Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

So we've had the boat just a couple months. This is a budget boat. Right now, all in, I have about $3500 invested in boat, motor, and trailer. Wife and I were talking while out fishing today..... and not catching...so more time for talking.... and she said, "you want a new console? How much are they?"
I said, "about $250"
And she said, " order it... happy birthday"
That started a discussion about what would make the boat better. She said she needs a toilet! I think it would be easy enough to get a portable, and rig a little privacy "room" from the Bimini frame.
I also have to replace the transom. Looks like a sandwich of marine plywood. If I wanted to replace it with aluminum plate, would half inch plate be ok? Boat's only rated for a 50hp max. And currently has 30hp 2-stroke Nissan that's over 20 years old.
I was thinking of trying to get a 40hp Tohatsu 4-stroke. Quieter, and not 20 years old. I think I can do it for about 5 grand with controls.

The boat's been in the water about 2 months. The toons do not appear to be leaking at all. The deck is in decent shape. The seating is kind of a mix and match, but that really doesn't bother us.

So... aluminum for transom? And... worth spending the money for a new motor?

You are gonna have some folks that always want more motor-
I have a merc 50 and for what we use the boat for this is enough-
I have a radar app on my phone so a storm is not going to sneak up on me that I would have to get off of the water fast.
Honestly if the motor is dependable why upgrade unless you just want to?
My boat is a fun boat that we can fish out of, its not something I show off in-
Get what you want and upgrade as can-
But really enjoy not making those monthly payments-

Regarding the motor, I kinda agree so I'm waffling on that one. We do most of our cruising around on the Erie canal. Well... all of our cruising around so far. Haven't had it out on the Niagara River yet. That's a bit more current and tends to get pretty choppy with all the boat traffic. So... back to the canal...

In areas where there are docks and/or developed property (peoples' houses) the speed limit is 6mph (no wake). Other areas the speed limit is 10mph. If I throttle up to max, my top speed by GPS is like 12 or 13mph. Lock 35 is about an hour and 15 minutes or so to the east. The river is about an hour and 20 minutes to the west. When we're cruising to one of those, it's hard to have a conversation...heheh... so if a 4-stroke is really a lot quieter than a 2-stroke, then that alone is a pretty nice plus for a motor swap. I have no delusions about an increase from 30hp to 40hp giving me any kind of rocketing speed improvement, but would a slightly larger motor, at slightly lower throttle, use less gas than the 30hp? And then there's reliability... if we start traversing the locks and venturing farther from home, will a 20+ year old motor have as good a chance of bring us back home as a new motor? I'll know more when I take it apart after pulling the boat out to winterize it. I have no idea when the last time the impeller was changed and changing the gear oil will let me know if there are any issues with seals.
Oh! And not having to mix gas and oil would be a plus as well!

Console.... because when I got into straightening out the wiring, I saw the console is starting to deteriorate. The vinyl covering is kinda bad, but more importantly, the wood structure has some bad spots that, in order to repair I'd have to take it all apart. 2 schools of thought here... one is to simply replace it with one from pontoonstuff. The other is ... as long as I gotta replace the transom anyways... get a sheet of marine plywood, sandwich some for transom, use the rest to build a new console. Along with some other wood... (I'm a wood worker since I retired so... have all the tools and any additional wood I'd need). The console is always covered so it's not like it takes a weather beating.

Potty... is simply a necessity. we can't spend hours and hours on the boat and expect to enjoy an occasional beverage if there's no way to empty bladder. I can pee in bottle. Wife can't. So in order for HER to enjoy the boat (very important) she needs to be comfortable and not feel like her bladder's going to explode between stops. Doesn't need to be complex. But needs to work for her. The little 3 gallon portables are well under $100. A bucket with a lid considerably less. I even talked to one guy who used a bucket with kitty litter in it. Instead of having to shlep a portable to a bathroom to empty it, he bagged the kitty litter and trashed it.

So... lotta thinking... but I've got time. No need to rush decisions.

And.... just found this within an hour's drive...

Brand new (boxed ...this year's model)) Tohatsu, 40hp, 4-stroke. Power trim and tilt, WITH controls (whatever length cables I need),with 5 year warranty, from an authorized dealer.

$4600

I don't even know if that is a good deal. From everything I can find, it looks like it's not much above dealer cost.

Anyone know if this is a decent price?

For toilet you can purchase a curtain that makes a little privacy room and add a porta pottie. Check out pontoon stuff.com I think they will have what u r looking for.

Tohatsu builts quite a few of the other manufactures smaller 4 strokes, good engines. As far as the transom good old 3/4" marine grade doubled up for 1.5" is plenty for for a 40hp, I've seen double 3/4 used on up to 115hp rated boats and triple 3/4 up to 150. I'd just use some titebond 3 glue between the two sheets to laminate them and your good to go for many years.