F200/F175 or smaller?

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by Terry England

. . . So wake up and smell the Double Expresso Caramel Micchiato with a splash of Creme de Mint and quit asking for black coffee. . .

You have a good point Terry - I used to put more stuff in my coffee but switched to black coffee a couple years ago just because it was simpler and less hassle! Somebody's avatar on here says "Life's too short to own an ugly boat"! I don't drink cheap whiskey and the same rationale should probably apply to other stuff as well - no point in ending up as the richest guy in the graveyard! Maybe I'll even go ahead and cash in that annuity I've been thinking about!

verch - If I lived where you did and ran in flat water all the time, I'd probably be looking for more power and speed too! You're definitely on the right track by trying to keep everything light, but if you want 5-8 mpg @ 35 mph in a 2000#+ deep-V hull, I'm afraid you're gonna be disappointed with any modern motor, even if it's on a SeaCraft! No Bones 20 CC will run about 65 with that souped up "200" 2-S Merc and I'm sure it'll cruise at better than 35, but I bet he'll burn a tad more than 6 gph doing it! Your best bet might be to just go ahead and buy whatever you think will have the best resale value a couple years down the road, and then keep an eye on the G-2 E-TEC! Weight looks kinda high but also includes hydraulic steering and a 2 gal oil tank, so hard to do apples to apples weight comparisons. They're claiming 15% better mpg than existing 4-strokes, so by the time they get done slicing and dicing that new 3.4L 300 hp V-6 into I-2's, I-3's, and V-4's a few years from now, like they did with the current 2.6L V-6, they might have about what you want! A 150 hp I-3 or a 200 hp V-4 would most certainly be lighter than anything currently on the market! Denny