On Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:20:17 -0700, Jim wrote:

I have a 2 stroke 18 horse Nissan on my inflatable. If I didn't own
this thing it's the outboard I'd think I wanted. 18 horses, only 80 pounds.

I want to buy a new 4 stroke, but the additional weight has me concerned.

Any recommendations on what I should look at to replace my noisy 2
stroke? Weight is a concern because it gets dragged up on the beach,
and taken out of the water every night.

18 horse and 80 pounds is about as good as it gets. I have an old 15
horse Merc 2 stroke that weighs 95 lbs. I could manage it but was a
struggle, and every move had to be planned in advance.

Your biggest issue other than weight is going to be low end torque.
The 4 strokes just don't have it. I replaced the 15 Merc with a
Honda BF-20 4 stroke just to get a newer motor and a bit more power.
The Honda struggled to get on plane until I got a lower pitched prop
and a Doel-Fin whale tail gizmo. It is also 40 pounds heavier and can
only be lifted with a hoist.