Hamlin's Marine

Much of my fishing is done in the shallows, especially shallows that feature lots of rocks. For example, I particularly dote on fishing for small-mouth bass in our Maine rivers. If you know anything about Smallies, then you know that in order to find them, you need to find rocks.

Last year while going flat out in my 14-foot aluminum boat with a 20-horse motor on it, I hit one of those rocks, doing serious damage to the motor’s ability to tilt.
Well, that motor was about 20 years old with thousands of hours on it, so I went to see Dave Hamlin at Hamlin’s Marine in Waterville about replacing it.
I told Dave that I wanted a four-stroke motor with power tilt and trim and electric start, if I could get such a thing in 15- or 20-horsepower. Dave said he could fix me up.

While I was right there, I decided I’d like to replace my 35-year old and told Dave I’d like to buy a 14-footer.

Dave said, “No you don’t.”

I said, “Yes, I do.

He repeated, “No you don’t,” and then proceeded to explain why I actually needed a 16-foot boat. The reason is that a four-stroke 15-horse motor with power tilt is too heavy for a 14-foot boat. You need a craft with more length to offset all the weight hanging off the transom.

Of course, he was absolutely correct, showing me once again why you should buy your boats and motors from experienced dealers and then follow their advice when they give it.

The motor was a Yamaha and I can’t tell you how happy I am that Dave sold it to me. It is perfect for river and pond fishing in the shallows. In fact, it’s downright marvelous. Here’s why.

Four stroke motors can run at idle speeds all day without plug fouling and there’s no smoke or fumes coming out of them, plus they are quiet. They are also efficient. I don’t know how much more efficient, but I do know that I’m filling the gas tank a lot less often.

Electric start is wonderful in general, but really great when you are drifting along in a river with the motor turned off. Say the current is heading you toward a rock sticking up. With a pull-rope starter, you can fumble about and might hit the rock before your engine catches. With electric start, you punch the button and instantly have power to steer away from the rock.

Power tilt is fabulous. You might think that nobody needs power tilt with a 15-horse motor, but that’s not true. Often I fish in very shallow, rocky water and the ability to instantly raise the motor high enough so neither the prop or skeg hits bottom or a rock can’t be over-stated.

There are other great features of this 15-horse Yamaha that you might not expect. For example, there is a lock that you can slide when trailering that keeps the motor in the up position. And there is a slide lever you can use that increases or decreases how easy the tiller turns right or left. This is a great feature to use when you are trolling in straight lines.

I remember the old days when I was running air-cooled outboards that had ever-breaking cotter pins through the draft shaft to power the prop. Those motors were smoky and it seemed as though you had to change spark plugs every third fishing trip. What a difference between those clunkers and my excellent four-stroke Yamaha.
If you are still nursing along an old, smoky, cranky two-stroke outboard, my suggestion is go look at a modern four-stroke with electric start and power tilt. If you don’t know a reliable dealer, you can’t go wrong in visiting Hamlin’s.

And when you do go and check out these modern marvels of boat power, you’ll discover that when it comes to outboards, these are the good old days.

Visit Hamlin's Marine at www.hamlinsmarine.com