Hi, I'm new.
I'll be in the market for a 14' Mercury inflatable in the near future. Ooops, I forgot the 1". I've been out of owning an inflatable for many moons. I need help with deciding on a motor. Is a 15 hp enough for a 14-foot boat? I'm not looking for speed, just handling choppy water. Anybody have recommendations on motor brands? Why not a
two-stroke over a four-stroke? Short shaft's the way to go? And PLEASE, will somebody tell me what kind of gas mileage I'll get with this combination? Mileage counts.
Thanks much,
Jean K.

Mileage is not calculated in boats for many different reasons. Boat fuel consumption is rated in gallons-per-hour. A good rule of thumb to get GPH, especially in smaller two-strokes, is to figure 10% of the horsepower rating at wide open throttle. IE a 15hp 2-stroke will consume 1.5 GPH at full throttle.