Prof T

Awesome. Lucky to live where we live with the variety of opportunities we have.

Captain H, Thanks for taking the time to write an informative review of what took you months to learn. Gene

Finally did it and will offer my initial reactions. Replaced mid 80’s90 Evinrude 2 stroke with 90 Merc Command Thrust on a 19.5 ft Sea Nymph w/ 7 ft beam. Engine weighs about 375 lbs wet vs 300 for the old motor. Boat doesn’t squat too much while at rest w/ splash well drain holes easily 2†above water line. (I still have my 9.9 kicker on w/ a 6 gal. fuel can also). Although still breaking in, it appears top end will be about 37 mph…more than I need and a little quicker than the old gal. Hole shot seems respectable as well. Have not run with a full load of people yet. Command Thrust: Puts a lower unit from 150 on the 90. Give you a bigger rudder for trolling stability, about a 10% lower gear ratio and the ability to swing a larger diameter prop. Troll Control: Engine’s natural idle is at 700 rpm. Troll control give you digital control through the smartcraft tachometer gauge of engine rpm from 550 to 1000 in 10 rpm increments. Fished the other night. Started in a rather slack area, slight current and a mild head wind. Set rpms to 570 – 590 to maintain 1.1 to 1.3 mph SOG. Seems as though I will able to keep my speeds low enough for walleye troll, definitely better than I could do without the troll control. Moved to higher current area which is more commonly where I fish here on the SLR. Needed about 750 – 780 to maintain. Very easy adjustment. Once set watch gps speed, add or subtract rpms by 10’s to achieve desired speed. Fish on. Shifter to neutral. Land fish. Shifter back in gear. Turn troll control back on. RETURNS TO PREVIOUS SPEED SETTING. So far, one limit of walleyes, no lures lost and a motor that operates as advertised. Two issues to be addressed though. First, the motor came through without a steering trim tab under the cavitation plate, just a flat anode. Definitely pulls hard unless perfectly trimmed. Dealer is getting one. Second one not as easily corrected. Troll control is operated through push buttons on Smartcraft Tachometer. Be sure it gets installed where it is easily accessible. Mine ended up on the right side of the steering wheel. Although it’s big, getting at it unless seated at the helm is a pain. Disclaimer: I’m not trying to promote a brand of motor or dealer…I just did a lot of research and found a system that I think fits my way of fishing. Hope I answered someone else’s questions.

Thanks for the offer, Perry. I've gotten away from boards and don't bow hunt. It did make me look at your boat video. Slick design...hope it's catching on for you.

Motor is being taken off today and put on a pallet... available till Friday. Then it becomes the dealer's. Guarantee he won't sell it for that. $500

90 merc with command thrust lower unit (larger bottom end from a 150... gives you a bigger rudder and can swing a bigger prop). Also has troll control which allows you to set trolling speeds in 10 rpm increments from 550 to 1000.

New motor set to be installed Wed / Thurs. Old one becomes a trade at end of week.

Repowering my boat (going new 4 stroke) and offering a good running 1985 Evinrude. Power Trim and Tilt w/ gauge, all controls and side mount shift box and cables. Even compression. Been on an aluminum fishing boat for entire life....not bass boat or ski boat. I troll almost exclusively and run a 9.9 kicker. A three hour trip is 15 minutes on the 90 and the rest on the kicker. VRO developed a leak in a 3/8 supply line about 5 years ago, so I plugged it and have run the motor on 50:1 exclusively since. Always non-ethanol fuel and evinrude tcw-3 oil. Carburetors rebuilt this spring, but once apart found out they were spotless. Impeller changed about 4 years ago. Lower unit religiously drained every fall. Skeg and prop in undamaged condition. Extra prop included. This has been a solid motor for me and has not been abused. Motor is on my boat and can be run and test driven. $650 or best offer

pm sent

I presently run on a1984 90hp and troll on a 1986 9.9. Looked at new Mercs and REALLY like the idea of troll control on the big 4 stroke. I think my boat setup works for it, and I'd keep the old kicker for backup/emergency. I use my boat a lot. Fish 4 times a week at least. I can't imagine how many hours I have on the kicker. Floor's been replaced. Canvas is in good shape. Pumps are all good. Livewell's big. Aluminum doesn't leak or rot. Transom's solid. Biggest shortcoming is that it has only got a 7 ft beam. For me putting a 13 K outboard on it is a life commitment. Finding a used late model 18 + with 8 ft beam and suitable engine options has proven cost prohibitive. Going to hold off for the rest of the season to see if a better option comes up. Feel free to PM me if you've got one and are thinking of making a move also.

Going to pull the trigger and replace the old 2 stroke 90hp evinrude on my 19 ft aluminum sea nymph with a new 4 stroke. With the old motor, no problem getting over plane and running about 36 mph I'm wondering about the power rating of new motors. A buddy replaced a 2 stroke 15 evinrude on his duck boat with a 4 stroke 15 Honda, Turns out the new motor doesn't come close to the pop the old one had. I've heard the same about larger motors....the new 4 strokes don't measure up to the older 2 strokes for snap and get over plane torque. What are the opinions of guys here that have done it or know someone who has. Stay with the same to get the same, or need to go larger to maintain? Difference in repower price between a 90 and a 115 is about $900. (Boat's rated for a 140)

ttt

Glad I posted this. I didn't realize Yamaha offered it. Need to do more research.

I got the amazon one recommended. Surprised that an 11 dollar light was machined aluminum and feels very solid. Playing around with a chartreuse glow lure and it really pops. Thanks for the tip. Now to see what the walleyes think. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Never thought about not enough rpm. I do troll in current on SLR all the time. Any problem just going back to regular throttle? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk