18.5 Master Angler Repower

[Fishingfrenzy129]

Alright the time has finally come and it’s time to say goodbye to the ole Yamaha 130.What has everyone Repowered with on their 18.5 Master Anglers?

Currently trying to decide on a 140 Suzuki, or a 150 Merc /Yamaha. The extra weight of the merc and Yamaha have me worried about drafting a lot more than I already do. The Suzuki 140 would be best weight wise, but I’m just not sure if I would be satisfied with the power. 
 

What has everyone else gone with and what kind of speed numbers are you seeing? Do you wish you went with more power and a heavier motor, or the opposite? 
 

I fish locally a lot in my home town Jupiter, but make a few trips to the Everglades during the year. Easily running over 50+ miles in a day down there, but also like to fish the shallows up in mosquito and alike areas. 
 

Curious to what everyone else has re powered  with! 

[wthree3]

Not a repower but the original motor on my 2005 18 Master Angler is an Yami F150. Boat sits level. Runs mid fifties. Power is perfectly adequate. Wouldn't want anything less, Never needed anything more. 

[whichwaysup]

Talk to Fatherof4 on here - he recently repowered.   A few things to consider:

1) If you have a jackplate, you will either be forced to remove it or go as light as possible to minimize squat.   I toyed with putting one on mine, but based on what Fo4 experienced, I decided against it.   

2) You can also move your house battery forward - in most MAs it's in the starboard stern hatch.   Moving that to the console or - as CRD Dawg did rather creatively - moving it to the bow with your TM batteries can really give you more wiggle room on which engine you choose.

3)  I've had two 18 MAs - not sure what year you have.    My 87 was barely passable with a 115 because it was a MUCH lighter boat than my current 2000.   My current 2000 MA has a 2S 150 Vmax on it.   Having experienced that, if and when I repower, I would never go below a 150.   

4)  A buddy had a 150 4S on his MA, and we ran it next to mine with a 2S 150.   I may have been propped better, but the 2S had MUCH more low end power, better hole shot, etc..   I say this because you may find that, even with equivalent horsepower, the 4S may feel less powerful.   Again, that could be an issue with propping and/or his particular motor, but it was very noticeable and left a lasting impression w/ me.

 

If I had to summarize with a recommendation, it would be this:   Go with a 150 4S, but maybe not a SHO.   Look for things to move forward in the boat vs. sacrificing on power/brand/etc on your engine.   It's a REALLY big boat for its size, and it can tolerate a lot more engine weight than you have on there now, especially if you move some batteries around.  

[lurem]

I have one of these boats and may repower from my current Yamaha 150 2S HPDI. If I decide to go new this is what I see online. All seem similar in weight.

Current Yamaha 150 HPDI 2001 MY 468 #

Yamaha SHO 150 or 175 4 stroke 480# 2.8L

Mercury 150 PROxs 4 stroke 456#  3.0L

Mercury 175 PROxs 4 stroke  470# 3.4L

[triplec]

I have a 96 MA and run the OEM 150 2 stroke. When the time comes and if engines available it will be a 175 SHO. Ran in quite a few with diff combos but thats the engine most closely performing to the 150 Pro V I have. 

With that said...you likely will not be able to find a Yamaha 150 for months and the SHO's not until 2022 I am told.

[Fatherof4]

I have a 1996 MA 18.5.  Came with an original Johnson Fast strike 175.  In Sept of last year, I repowered with a new Yam SHO 150 4 stroke.  I have a 17P 4 blade prop on it.  It took some tweaking, and IMO, it STILL sits a little stern heavy.  I had a hydraulic jack plate (original) that I had removed and that helped a lot.  I do use my elec trim tabs, on occasion to get the bow down a little.  I have NOT moved my battery forward yet.  

All in all, very happy with the new motor.  OUTSTANDING fuel economy, and with hole shot, you better hold on when I hit the throttle.  It will put you on your butt.  I don't run fast, but, from what I can remember, top end is approx 45mph or so.