Hi All,

Getting back into the sport and need to repower my 1996 Ranger 485V as part of a total makeover. Originally had an Evinrude Intruder 150 on it, which was a good engine for me....very light weight and pretty snappy. At the peak, I'd hit 62-63 at 5500 RPM with a Raker prop on the old style speedometer. The boat has a 175HP spec limit. This hull has a bit of a deeper V and weight than some hulls like Skeeters, so it's a decent rough water boat but not overly nimble. Speed isn't everything to me, but I don't want to spend all this money and drop through the floor either.

I've read all sorts of opinions here on different brands. Don't think I want to go new, but want a later model engine, NMEA 2000, etc. The old engine was very light (thinking 375 lb range), and I'm concerned that the four strokes are all too heavy (some at 100# more than my old engine). Was thinking a recent model 175HP Etec, but keep hearing bad news there. I'd like to get out of this for about $10K, but more concerned with not having to do it again any time soon. I wanted to keep the hull for sentimental reasons, and it's in good shape.

I could go 150 if I find a good deal....don't want to go smaller. Ideally, I'd go ahead and max it out. So the question is....if you were me....what would you do?

Thanks!