Aaron Lariscy
Well-known member
Talk to me about weight distribution, I am completely remodeling an '84 TX17 tracker and am plotting on engine choices right now. My concerns are weight vs hp. Its rated for a 80hp max but an 80hp weighs in at 300lbs I am planning on having around a 20 gallon bait tank which weighs in at another 300lbs so right off the rip I have 600lbs in the back of the boat. Now add 12gallons of fuel and batterys and you have a butt load of weight in the rear of the boat. I am not willing to give up my bait tank and the batterys and fuel are necessary so the only option I have is to reduce the weight of the motor but... will I be happy with a motor smaller than a 70 or 80 hp? In order to get any reasonable weight reduction I would have to drop back to at least a 50 hp how well will a 50 push a 17 foot tracker fully loaded? I realize with alittle work I could easily move my batterys and fuel to the front but the fuel not a constant weight and the batterys are miniscule in comparison to the motor and bait tank.
In case you can't tell I am confused and need some guidance from some more experienced guys on how to balance this boat out or am I just overly worried?
In case you can't tell I am confused and need some guidance from some more experienced guys on how to balance this boat out or am I just overly worried?