Found one and bought it....Want to buy--18ft pontoon with 20 or 25 horse 4 stroke...not a project boat

[yowoodchuck]

In my quest to get down to 3 boats, I'm looking to buy a 16 to 18 foot clean pontoon boat with a 20 to 30 horse 4-stroke suitable for cocktail cruising and bass fishing on a 350 acre lake. I would not like a project boat, but a ready to go  boat.  I have a 24 volt trolling motor for it.  Need trailer also  Will pay fair price in cash and bonus smoked salmon.  Thanks in advance for any good leads.

[fishinwrench]

19 hours ago, yowoodchuck said:

with a 20 to 30 horse 4-stroke

It is amazing to me how this 4-stroke campaign has worked.   People have just been totally convinced that a 4-stroke is the best option.   

They have no understanding of mechanics at all....but yet that little tidbit of intel is so solidly concreted into their brains that nothing will change their minds.   

4-stroke=GOOD......2-stroke=BAD......yet nobody can explain WHY.   

You'll hear:.   "Because it's clean/green", or "because it's quiet".    But IS IT?  And if so, then WHY?    And even if the above is proven to be true, and is BECAUSE of the 4-stroke design.....Is that what TRULY MATTERS to the consumer?    Over and above all else?  

As a student of psychology I'm just really interested in how "they" did that????     And it makes me wonder how many other things in life have been implanted in the brains of the masses, so effectively.    There are some wicked good marketing geniuses out there, and if any of us could become one of them... we could be filthy rich almost overnight. 

If I possessed those powers I could sell every dandelion and blade of grass on MY OWN yard for 1000.00 apiece.....and it couldn't be from just anybody else's yard either.   It would have to be a Dandelion from MY specific property.       

[Ryan Miloshewski]

11 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

It is amazing to me how this 4-stroke campaign has worked.   People have just been totally convinced that a 4-stroke is the best option.   

They have no understanding of mechanics at all....but yet that little tidbit of intel is so solidly concreted into their brains that nothing will change their minds.   

4-stroke=GOOD......2-stroke=BAD......yet nobody can explain WHY.   

You'll hear:.   "Because it's clean/green", or "because it's quiet".    But IS IT?  And if so, then WHY?    And even if the above is proven to be true, and is BECAUSE of the 4-stroke design.....Is that what TRULY MATTERS to the consumer?    Over and above all else?  

As a student of psychology I'm just really interested in how "they" did that????     And it makes me wonder how many other things in life have been implanted in the brains of the masses, so effectively.    There are some wicked good marketing geniuses out there, and if any of us could become one of them... we could be filthy rich almost overnight. 

If I possessed those powers I could sell every dandelion and blade of grass on MY OWN yard for 1000.00 apiece.....and it couldn't be from just anybody else's yard either.   It would have to be a Dandelion from MY specific property.       

We use a lot of older 2-strokes duck hunting. Those things are workhorses and tanks. Most of the issues we encounter we can fix very easily, and for cheap. And the smell of 1980s 2-stroke firing up at 4:30 am in the cold air is a smell I'll love forever. Mmmmm

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

Everyone wants that quiet outboard, but go to the ramp and look how many guys have loud exhaust on their daily driven trucks.  No one wants to mess with mixing oil on a 2 stroke but half those guys mix up all kinds of ethonal and injector cleaning potions at every fill up

[fishinwrench]

33 minutes ago, aarchdale@coresleep.com said:

Everyone wants that quiet outboard

If you think a 4-stroke outboard is "quiet"......just let it get a few years out of warranty, and it gets REALLY QUIET! 

Nothing is quieter than a motor that won't run, and can't be fixed.   

 

[Deadstream]

I wont sell my 9.9 E  1964 model . 2stroke rocker. The motor and boat  12.6 semi V.  Fishing with granddad in Canada just before I went in Army, day Elvis died was sad.  Beans,taters and fish in the Airstream.  Rocky Island Lake.  

[MrGiggles]

2 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

It is amazing to me how this 4-stroke campaign has worked.   People have just been totally convinced that a 4-stroke is the best option.   

They have no understanding of mechanics at all....but yet that little tidbit of intel is so solidly concreted into their brains that nothing will change their minds.   

4-stroke=GOOD......2-stroke=BAD......yet nobody can explain WHY.   

You'll hear:.   "Because it's clean/green", or "because it's quiet".    But IS IT?  And if so, then WHY?    And even if the above is proven to be true, and is BECAUSE of the 4-stroke design.....Is that what TRULY MATTERS to the consumer?    Over and above all else?  

As a student of psychology I'm just really interested in how "they" did that????     And it makes me wonder how many other things in life have been implanted in the brains of the masses, so effectively.    There are some wicked good marketing geniuses out there, and if any of us could become one of them... we could be filthy rich almost overnight. 

If I possessed those powers I could sell every dandelion and blade of grass on MY OWN yard for 1000.00 apiece.....and it couldn't be from just anybody else's yard either.   It would have to be a Dandelion from MY specific property.       

I think it carried over from other outdoor power equipment. Poor idle, high fuel consumption, they stink/smoke/vibrate, have to mix gas, and have a tendency to toast top ends. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. 

[Terrierman]

5 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

It is amazing to me how this 4-stroke campaign has worked.   People have just been totally convinced that a 4-stroke is the best option.   

They have no understanding of mechanics at all....but yet that little tidbit of intel is so solidly concreted into their brains that nothing will change their minds.   

4-stroke=GOOD......2-stroke=BAD......yet nobody can explain WHY.   

You'll hear:.   "Because it's clean/green", or "because it's quiet".    But IS IT?  And if so, then WHY?    And even if the above is proven to be true, and is BECAUSE of the 4-stroke design.....Is that what TRULY MATTERS to the consumer?    Over and above all else?  

As a student of psychology I'm just really interested in how "they" did that????     And it makes me wonder how many other things in life have been implanted in the brains of the masses, so effectively.    There are some wicked good marketing geniuses out there, and if any of us could become one of them... we could be filthy rich almost overnight. 

If I possessed those powers I could sell every dandelion and blade of grass on MY OWN yard for 1000.00 apiece.....and it couldn't be from just anybody else's yard either.   It would have to be a Dandelion from MY specific property.       

I had great experience with Yamaha Pro 50 2 stroke and still have Yamaha 9.9 that's great too.  Why lawnmowers get along great with 4 strokes and 2 stroke Lawn boy is not worth having is a question that I am sure wrench will fill us in on,

Going back in time to the late 1970's, one of my duck hunting buddies had a 9.9 merc that if it ever started everybody around wanted to know what's that noise.  Same time I had a newish 9.9 evinrude that was always a three pull first start and then one pull the rest of the day.  Later I had an even older 6 HP johnson on my duck boat that was a never fail unit too, except for that one time we cracked the fuel line connector at the motor.  Had to pump that bulb to keep it running then.😵  Which was no problem except for that one time during a gale on that one lake up in North Dakota when I died.  Or at least thought we all might.

[yowoodchuck]

Fishinwrench--I get it.  My current multispieces fishing boat has a 70 horse Johnson that is truly bulletproof (it does eat gas though).  BUT as a slow power troller from way back, I get tired of inhaling the smoke.  However at 33 years old--it will still start and run all day.  Like all things built in America 30 or so years ago, it is built with good steel, good castings, precise gear machining, and all that stuff.  I really just want a 20-25 horse yamaha 4 stroke for my lake boat-which will never go to Canada or Stockton-- to slow cruise with cocktails.  I've even thought of an electric motor--but have no real power at my dock, which is 900 yards away from real available AC power, and the hill is covered in rocky soil...so no easy trenching.  In many areas, people still covet those 2-stroke Yamahas for the weight/power ratio and easy repair...and the smaller 2-stroke are also preferred by the sailboaters.

All that said, who do you think is making the best 4 stroke 20-30 horse engines now?  Will they last?  Will anything last longer than I will?🌼🌼🌼

We could get all existential on this.

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, Terrierman said:

Why lawnmowers get along great with 4 strokes and 2 stroke Lawn boy is not worth having is a question that I am sure wrench will fill us in on,

Those 2-stroke Lawnboys were the quietest mower ever, though, weren't they?     Figure that one out. 🤔 

And light as a feather in comparison to any Briggs & Stratton unit.....which is the reason why so many folks loved them.   

When it comes to mowers, I've always had clunky old 4-strokes.   Only my candy-assed neighbors that belonged to the "Country club" had Lawnboys.  😅