Best 40hp fishing motor

[RedDog]

I have a 40hp 1998 johnson that I try to troll a lot with. The motor runs fine but will not slow down enough to troll with without dieing. The power is fine and the gas milage is liveable. But no matter what I try, I can't get the motor to idel down and keep runing. Any ideas? or suggestions on what brand I should try to trade for. The motor would have to be in the 40hp range and be able to troll good.
THANKS FOR ANY HELP

[Troutbeck]

Red, is your 40 a 4 stroke? Also, what kind of boat.

When I bought my new rig last fall, I went with a 2 stroke motor--specifically to get slower trolling. In my particular setup (prop, motor, boat--all combined) it was a little slower troll than the four stroke.

Mine is a Lund Alaskan (18') with a 50 hp Mercury 2 stroke. I can get it down to just under 2 mph. I have a small electric for super slow speeds. Hope this helps.

Trout.

[VMS]

I have a 99 50hp Johnson, and it will troll down to 3mph just fine at idle.

What I would suggest you do before you rid yourself of that motor is get the carbs tuned and timing checked. If these are off by just a touch, it will not idle well.
If you already decided on ridding yourself of that motor, I would suggest any of the 4 stroke motors. I have a couple of friends who own 40 merc 4 strokes and they love them. Quiet as can be.
Weight will go up, but unless that is an issue, a 4 stroke sounds like what you would want...unless you'd rather spend less money and get a good kicker (which is really nice if your big motor quits and you need to get home).

Steve

[fishinfool6369]

hi red:

i have a 1995 40 hp merc 2 stroke, i am able to get down to about 1.5 mph on calm days, but when i go with the wind its does get a little too fast for me, but on calm days and against the wind i can get down to some good trolling speeds.

[Koldfront Kraig]

I had a 1996 40 Merc on my last boat.

It was a 2 stroke, four cylinder. Other than the smoke and the oil slick it left in the water, I loved it. It trolled down sweet! Many a times it ran for 6 to 8 hours straight, between running around and back trolling. Never had a problem with it either.

I think if I were looking for a 40 hp, I'd get a 4 stroke, fuel injected. From what I understand they troll down pretty good.

No smoke, no oil slick and great fuel economy.

[freyedknot]

sounds like your prop pitch may be high. i run a 40 hp 2 stroke on a 16.5 and get it down to 2mph .now with the happy troller on it it can almost stand still at idle.