Largest Motor for a Devlin Broadbill

David Palmer

David Palmer

Active member
Hey folks! Now that Alabama's season is over, I'm already thinking about next year. My '74 Evinrude 15hp gave me tons of fits this year, and I'm thinking about changing motors. I was left too many times out in the swamp/river without a "crankable" outboard, and I'm ready for a change.

I'm thinking about upgrading to a new 4 stroke 9.9 hp or to a new 25 hp two stroke. The question, of course, is weight. I'm running a 6 gal gas tank in the bow of my Broadbill along with my motor cycle battery for lights. That makes me pretty bow heavy, so I was wondering if the extra weight in the stern of a larger (or heavier) motor would balance things out.

Any feedback would be much appreciated!

Grace and peace!

David
 
David,

You can still find 15hp yamaha 2stroke motors that are brand new. They would be 2009 models. I've had this motor for only one season but am a big fan and so are others. When I had my broadbill a 9.9 pushed it well and I think this motor would be perfect. I'm not sure I would want to go much larger for a number of reasons, weight just being one of them.

Good luck.

Ryan
 
The weight of and old 15hp I am guessing is in the 70 lb range the new 9.9 4 strokes are around 85lds depending on brand the new 4 stroke 15hp are around 115lbs you can have a 2stroke 25 for that weight what if you went smaller on the gas tank like a 3gal that might help the bow unless your travel distance needs the 6gal as far as new engines check smalloutboards.com they sell good used outboards and they ship too also ebay has a large amount of engines aswell there is a guy in flordia who sells brand new 2stroke yamaha 9.9 15 and 25 hp with free shipping he is in Fl so may not be to far from you ebay also has new and used 4strokes with those 2 sites you should find what you need good luck
 
David,

I have to agree with Ryan. A two stroke left over Yamaha would be my first choice. You will need to do some searching but they are still a few new ones around. A 25 hp will simply be too much weight for this boat and is more motor than needed.
 
I left out that the guy with the 9.9 15 and 25 yamaha 2strokes is on ebay just type in 15 hp outboard and all 3 will pop up on the 1st page but I also agree a yamie is the way to go and unless you are trying to get an extra 30 min of sleep the morning of a hunt a 25 is overkill
 
David,
I would not go over 15hp, which is the max amount that was listed on Devlin's web page. Like others have said, there are still a few new 15hp yamaha 2-strokes around, and plenty used. I'm running a 15hp yamaha 2-stroke on my Broadbill, which is more than enough.

-Bill
 
Hi David-

I would be reluctant to give up on your '74 Evinrude 15 hp. They are good engines, parts are readily available, and its low profile is well suited for the Broadbill. I find that dealers tend to tell you it's not worth their time to look at older engines but you could probably find someone who knows something about small engines to take a look.

Mastertech Marine http://www.maxrules.com/ is a helpfull site. Also Jeff at Laing's outboards www.laingsoutboards.com is very helpful. It could be that all you need to do is clean or replace a couple of things. Unless you've gotten water where it shouldn't be, I don't think there's anything that can't be fixed about these engines. Besides, it's easier to talk yourself into camoing up a '74 engine than a newer one!

A post on an engine repair project would be great.

Thanks again for sending the CD. I'll keep you posted.

-TD
 
DAVID,

WHEN I BUILT MY BLUEBILL, I AM PRETTY SURE THE RECOMENDATION WAS UP TO 20 HP, 2 STROKE. I THINK ITS A 15 FOR THE BROADBILL

I FACED A SIMILAR DELIMA IN OCTOBER '10, WHEN SOME LOWLIFE DECIDED TO STEAL THE LOCKED 15 HP YAMAHA FROM MY BLUEBILL. A 2 STROKE YAMAHA 15 IS 79 LBS. THE SIMILAR 4 STROKE IS OVER 30 LBS. HEAVIER, I JUST COULDNT SEE HANGING THAT MUCH MORE WIEGHT RIGHT AT THE REAR OF THE BOAT.

LIKE OTHERS HAVE SAID, WITH A LITTLE WORK, I FOUND A LEFT OVER 2 STROKE 9.9 YAMAHA. ME DEALER MADE ME A GREAT DEAL ON A NEW 15 HP CARB., MINOR PROP CHANGE, VOILA 15 HP YAMAHA !! UNFORTUNATLY, MOST EVERYONE IS AWARE OF THE QUALITY, DURABILITY, AND DESIRABILITY, THEY SEEM TO FETCH A PREMIUM. I WOULD NOT BE AFFRAID OF A USED ONE, IF YOU CAN FIND ONE. I HAVE ALSO RUN A EARLY 90'S MODEL JOHNSON 15 WITH GOOD LUCK.

JUST AN ADDITIONAL THOUGHT, I DO NOT KNOW YOUR CIRCUSTANCES, BUT WOULD RECOMEND YOU AT LEAST CONSIDER THE BLUEBILL OVER THE BROADBILL. SIMILAR POWER REQUIREMENTS ($), AND ITS JUST MY OPINION, BUT YOU GET MORE BOAT FOR YOUR TIME AND MONEY. I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY THAT THERE ARE NOT A WHOLE LOT OF PLACES THAT BROADBILL WOULD GO THAT A BLUEBILL WILL NOT. PLUS, YOU GET A LITTLE MORE ROOM FOR GEAR AND DOG, NOT TO MENTION ITS INCREADIBLY SEA WORTHY FOR ITS SIZE.

JUST MY $.02

GIL
 
I will second fixing the Merc since you are not running in salt water. (If that is not the case disregard this.)
The older two strokes are the lightest power you can hang on a small boat. The Yamaha is the last built of that idea. But the dollars can be high.
If you are mech. handy or have a close friend who is, the outboard is about as simple as it gets for maint.
The net is a very good place to find parts and help.
A factory service manual is essential and a parts blow up is helpful but also usually available on the web.
We dont get as many old motors here that last a long time due to the damage that the salt water does, but fresh water units run till someone lets the impeller go bad.
The thing to remember when making power choices in small or big boats, the weight and its location make the boat handle and float different. The goal is always to keep the weight low and in the center of the hull. Outboards make this hard and esp when you go way up in weight out on the end of the hull. Most guys dont like giving up gear to offset the weight the new motor adds to a small hull, or big for that matter. Boat Center of Gravity is a key part of handling

If dollars are not a critical issue the Yamaha is a good reliable engine, but the other older ones can be kept running and provide good power to weight.
As stated many repair shops dont want to service them, but would rather sell a new engine due mostly to the high cost of the labor creating a loosing cost vs. satisfaction equation.
 
I would be reluctant to give up on your '74 Evinrude 15 hp. They are good engines, parts are readily available, and its low profile is well suited for the Broadbill.
Click to expand...

That may well be and in a lot of cases I would agree with you. However, If Dave bought this motor used (I believe he did) and he is constantly having issues with it, then it may have been treated like crap by a previous owner. It may be just plan junk now due to prior abuse. If he were closer I'd offer to check it out myself and give Dave an honest appraisial. Given Dave's choice to replace rather than continue to repair, I stand by the recommendations for the 15 hp Yamaha.
 
Dave there is a powerhead rebuild kit on ebay for $240 now with pistons, bearings, gaskets. pretty much everything you need to make it new again.
 
Another point is that 1974 15 hp is really more like a 9.9. In 1982 they started rating at the prop and not the flywheel. I tried that exact same motor on my Broadbill and sold it and got a 90s 15 hp Merc. Much better. If I had found a post 1982 OMC that would have worked too I suspect. I bet those 15hp Yamahas are sweet.

Eric
 
Dave,

No opinion on a motor for a Broadbill other than just how far is your run on any given day? 6 gallons is a lot of fuel for a 15hp. Whichever route you go, I think a 3gallon tank would be more than enough on most days and if you plan to make a long run a 2 gallon can of fuel can be brought along just in case. I wonder how much of your motor trouble might be from stale gas or gas with some water in it...
 
I know the devlin site states 15hp as the max for a broadbill, but the plans I got for mine just last summer state 10hp max, which, I'm assuming is what it was rated for when the plans were first designed? Either way, I would not even consider anything over a 15hp 2-stroke! I personally have a mercury 7.5hp 2-stroke (not sure what year, it's black with the blue lettering) that I will use on mine, when it's finished.
 
Thanks for the replies, ya'll. I'm going to give my little motor a few more tries before I retire it from winter work. Your comments have all been helpful. If you do know of a place that still has a few new 15 hp Yammies, do let me know. I might just go on and get one before they are completely gone.

Grace and peace,

David
 
It's in Port Clinton, Ohio but when I bought mine they had 15 remaining. They might be able to ship to you.

Dubbert's Professional Outdrive Services, Inc. 419-732-1777
 
Called them yesterday and they had two. Now they have one! Experiencing some buyers remorse, but I'm sure I'll enjoy the motor once it arrives!

Thanks, Ryan, for suggesting Dubbert's!

David
 
David,
You are going to really like the Yamaha 15. It probably will come with a 11 pitch prop, which pushes my Broadbill at 25mph. The engine is maxed on RPMs, so there is probably more speed to be had by going to a 12 pitch.

Take care!

-Bill
 
I'll check on that pitch issue. Would you go to a 12 if you could do it all over again? Right now I think they said it came with a 10.

Grace and peace,

David
 
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