1969 20' engine choice

[Yamtt125]

I have been thinking about this same question for some time now, and this is what I came up with...

Alot of people here have suzuki 140's on their 20's, but the suzuki 140 is closer to a 115 b/c it used the same block.
The evinrude etec 115 i'd say would have about the same power as the suzuki 140. believe the prices of the two would be similar also.
I don't know anything about the merc opti's, but i have heard good things.
My personal engine of choice i think would be a honda 135. The 135 is based on the block of the 150 and is still only a four cylender, so your get the fuel efficiency of a smaller engine, but the power of a bigger one....

Ok..enough rambling. This is just my 2 cents.

[VirginIslander]

Some things to look at when deciding on an engine size that are not usually brought up, are gearcase size and overall weight.

Some smaller block motors share the same gearcase size with their larger cousins, but with a numerically higher ratio. This lets them use the same props, but puts the RPM range significantly higher for an equivalent speed. This can make the predicted fuel savings of the smaller motor dissappear.

Other times, the smaller HP motor is on the same block as it's larger cousins, and so weighs the same, just has less power.

Best overall results usually come with the most power in a given sized block selection. That configuration has everything working in it's most efficient combination.

I have an 18SF with an Eagle series (60 degree V6 block) Ocean Pro 150. It's nice in that it's about 75# lighter than the 90 degree V6 blocks (200 and 225 hp). It runs low 40's (wot) on GPS and has it's sweet spot around 3000rpm.

I can't imagine putting any less power on a boat any bigger.



Darlene