Newbe with a ton of pre buy questions.

[GregF]

If you are really going to be on a 1200 acre lake, you may want to ask how fast do you need to go? You may get tired of looking at 1.8 square miles if you are seeing the whole thing every 10 minutes

Bigger motors weigh more and use more gas, even if you are gong slow.

Something in the 60HP class will get you up the lake pretty well. I will agree you should go for the biggest HP in an engine family (block size).

[scfishnman]

Leaving a boat in the water all the time will result in crud building up on the hull which will reduce the speed and gas mileage. Depending upon the lake you are in, the amount of crud build up will vary. In the lake we used to keep our boat, the crud build up was not bad enough to really have a big impact on the performance of the boat. Regardless, if you are up to it, you can clean it in the water as suggested by earlier posts in this thread.

I have a 4-stroke Yamaha on my pontoon boat and a 2-stroke Evinrude Etec on my bass boat. Neither motor requires any maintenance during the boating season. I have the Yamaha serviced each winter. The Etec requires service once every 3 years according to the owner's manual. I am happy with both motors. For a pontoon boat, my preference would be a 4-stroke.

Over the years I have had several outboard motors (Mercury, Evinrude, Johnson, and Yamaha). The three Yamahas have been outstanding motors. The Mercury was ok as was the Johnson. One of the Evinrudes (built in Mexico) had a recurring problem with the carb. I think all of the new outboards are good products from what I have read and heard. If purchasing a used motor, I would avoid Force and old Evinrudes and Johnsons. Outboard Marine Corporation (the former owner of Johnson and Evinrude) went bankrupt because of the massive problems their motors had with the Ficht injection system. Having said that, the older Johnson and Evinrude SPL series (48 and 88 hp) motors seemed to be very reliable motors. I have a friend with a 48 hp Johnson that is still running strong after 20 years and many hours of use. I had an 88 hp Evinrude that ran forever too. On older Johnson and Evinrude engines with oil injection, there were issues and owners often disconnected the oil injection system. I would avoid one of those.

Very important with a used outboard is how it was maintained and how many hours on it. I realize, that information is hard to discover, but having a competent outboard mechanic examine the motor is probably worth the expense. If you cannot find such a person, look at the prop. (demage there is revealing of use and care), any exterior damage to the lower unit should raise a flag. Remove, the engine cowling - a clean motor with no visible water or oil leaks and no cracked lines or wires is what you want to see. The engine should look like new. Run the motor. Make sure it is cold (has not been run already to warm it up). Pump the gas line bulb to ensure there is gas to the engine and it should start easily and idle smoothly. a 2-stroke that does not idle well could have serious internal problems or just an improperly adjusted carb. Before buying it, I would want it fixed. Water should be squirting out of the "piss" tube. Put it in gear, forward and reverse, there will be a clunk but should not be any grinding sound (don't ease it into gear or you will get a grinding sound). The motor should run smoothly from idle to maximum RPM and should be shooting water out of the "piss" tube at all speeds. If you can, do a compression test on all cylinders. The reading should be about the same in all cylinders. If one or more vary much, stay away. Look at all of the grease fitings on the motor. There should be evidence of grease there, if not or if the grease is old and dried up the owner probably was not concerned with proper maintenance. Look for evidence of repainting of the motor inside the cowling and of the exterior. This could be evidence of cosmetic refinishing or of major component repair. Either way, it raises questions.