Which motor? What would you do?

I have an 18ft aluminum starcraft with a 1960 75hp eveinrude 2 stroke. The engine runs, but it's super thirsty and has a knack of getting stranded in the middle of the lake. So, rather than dump a bunch of money into an antique motor with really hard to find parts, I'm going to put a newer one on. I build high performance engines and restore old cars as a hobby, so I'm pretty good with putting stuff together, but I have never changed out a boat engine, and honestly I don't know a whole lot about them. What I really want is a decent motor that I can run at low rpm for extended periods and not a 2 stroke, I hate mixing oil in my gas. I need a motor that I can trust 5 miles out on lake st claire, and here's the real kicker, my price range has me at about 2 grand. So, what should I look for? Brand, model, certain years, tips and tricks of motor mounting all would be helpful

Probably a Honda or Yamaha 50 or 70/75, four-stroke is your best bet. They tend to be very fuel efficient, especially the newer ones. The thing you need to know about the four-strokes is that they should be maintained "by the book." That is, change the oil, filter, lower unit fluid, plugs and fuel filters per the maintenance schedule in the owners manual. These smaller Honda's have a great reputation. Don't know much about the Yamahas, but they are popular. A high number of hours is actually a good thing for these motors, because that means they have been used a lot. An older outboard that has been used at least 100 hours per year is what you are looking for. 200 to 300 hours per year is okay. An old outboard with low hours is trouble waiting to happen.

The older four strokes will likely be carbureted, as opposed to fuel injected. Those carburetors will be the source of 90% of your issues. So whatever you buy, get the manual on cleaning and rebuilding the carbs.

Be cautious about cheap outboards. Often a cheap outboard is an outboard that has been under water. If you buy a used outboard, make sure you know its history. One-owner motors are usually the best deal. If there is a Honda or Yamaha dealer near you, that would be my first stop. They will often have, or know of used motors that they have sold and maintained. Almost all dealers keep a computerized history of the motors they regularly maintain.

Good luck.