Best 40 horse for tiller

[bwanadon]

HI Guys

I just picked up a 16 foot Starcraft which I’m converting into a tiller. Looking for a 40 horse to put on it.

Here’s the criteria for me:
A) Cheap
B) Reliable
C) Easy to work on
D) Easy to get parts
E) Tiller

Thought about an old Big Twin but I’m open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance
Don

[westwind]

Sounds like a big twin to me. Easier to find an older Big Twin with a tiller, 30 or 35hp. Probably lots for a 16ft.

[RICHARD A. WHITE]

Only one choice….Evinrude BIG FOUR 🙂

http://www.richardsoutboardtools.com
classicomctools@gmail.com

[chris-p]

quote Richard A. White:

Only one choice….Evinrude BIG FOUR 🙂

Love my Big Four as much as the next guy, but LIFTING the damn thing from one place to another is ridiculous! lol

[RICHARD A. WHITE]

Yeah, but it is a BIG Four so……….

http://www.richardsoutboardtools.com
classicomctools@gmail.com

[frankr]

A) Cheap
B) Reliable
C) Easy to work on
D) Easy to get parts
E) Tiller

Gotta be an Evinrude, Johnson, or Gale. If it has to be a 40, then the years produced were 1960-75. If you want to stick to the criteria, avoid the Electric Shift models. BTW, don’t ignore the Gale models for pure no nonsense simplicity (A, B, C, D, & E)

[bwanadon]

I keep tripping over electric shift models. Are they really that bad?

I’ve never seen a Big Four on CL. They are 50 hp? I may be 2-3 miles out on Lake St. Clair, I need 30 mph (min) and something that starts every time.

I’ll add Gale to the list. Thanks all.

[bwanadon]

I picked 40 because it’s the biggest tiller in big twin (I think). Don’t want a new expensive motor. So I figured a cheap old outboard would be the ticket. Not married to 40 hp, just need a tiller that will push the 16 foot ALUMINUM boat a minimum of 30 mph.

Don

[gdcarpenter]

My 1959 Merc Mark35A, 4 cyl/35 hp. pushes my 800 lb. homemade wooden boat 30 mph. and the engine weighs about 130 lb.

[frankr]

quote BwanaDon:

I keep tripping over electric shift models. Are they really that bad?.

No, they aren’t bad at all. In fact, I like them. They far outsold the manual shifts when new. The problem is parts are $$$$ and some are hard to find. Example: The shift switch in the remote control is about $400 if you can find one. Voltage regulator $100+. The shift wire going down to the lower unit is also NLA. (Besides, you said you want a tiller)

[Author]

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