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Hey everyone I have a 1969 whaler I'm looking to repower and have a couple questions. With the notched hull I'm limited to the 15" shaft, I'd like to have as much power as possible, but would consider getting lower. It appears as though mercury and tohatsu are the only two companies making 40hp 15" four strokes. Any opinions on either?? The merc weighs around 215 which is just about the max weight I think. I got quoted 5800 just for the motor. Yamaha Makes a 15"25hp four stroke, but was wondering if that is too little power. A 30hp is like 600 bucks cheaper but at that price point I think I'd rather go with the 40. I'd like to avoid the jack plate, building up transom etc, but would consider it, so what would you guys do. Looking for a reliable motor I've spent too much time and money on motors that act up. I realize this has been discussed many times, but all the threads i seem to find seem to be from around 2012 and earlier when you could still get two strokes and 15" Yamaha four strokes. Thanks for the help will try to post pics of my restoration soon.

Here's the pics I think
http://s1044.photobucket.com/user/lla...e/library/

Levie

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Take a look at the Suzuki DF30 4 stroke EFI. Light and strong. I put one on my 2002 13 and love it. They make a 15" model either manual tilt or with PTT. Around $4200 delivered including prop, controls, tank, etc.

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I am in the same re-power situation with a 1972 Sport (13') requiring a short shaft. I have been told that the preferred weight for the outboard is 175 lbs. Have you settled on a motor? I would sincerely appreciate knowing what you have decided. Thank you.

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Evinrude shows a 15" 30hp Etec that weighs 150 pounds. I grew up with a couple of 13 footers with 20hp motors and never felt underpowered.

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Many thanks Walt.

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guys, I am in the same repower situation with a 1970 13' sport. what did you guys figure out? can these boats handle 215 lb motor?

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Cracker13 when you want water over the transom it can handle it (it's unsinkable) and make sure you have a waterproof cowling.

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I communicated with Levie and he stated that his choice was a Mercury 40hp. The boat planes fine and he is really enjoying it. I have read some other comments about being careful with water coming over the transom if you slow down suddenly. I am leaning toward the Mercury as I would really welcome electric start and power tilt, but want to explore a few more options. Please post your decision when you make it.

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I'm not convinced having a 40hp is all that great on old 13' Sports. It seems going max hp on 60-70's hulls get you diminished returns for that speed in handling and maneuverability. I believe this is true going up to 17-18 ft hulls, and especially true with 4-stroke motors. Reason: weight. JMO.

25 to 30 hp two-strokes I believe are best on old 13' Whalers.

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I know this is an older thread. I have a 2005 Tohatsu 40hp on my 1966 Sport and they are very dependable. I went with Tohatsu because I wanted a 2 stroke short shaft. It is a little scary @ wot but not unmanageable. The 30 zuke is also a great choice and should be a fine fit. The original motor on this boat was a Johnson 33. When it finally gave up in 1985, we put a Yamaha 40hp 2cylinder on her and that was a great power/weight combo.

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Hey all figured I would update, went with a 40hp mercury 4 stroke on it and I love it. It is very big compared to the two stroke but it rides great will hit 35mph max speed. . No problem getting on plane and rides nice when on plane. Yes with the cut hull I get a little splash over into the back every know and then, but most of the time if I gently throttle down it's no problem.

http://i1044.photobucket.com/albums/b...bxnkow.jpg

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Short story long, in 2007 I found myself with a brand new short shaft 25 HP 2-stroke Yamaha. At that time I bought a new Starcraft 14' utility, so with that new motor I ended up having to order the new tinny with a SS transom. What I hadn't considered was that I was going from a flat bottom boat to a deep-V, so the motor hung real low in the water.

Yup, I had a lot of splash back over the transom. I DID know how to properly slow down. My issues was when I was drift fishing and got hit with big waves from passing cruisers.

I solved the issue by building a "splash guard" (my terminology) out of 1 1/2" oak, with the edges rimmed with polished aluminum to make it look nice. It basically filled the recess where the motor was mounted, and was cut out around the motor to allow full steering. After that i might have gotten a few drops, but not enough to even have to mop it up.

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I just repowered my 1972 13 sport, went with a Honda 40 power trim@tilt. used a transom adapter from 15'' to 20'' from a company in mass. nice heavy aluminum molded plate that really stiffened up the transom very nicely. I do a good amount of watersports with the boat so I went with the 40, if I was just driving around the lake I think the 30 would be just fine. with the adapter plate I have less backwash but anyone who has driven a 13 just knows how to come off plane. no regrets on my setup. top speed I would say is 35mph

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13s are extraordinarily sensitive to excess engine weight. Hanging a bloated 30-40hp 4-stroke off the back of one is a recipe for an underperforming combo compared to other similarly sized and powered boats. I would strongly encourage you to consider a 25 hp Etec. It's light weight and "torquie" power profile will make for a package that is lite, easy to handle, and nimbly responsive. You can certainly pay more money and toss more hp on a 13, but once you start exceeding the recommended engine weight the gains really drop off and the boat just doesn't ride as well.

Edit: Sorry, I didn't see you already purchased an 40 Merc. Best of luck to you.

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oh, forgot 1 other thing. 13' whalers that are older have rounded transoms and the new motors that are going on them have a wide , flat mounting bracket. if you bolt the motor to the back of the transom without shims you will bend the bracket and kink the steering tube. I have seen some people use 1/2 flat washers and some use an angled wedge washer . the pressure points with these washers just dig a big hole in your transom and don't really give good support. I made 2 wedges out of pressure treated plywood that taper from 1/2'' to 0 in 5'' wide and about 12'' long. put them on the transom and bolt your motor on and trace out the outline of the bracket and trim them. the original set were mahogany and lasted a long time. when you are going to do a repower give some thought to this

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FYI- the ETEC 20" 25hp is 177 lbs: the Suzuki 30hp 4 stroke 20" is 158lbs. More HP/less weight.