All good points being made here. If the wieght maximum you have in mind is
clear to you then go with a smaller four stroke. I have found it difficult
to move much more than fifty or sixty pounds of bulky motor around so would
tend to go with a smaller motor than a lot of folks might choose. The other
thing is that the four strokes make power at a lower RPM so may be best on
fuel economy over the long run. The gear ratio is perhaps not as large an
issue as it was when almost all of the motors were two strokes that needed
the higher RPM's to get you going. The propeller's pitch can give you some
of the pushing power that the old gear ratio change would give. If you
don't have enough umph move down a couple of inches in pitch and gain power
earlier in the curve. The four strokes definitely handle this change very
well.

Best;
Chris


"Bruce" wrote in message
...
I need to buy an outboard for my San Juan 21 and not quite sure about how
big to go. I would like a 4 stroke and I am thinking that about 5 HP
would
be a good size. Any comments about the different brands would be
appreciated.
Also, do I really need a "long shaft" motor. With the motor mount
currently
on the boat, it seems to me that any motor would easily bury the prop.

Regards,
Bruce