Hi, and welcome to the Pub. That 2 vs. 1 question has become almost the
chicken-or-egg-first type discussion on here. Truth is, there is no "best" answer. What it all boils down to is what makes you happiest to have hanging on the back of your boat. But it is not a trivial question by any means. Whatever you hang back there will cost you plenty.
Your best bet right off the bat is to go to the Outboards and Systems forum on the site (
right here) and look through the three pages of topics. Several of them address your dilemma directly, and others will add a lot of insight. And you'll probably even have fun doing it, once you see that we are truly not trying to confuse you.
You should also be able to find some talk about the counter-rotating prop question. I don't think that any of the manufacturers offer that in the smaller hp (< 100) outboards. I do recall seeing some discussion somewhere on here about why it wouldn't even be much of an advantage on the C-Dory.
You'll also find lots of folks willing to offer new or rephrased ideas. And you will most certainly hear from those who insist that their choice (usually the brand rather than the quantity) is the only sensible one. Sadly, you might even find a very few individuals who swear up and down that the choice they made is the absolute worst. But, after listening to us all and reading everything already posted, you will find a bunch of info to guide you. And it really will begin to make sense after a while.
Best of luck to you. And be sure and stick around and tell us how it all worked out.
Thanks for signing up!
Mike
