I've asked several times and places over the past year or two, and had surprisingly little response. But I know some of you have outboards on your houseboats. What brand? What horsepower? What fuel consumption are you getting, how does the boat handle in current, tide, close quarters, etc? What about maintenance? (This boat will probably never be hauled out of the water.) Longevity?


We'd decided on two 60hp Merc BigFoots with the largest prop they'd swing to power this homemade catamaran-hulled, somewhat heavy, displacement boat, but then started hearing grumbles from unhappy Merc owners. Another expert recommended eTecs, but the Evinrude factory CS guy wasn't so positive about their product's use in this case. The nearest dealers are all at least 30 miles away, and we'll have to mount the motors without taking the boat out of the water, which frightens some dealers. (It'll be relatively easy to back it up to a ramp or dock, though, and the holes are already drilled.)
So, thoughts, anybody? Particularly from voices of experience? We're pretty well set on the outboard route, rather than inboards.