinrude 40hp which weights 232 pounds. I like the idea of the 30hp because Of the similar weight but am worried if the 30hp will have enough power. With that being said is the weight of the 40hp too much? I am open to any suggestion on repowering and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

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Welcome Aboard WhalerCentral.

Many members here have chosen the E-Tec 30 with the Electric and Power Tilt, 20" Long Shaft at 177 pounds.
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=78

Seems to be a good choice.
Hopefully others here will give you their opinion.

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Our 1987 13 Super Sport had a 2000 Johnson 40 2- stroke. We upgraded to the 30 E-TEC. A PERFECT MATCH!
The E-TEC 40 simply weighs too much. 240 lbs, and even more with a stainless steel prop.
You will be SHOCKED at the fuel economy and the minuscule amount of XD-100 oil consumed.
The performance was great!

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A 30 HP modern engine should out perform a 1987 era 35 HP engine. I don't know the torque figures for either engine but would guess the 30HP Etec produces more torque than a tired 35HP Mercury.

Four adults is quite a load for a 13 Super Sport so keeping weight down will help your performance. To help offset the added weight of the Etec you may want to consider locating the battery and fuel tanks as far forward as may be practicable. The Super Sports I've seen (only a couple) had the fuel tanks and battery located behind the rear thwart so moving them may be difficult.

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I've helped a number of people repower their 13' whalers with used motors I work on, all older OMC's (johnson/evinrude). Most folks stay in the 25-35hp range because they all weigh the same. Long shaft remote control motors with electric start weigh about 120lbs. You'll be hard pressed to find anything remote that powerful in that weight range these days.

The trade off is fuel economy. If power tilt is desired, you can always opt for a panther power trim unit. They offset the motor back about 5 inches. I own a 30hp 2014 etec. Strong motor (long shaft trim/tilt model, tiller steer, electric start and manual start...all the options). Also I need a engine hoist to move it...weighing in at 173lbs!

That cost me $5700.00 and I can't work on anything other than the gearcase because it is controlled by an EMM (computer). Anything pre 2006 is still a simple 2-stroke that has far less to go wrong...not fuel injected, you still need to premix your fuel, but they just go, and go, and go if you care for them properly.

The Etec was a mistake in my opinion other than the fuel economy which is 2nd to none!

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Take a look the Suzuki DF30ATL. I just repowered my 2002 13 with it and it's smooth and powerful. Weight is 157 lbs. The price of $4000 delivered includes props controls wiring harness etc. Complete package.

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You have a challenge on your hands. For your setup you will want as much hp and low end torque as possible and low weight given 3 in the boat.

A DFI 2 stroke has the low end torque and less weight than a 4 stroke.

Be very careful the motor is mounted correctly and select the right prop.

Engine dealers typically hand over a aluminum prop saying "this will work". Not so. A painted or polished stainless steel prop is recommended. It will take some research and on the water testing to get the design and size.