I tried the 2-HP Evinrude this past Saturday and it ran well, very well. Problem is, like many, I want and need more power and speed. At WOT, with me (170-lbs), my son (25 lbs) and my brother (255 lbs), the boat cruised at around 4-5 MPH no problem, maybe 6 MPH at WOT with no one else in the boat, I should have brought my GPS.
I decided a few things had to change, here they are/were;
1. I need more speed. I want to go faster and in case anything should ever come up, want to get home faster if need be. I know that part of the fun is the trip but slow can be too slow and while the little bay I'm in is a no-wake zone, I know that the wake of this small rowboat will be much smaller than it will be with the bigger displacement boats in the bay. I will like having reserve power with the 6-HP.
2. I like the 4-stoke idea. I will like the no-smoke, I will like the no sound as the 6-HP Mercury is touted as being the quietest in its class along with the smoothness.
3. I like being able to put a remote tank on the engine and not have to rely on the onboard tank and carrying a small 1 gallon jug. This way if we ever want to fly to my sisters house 3.5 miles by water, we can, easily.
4. I will enjoy NOT having the direct-drive to the prop and the F-N-R on the handle. I didn't like the idea of the prop always spinning while the motor was running. I know that there is always the danger with the propeller spinning but I like having Neutral as an option as well as the throttle on the handle of the motor.
5. Brand new is nice. This is one of those things I can let the kids use when they get older and they can go out and have fun on. Maybe have them start with the 2-HP first, then they can graduate to the 6-HP. I can imagine in the future, my boy or girl will have friends come down and they'll take them out and have a good time wherever they decide to go, safely of course.
6. $900 for a brand new 2011 6-HP Merc is a great price. I could not belive it when I saw the Craigslist ad then looked up how much new 6-HP motors go for, from $1,530-1,700+ delivered. The story goes is the husband was at a West Marine and was selling all these 4, 6, 8 and 9.9 motors and is now selling them at a very, very small profit. My Dad and brother will be going to pick the motor up for me tomorrow so I have not taken delivery of it yet but if things are on the up and up, which it seems like it will be as the woman/wife on the phone sounded very legit, I'll be happy this Friday when I get to try the motor out for the first time.
It even comes with a propeller.
I decided a few things had to change, here they are/were;
1. I need more speed. I want to go faster and in case anything should ever come up, want to get home faster if need be. I know that part of the fun is the trip but slow can be too slow and while the little bay I'm in is a no-wake zone, I know that the wake of this small rowboat will be much smaller than it will be with the bigger displacement boats in the bay. I will like having reserve power with the 6-HP.
2. I like the 4-stoke idea. I will like the no-smoke, I will like the no sound as the 6-HP Mercury is touted as being the quietest in its class along with the smoothness.
3. I like being able to put a remote tank on the engine and not have to rely on the onboard tank and carrying a small 1 gallon jug. This way if we ever want to fly to my sisters house 3.5 miles by water, we can, easily.
4. I will enjoy NOT having the direct-drive to the prop and the F-N-R on the handle. I didn't like the idea of the prop always spinning while the motor was running. I know that there is always the danger with the propeller spinning but I like having Neutral as an option as well as the throttle on the handle of the motor.
5. Brand new is nice. This is one of those things I can let the kids use when they get older and they can go out and have fun on. Maybe have them start with the 2-HP first, then they can graduate to the 6-HP. I can imagine in the future, my boy or girl will have friends come down and they'll take them out and have a good time wherever they decide to go, safely of course.
6. $900 for a brand new 2011 6-HP Merc is a great price. I could not belive it when I saw the Craigslist ad then looked up how much new 6-HP motors go for, from $1,530-1,700+ delivered. The story goes is the husband was at a West Marine and was selling all these 4, 6, 8 and 9.9 motors and is now selling them at a very, very small profit. My Dad and brother will be going to pick the motor up for me tomorrow so I have not taken delivery of it yet but if things are on the up and up, which it seems like it will be as the woman/wife on the phone sounded very legit, I'll be happy this Friday when I get to try the motor out for the first time.
It even comes with a propeller.