Any thoughts on the best make of outboard?

I personally like the Yamaha 4 stroke. Yamaha was the first 4 stroke, and alot of the guys on Lake Erie are running the Yamaha 9.9 for auxiliary trolling motors and they swear by them. I hope this helps

Thank you!, and wellcome to the "Fire".

Whats your application, kicker, primary? 2 Stroke 4 stroke?
Most 4 strokes weigh around 115# to 130# depending on model,
Honda was the lightest around 102#,

I think Suzuki makes a new, late 2012 model that is under 100#.

Tohatsu makes Mercury, Nissan, and other power heads for a few company's. Very good motor. I had a 20 HP 4 stroke Tohatsu no issues. Currently own a 9.8 4 stroke Nissan motor made by Tohatsu 3 year transferable warranty.

I would buy one that you can have serviced locally and ask around or google paticular brand problems. People talk if they have problems.

The applician would be as the only motor on a fourteen foot boat. Trolling, and getting there.

A 20 would troll too fast, a 15 does work though.

That's very true. But in keeping to the absolute reverse of that, I want to plug the Boat Shop in Fairbanks for standing behind the stuff they sell even when it goes south. They were absolutely stellar with the warranty on my OMC Evinrude when BRP took over and refused to carry the warranties of the company they bought. Kurt and Randy are among the best in the business - a good thing for Alaskans.

If you are in Ontario Canada I think you can still buy 2 Strokes, I believe. 2 strokes are a lot lighter. Most 15 HP and 20 HP 4 strokes use the same power head so the weight is the same. Weight
is important if remove motor often or tilt it manually. IMHO

The Scott 21 foot Hudson bay canoe is about ideal for a 4 stroke
20 HP which is what I had my Tohatsu 20 HP on. One thing I do not like about the small 4 strokes is there weight!

Trolling in reverse will work, but I don't like that much.
Would tilting the motor slow the boat?

I,d get the 20 HP and throw out a bucket if it trolled to fast 20 HP and 15 exact same weight in most 4 strokes.

How 'bout a trolling plate? I have a 28 HP on my 14 1/2 foot boat with which I can troll down to a mile an hour.

Wabigoon,

I use a 20 HP Tohatsu on my freighter canoe. It trolls slow enough to catch lake trout, and is great on gas. Used 9 litres to go 32 miles with close to 1000 lb in the canoe.

Ted

I run a 25 hp 4 strokeYamaha on a 16 ft Lund SSV and it works great. Very little maintenance and great on gas. I had a 10 hp Honda 4stroke on a little 14 ft aluminum and it was under powered for the lakes I go on. A buddy has a 12.5' Zodiac with a 20 hp Yamaha 4 stroke that works great aside from the weight when we take it on and off the boat. I don't think you can go wrong with either Yamaha or Honda motors. Pick the one that you can 1) get the best deal on and 2) get serviced locally by a dealer with a good reputation.

I have zero experience with Tohatsu, but if Yukoner trusts them to carry him through the areas he's in, I wouldn't hesitate provided I could cover the two points above. I fish a lot of remote lakes in Northern Saskatchewan and need to have reliable equipment. Everyone I see fishing up north has either Honda or Yamaha.

SS