Help with 9.9 motor selection

Hi folks:

Need some help choosing a 9.9 motor for my jon boat. Ideally I would like to get something that has electric start, and remote steering or can be upgraded easily. Most of the motors that have remote steering capability seem to be the long shaft variety, used primarily for kicker motors. I want a short shaft.

It looks like Tohatsu makes an electric start four stroke that can be upgraded to a remote control, but cost is a whopping $600 plus professional installation. Does not sound like a do-it-yourself proposition. Suzuki only makes a 20 inch (long shaft) remote control model. Mercury motors seem to be on the heavy side, and expensive. Not sure what Evinrude offers but I think only a 20 inch in remote. What are my choices? What am I missing?

What about the possibility of just adding remote steering, and using the tiller arm for throttle? I know folks do this in inflatable's. 90% of the time I'm running at one speed anyway. Not sure how it would be to load on a trailer with this set up.

The boat is a 1442 jon, so a 15 hp would be an option too, but I'm not seeing any better selection there. It's only when you got up to the 20 hp do I see more remote control options.

I'm certainly not opposed to some older motors either. It looks Yamaha makes a 9.9 with electric start, but not sure if it was a long or short shaft. I do think I want to stick with a four stroke for noise, smell (lack of smoke), and better low idle speed performance.

Would like to stick to something under $2300 at the upper end, so may have to go used.

Thanks,

Troy

Most motors can be upgraded to electric start with an added kit, and a lot of the newer motors have the charging system built in already. Tohatsu, mercury and evinrude are identical motors, as they are built by tohatsu. Why is it you need remote steering on a 1442 Jon boat? Wouldn't that be a tiller model boat?

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=364555#p364555 said:

GYPSY400 » 26 Aug 2014, 13:21[/url]"]Most motors can be upgraded to electric start with an added kit, and a lot of the newer motors have the charging system built in already. Tohatsu, mercury and evinrude are identical motors, as they are built by tohatsu. Why is it you need remote steering on a 1442 Jon boat? Wouldn't that be a tiller model boat?

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I agree that a remote steering on a smaller boat is not the norm, so it's just a personal preference in this case. I don't like to be a contortionist for three or four hours I go out for, so it's just more comfortable for me to steer the boat from a steering wheel. It's probably less of an issue for the throttle, as 90% percent of the time it's at the same speed.

I know in some inflatable's they just have a steering wheel only. Even electric start is not a dealbreaker, as the smaller engines are pretty easy to pull start. It's just that once you get into a remote, it usually goes along with electric start. Even a steering stick may be an option. I do like sitting more forward in the boat as well, so yet another consideration. I think the boat just planes better as you get more weight towards the front. I'm guessing the boat probably drafts shallower too.

Mostly I just want to know what my options are, and maybe there's something I'm missing. I can say adding electric start or remote after-the-fact is far more expensive than buying it from the get go.

I may even go all the way up to a 20 hp, as I'm not seeing any 15 hp remote options. Suzuki does offer a 20 hp with remote, that is basically the same weight and configuration as the 15. I believe it's just at WOT it produces a few hundred more rpm, and think it has a different pitch prop on it. EFI might be a pretty sweet thing too. Again, just considering options. 20HP on such a small boat I think it's overkill, but I can always throttle back, and probably save some gas over a smaller motor at WOT.