On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 23:00:34 -0500, wrote:

On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 20:59:02 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

I'm already pretty much set on a 4-stroke. What I said was in answer
to the suggestion I get max rating for the boat. The 19-footer I'm
looking at is rated 90hp. I'm thinking 50hp will cost less, suit my
needs, and use less gas. But I'm not sure about that.

My neighbor has a 50 merc 4 stroke on a 19(sumpin) Carolina Skiff. He
wishes he had the 90.

Speed alone? What I'll want to know is if the 50 will get me on plane
with the load I expect to carry. I'm never in a hurry anymore.
I'm sure I'd prefer the 90 too, but it will cost about $2000 more.
For a Honda, but I'm not sold on them. Don't know yet how the
Honda 3-venturi compares to say a Merc with EFI in fuel consumption
and maintenance. In any case the extra 2 g's for the 90 might be
better spent on electronics. I just don't know.
And depending on which 19' CS there can be quite a difference in hull
weight.
And maybe I'm missing the bigger picture about how important hp is.
And I'm getting ahead of myself anyway, since I have to look at some
other issues before I look at boats/motors.

It is about 100 lbs heavier tho. The 50 Honda
has the advantage that it is very light . I think it came in about
80-100 less than my 60 (and his 50). You can really verify these
weights on the various manufacturer web sites. It has been almost 5
years since I did the shopping.
I bought a grey market motor from a web merchant (ITG marine) It is
the back door of a big dealer near Richmond Va and I had no problems
with the local dealers, in spite of what they want to tell you. The
service department still wants your business.
Basically a grey market motor is sold at the "bundled" price you would
get if you bought a boat and motor togerther. If you are getting them
at the same time it is not an issue. It might be important if you
found a nice hull with a junk motor or no motor at all.
My previous motor (1989 75 Mariner) I bought as a boat motor trailer
and I just wanted the almost new motor for the boat I had. The hull
was pretty good but I didn''t want it and pretty much gave it away.
(traded for a PC). It is a possibility

Thanks. I'll be looking for the best deal I can find when I'm ready.
In the meantime, folks here may be interested in this, which I came
across doing some cursory googling. It's a Florida department of
Management Services site with contract prices for a variety of
outboards, and includes MSRP. Wish I could get that discount.
You can download the Complete Contract PDF or Word doc to serve as a
reference for MSRP if you're shopping, instead of jumping around the
web. Join the 2 lines.
http://dms.myflorida.com/business_op...r_information/
state_contracts_agreements_and_price_lists/state_term_contracts/boat_motors

--Vic