[kestrel452]

I've been eyeing the 12'6" SeaBright 380P inflatable a lot the past couple of weeks, however I'm stuck on deciding which engine I want. I know I could easily lift a modern 9.9hp Mercurcy or 2-stroke 15hp Mercury, since they're both around 80lbs. However, the craft is actually rated for a 20HP engine. Both 2-stroke and 4-stroke 20HP engines weigh 110lbs, which gives me some pause because I will have to be lifting the engine off the cart, into my trunk, out of the trunk, onto the boat, and then the reverse of that process each time I go to use the boat. Nevermind the fact that the boat itself is 100lbs and I'll have to be lifting that in and out of my car trunk as well...

Though, the increase in weight from a 9.9 to 20 Merc is only 30lbs. I have no experience in using small outboards, and don't know if the gain in performance is worth the weight increase. I'd also be interested in hearing if anyone has experience lifting and mounting these 15/20HP 4-strokes, and how they've fared doing it. It's not like I'd be doing this daily, maybe 4 times a month, and moving the motor a maximum of 10 feet each time I'd lift it up alone by hand. Any comments are welcome.