Small Outboard options

Bought a 14′ boat as a secondary option for small lakes with marginal/no ramps and am looking to get a little bigger outboard (tiller) for it. A run of over a mile on the water would be very rare. It’s an 80’s Lund and is rated for a 30 hp, I’m thinking a 20 would be plenty and is in a nice range for price (~3k). Power trim would be nice but looks like you kinda need to go up to a 25 to start getting into that (although I’m guessing there would be aftermarket options for a smaller outboard), plus it also adds over a grand. I’ve read a little about porpoising issues being common on smaller boats – I guess my question is how much will I potentially regret just getting a motor with tilt, not trim? Other things I should consider? Fwiw, I’ve been using the onlineoutboards site as my shopping guide.

I would review the weight of any motor in review. A 80’s boat was generally designed for the weight of a 2 stroke engine hanging on the transom. Hanging a heavier motor on the transom can lead to bow lift which affects steering in a bad way.

I bought a 1970 14″ Lund a while back. It had an ’87, 2 stroke, 30 HP Evinrude on it that was heavy!
I had a 4 HP, 4 stroke Suzuki that I used on a flat bottom. It was ok if you weren’t in a hurry. Not fast enough to make a wake though.

I didn’t want to mess with mixed gas so traded the 2 stroke 30 HP for a 20 HP, 4 stroke Yamaha. No power tilt or trim. Power tilt would have been nice but power trim wasn’t needed. The bow did ride a little high with only me in the back end so I threw in 100 lbs of weight under the deck in front to hold it down.

IMO, you won’t need power trim for those shorter rides.

We run a 14 lund at the cabin and have had a Suzuki 20HP four stroke on the back sInce 2015 (when the motor was brand new). I have nothing to but great things to say about Suzuki outboards. It’s light and extremely quiet, no power trim needed. Runs great and for that size boat, trolls down really nice for pulling cranks (about 1.25-1.5 MPH at its slowest)

ThunderLund78 wrote:

We run a 14 lund at the cabin and have had a Suzuki 20HP for stroke on the back sInce 2015 (when the motor was brand new). I have nothing to but great things to say about Suzuki outboards. It’s light and extremely quiet, no power trim needed. Runs great and for that size boat, trolls down really nice for pulling cranks (about 1.25-1.5 MPH at its slowest)

Thanks, I was probably going to go the Suzy route.

Trim isn’t a big deal imo, it’s nice but not something you are using multiple times every time out. Electric start would be much nicer imo. 9.9 and 15 hp engines pushed those old Lunds around for decades, we have a 15 HP ‘Rude on the old 16’ Lund and that’s plenty but I definitely agree with the IDO mantra if some is good, more is better!

Got a newer 20hp Suzuki on my 14′, wouldn’t want anything more. Trolling motor never gets used, that thing just purrs and trolls down nicely. Tbh miss the 2stroke smell when I’m backtrolling tho

Managing the motor is no biggie. My dad’s 16′ w a 40 tends to purpouise but nothing crazy, don’t see it much on the 14, usually just adding some weight upfront fixes it

I did consider the 15 hp, I guess I figure if it ended up not getting up on plane very well I’d be kicking myself considering the 15 is about 2800 and the 20 is 3100 so the price difference is pretty minimal.

A 16 foot rebel with a 25 2 stroke is a real nice set up… No need for power trim. May take a trip or 2 to adjust the trim, but I imagine a 25 Zuke on a 14 foot lund with electric start would be plenty. I can get a 16 footer up on plane pretty quick and I go 270#. Add a 200 pound guy in and takes a bit longer but never had a thought of getting a bigger motor.

IMO the best small boat outboards made were the last gen of the 2 stroke Mercury 25 HP made from the mid 90s to about 2005. We troll with these outboards all day every day in Canada on 14 and 16 footers. Never do they stall. Electric start, shift on tiller handle, all great features.

And when it’s go time they push a 16 footer at 22-23 mph with 2 guys on board.

Also, the OMC 15 HP models from the beginning of solid state ignition to the end of OMC production were fantastic outboards. There will be OMC 9.9 and 15 HP models still running 50 years from now.

Message has been sent.

I’m looking to power my Alumacraft welded 1546. It will be a Suzuki or Yamaha. 20hp range. You guys that don’t run tilt. Are you mostly in deep water? My boat will spend most of its time in river backwaters or saltwater flats. And with worn-out shoulders, whatever I get will be electric start anyway.

Had the motor Grouse is talking about, believe the hype, great motor. My friend thought it was a 4 stroke when I fired it up and it purred. Also a 2 stroke Yami if you can find one (people tend to keep them) Good luck