Crappie brethren, which motor?
I'm shopping for a new bassboat right now. Depending on how I can get financed, I may be looking at a bigger used boat, but from initial talks I'll probably be looking more at new for better financing plus no worries about someone elses problems. I'm staying under 20k and if I go new right now it'll probably be a new Stratos 176 VLO. It's max rated for a 75hp and I'm between either going max with 75 Optimax, or a Yamaha F70. I'll sacrifice abit of torque and may not hit the 40mph mark with the f70, but with a jackplate I think it'll still suit my needs very well and I doubt a crappie can swim 40mph. Also I can save *Alot* of weight as in about 120lbs. And I'd imagine slightly better fuel mileage. Both motors have a good reputation and I'm a big optimax fan, but Yamaha tends to set the bar for reliability plus I have local dealer support for Yamaha since my dad works at a Yammie dealer. So your thoughts?