The MacGregor factory has authorized a small number of very experienced full service dealers to install engines up to 70hp, Blue Water Yachts is one of those dealers. Not all dealers are allowed to install the 70hp and no do-it-yourselfers are, as there are many variables (engine model, brand etc.) that determine whether the installation will work satisfactorily. Most MacGregor dealers only sell a small number of boats and often farm out the engine installation to a local outboard shop who may never have rigged Macgregors before.  These boats are unique, and require specialized parts and techniques to rig properly. We have worked closely with the factory on this project (in fact we did the initial 70hp performance tests on the 26M) and have carefully monitored the performance of these boats in the field.

We have designed and put into production a custom steering option that allows the motor to quickly and easily be disconnected from the rudders and attached to a fixed position while sailing, this allows you to have steering control to point the boat into the wind while raising the sails by running the motor while steering with rudders only. When you want to be able to turn sharper, say docking, the engine can be attached to the rudders and will turn with the rudders giving you a directed thrust. For high speed motoring you raise the rudders out of the water and steer with just the engine. We also use a variety of specialized installation parts including special control cables that allow the throttle box to be nicely installed on the side of pedestal with the cables running through the pedestal leg so you have the smoothest most reliable control without any cables underfoot.

The smallest engine we recommend is around 30hp (although it is very rare to sell a boat with less than 50hp), you can use smaller engines, but the weight and cost savings just don’t make much sense compared to the performance loss unless you already have an engine and are on a really limited budget.

All of the performance numbers given below are for a fully equipped boat (such as our Super Cruising Package), but not a lot of cruising gear. As you add weight, the boat will slow down some, especially with the smaller motors.

Motoring speeds with the 30hp will be about 10mph cruise and 13mph top

Motoring speeds with the 50 hp Suzuki engine will be about 14mph cruise and 19mph top.

Motoring speeds with the 70 hp Suzuki engine will be about 20 cruise and 24 top. The big difference is that you can get about 18mph cruise with the water ballast full ! That is adding 1100 lb. and it still cruises at 18, that means that if you have a lot of load in your boat (people and gear) the extra power really helps keep the speed up. The goal with the 70hp is not to make the boat go super fast, but to have a good cruising speed even with a loaded boat.. The operating RPM range of the 70hp is also lower than the 50hp and hence the motor is not working as hard and is a little quieter too.

We would also expect resale value to be better with the 70hp, as that is what the majority of buyers want.

There are a variety of engine choices available, just to make all the decisions that go into purchasing a new boat even more difficult (or fun) depending on how you look at this. We offer Suzuki and Nissan engines.

The Suzuki engines are 4 stroke models and are very reliable, extremely quiet, and offer the best fuel economy of any engines available at these power ratings. No other 50hp or 70hp engines offer the level of technology available in these engines, including long port intake runners for improved torque, and electronic fuel injection.  Every Suzuki outboard is factory “Balanced and Blueprinted” to ensure the best possible performance and incredible smoothness, this painstaking process is normally reserved for custom built race engines. Suzuki engines are #1 in customer satisfaction, #1 in initial quality, and outperform all competitors at every horsepower rating.  While a little more expensive and somewhat heavier than the Nissan 2 stroke engines, they are comparable in price and weight to other 4 stroke engines. We consider the Suzuki 50 and 70 to be the ultimate engines for the MacGregor, we have chosen them for both our demonstrator boat and our personal boat.

The Nissan engines are new technology Direct Fuel Injected 2 stroke engines that meet all emissions standards (including California), offer fuel economy that is nearly as good as the Suzuki, and better than most 4 stroke engines, including Honda. The DFI Nissan engines, especially the 50hp, are somewhat lighter than any 4 stroke of comparable power, requires less maintenance, but are NOT as quiet, especially at low speeds.

We have tested other engines and found that these were the engines we wanted for the boat for several reasons. They provide low end torque and enough power to move the boat to the performance levels we were wanting. We also wanted engines that are reliable with very a very low rate of warranty issues (we do not want our customers unhappy with their boat just because of engine problems), and were quiet and fuel efficient. 

Evinrude ETEC 50 / 60hp: The third generation of OMC’s Ram Ficht 2 stroke technology, now built by Bombardier.  Excellent fuel economy and compact size, but expensive and not especially lightweight.  These engines are available from the MacGregor factory and we offer them on a special order basis.  The greatest plus to these motors is great fuel economy at very low speeds (under 7 Knots), and not needing any scheduled maintenance for 3 years which can be a convenience if you keep your boat moored in the water.  The greatest negative is that it is still a 2 stroke engine, so it is not nearly as quiet as the Suzuki (especially at low speed) and you still have to fill an injection oil reservoir when you gas up.

Honda 50hp engine: All modern four stroke engines are reliable, quiet and good on gas. The Honda engine does not perform to the standard we were looking for though. It does not have good low end torque and hence does not get the boat moving fast or find the top speed we were looking for. This engine was introduced as a 35 / 45 hp engine then that same engine became a 40 / 50 hp engine. These are different models with the same block and basic engine but with different tuning to produce the extra hp. Even Honda dealers we have talked to say they could find no change when the 45 became a 50, except for the name. The Honda engine is a carbureted engine (not fuel injected like the Suzuki) and does not have as good fuel economy as we wanted.

Honda 75hp engine: Too big to fit right on the boat, above the Max. power rating, and still not fuel injected.

Mercury 50 / 60 hp Bigfoot engine: Good Power, but we found it to be just plain too noisy and rough running and we did not want to sell it for that one big reason. It was noisier than the Nissan two cycle engines and not as fuel efficient

Yamaha 50 / 60 hp High Thrust: The same motor as the Mercury

Johnson 50 / 70 4 Stroke: Made by Suzuki, identical except the color of the paint