Here is my situation. When I purchased my 18 it came with a well worn and questionable 1984 50 horse Evinrude. The second time out it lunched a head gasket. Seafair was a week away so thru a friend of a friend I bought a clean similar vintage 70. It has been a PIA has never run right. I have put a ton of money and time into it and am just about done! I am just about ready to bite the bullet and buy a new motor. I Love the idea of the new E-tecs but reality is the 18 is a 2 yr boat till I can move to a 22 or 25. I think that the average buyer will be more in tune with a 4 stroke Yamaha. The one good run I got on the 50 seemed adequate with 4 people and minimum gear onboard. I've yet to get a full power run on the 70 so don't have a point of comparison. My hull is rated for a 70 hp max. My question is should I look at a 75 or a high thrust 60. In addition to the price diff I'm looking at about 130# diff between the 2. I did note that trim tabs are a must and will be putting them on very soon. Please!!!! all input is welcomed. If I'm going to spend the bucks I want to do it right but also don't want to go into overkill if it's not needed.
Norm
Norm