Which outboard to buy... Merc or Honda for trolling.

[Adam]

Guys, I need help... I'm going to put a four stroke on my Lund Angler 1650. Should I go with the Merc 50EFI or the Honda? My question is which one will go the slowest the smoothest for trolling. Can I get either one down to 1mph without a trolling plate with that size boat? Merc definately has the advantage with the fuel injection and the Honda is a Merc lower unit anyway. I appreciate any input.

Adam.

[Pat]

I have a Lund Angler 1700 SS with a Honda 75 on it and have been very happy with it's trolling performance. The four-stroke is the only way to go in my experience.

[Cougar Guy]

I had the opportunity to run the Merc on a 16 foot boat a couple years back . . . I think it weighed in at around 800-1000 pounds. Anyway, I'm not sure of the exact speed that it went at its slowest, but it was over 1 mph (just based on comparing the speed with our regular boat which can go that slow with our kicker). I'm not sure if a different prop or something like that would have helped.

In any event, it was a VERY smooth engine. Very quiet, no smoke or smell to speak of and ran fairly strong. I'm thinking of a 16 Alaskan and my choice is between it and a Yamaha 4 stroke. Honda makes great engines as well but I've never ran one in the 50hp range.

[steve fellegy]

You gotta have a Lund with a black outboard on it!

Steve fellegy
#49

[steven]

Steve,

while myself and others surely value your insight on this board, is there any instance where you don't recommend a Merc. motor? While I too love Merc's, I highly doubt they are the best choice in every single application.