by JonLee on Thu Sep 13, 2012 10:01 am
I have the 2.5hp Suzuki. I've used it under both relatively calm conditions and in about 15 kts of wind with a hearty chop going. 1/2 throttle has been all I've ever needed. On a calm day, 1/2 throttle was good for about 4.5 kts. On the windy/choppy day, I was maybe making 3kts against the wind. I tried opening up the throttle some, but really only got an increase noise, without much increase in speed.
My biggest problem so far hasn't been at the high end, its been getting slow enough. Even at idle, the motor pushes the boat too fast for slow, precise manuevering, at least in my opinion. Recently, when trying to get to my assigned berth at the Wooden Boat Festival, I had to navigate a narrow passage between two mega-boats. There was about a foot of clearance on each side, and I was spending a lot of time flipping the shift level F-N-F-N-F-N... in order to keep the speed down.
I'm still not a fan of the 360 deg. steering, but it works, and there is nothing in this size range that has a reverse.