Quote:
Originally Posted by infanterene
I am all over the place, my head hurts. All I know is that the boat felt perfect they way it was. I dont mind loosing some top speed but I do want to be be able to cruise at 30-35 mph.
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Well, I think a 90 or 100 would do >35 WOTon your 18 footer. Well tuned, maybe 40 MPH. And about 35-37 WOT on a 20. Mine is 33-34 MPH at WOT, because I drag a big wing thru the water to lower the minimum planing speed, because I have a 4 stroke kicker and a 4 stroke main on the stern. I do fish offshore in the rougher stuff a bit.
My 4 stroke Yamaha F100 is probably quieter (and happy there) at 5500RPM than a lot of the bigger older 2 strokes at cruise. And the 5-6MPG is a bonus.
I think anywhere from 90 to a light 115 is your sweet spot. Watch out, there are heavy 115 outboards out there. So do your homework.
If I had your 18, I might try a 70 hp if it was lighter than a 90 so I could take advantage of it. But that not be a good motor for a Florida bay boat.