Help Please - Maximum HP Outboard for my Sea King

This may be answered elsewhere in the forums, but if it is I haven't been able to find it.

I have a 14 foot Sea King aluminum fishing boat. It actually measures 13 1/2 feet from end to end. The numbers and other information on the small plate riveted to the inside of the transom are badly worn and unreadable. Can anyone tell me the maximum HP outboard motor I can run on this boat?

I'm currently using a little 5 HP motor. It does the job but it takes a long time to get from point A to point B. I think it's time to upgrade.

Thanks for your help.

I don't know specifically for your boat. But, in this same section (Motors Forums) about 4 or 5 from the top is a guide titled "Maximum Outboard Horsepower Capacity Guide". Maybe you can work it out using that tool.

Thanks, I did see that. After calculating it out, mine would be the 15 HP option (if I interpret chines properly). That's triple the HP I'm running now so would be a marked improvement.

This is just my opinion, and not even an expert opinion at that. Looks like your boat would move along nicely with a 15 HP. I personally wouldn't go over 15 HP, but I'm normally on the cautious side. You save some weight by going with a 10 HP, which may be a real good thing in a light boat. If you are talking about new four strokes, there might be a 30# difference between a 10 HP and 15 HP. It would be ideal if you could do trial runs with a 10 and a 15.

Here is a link to a short YouTube video showing a boat like yours (I think) with a 15 HP.

https://youtu.be/0n-IDhL4yj4

My first trailered boat was one of those Sea Kings, back when I knew way more of what just wasn't right. I started with a 1957 18 HP Evinrude, then and later put a brand new 1984 25 HP Johnson on the thing with my newspaper route earnings, and ranged up and down the east coast with it from Santee Cooper to the Canadian border. Ran like a banshee. Sunk it once under the Bay Bridge outside of Annapolis, when a wave came in over the transom as I was backing it against the tide rip toward the pilings jigging for rockfish. Bottom line, that was way too much motor. Somehow I survived. 15 hp is tops, probably even a little too strong. Comfortable would be a 9.9.

I watched several you tube videos and saw some boats doing things I have no intention of doing. Its looking like the 15 HP is as big as I will want to go. Thanks for all the advice. I'll be on the lookout for for something in a 9.9 to 15 HP range. Much appreciated everyone!

IMO a 15 or 20 HP will do the job nicely, some 14'ers will carry a 25 HP but I think your safe with either of the other 2 sizes I mention. You should get in the mid 20's with them pretty easy and after that 5 HP you'll feel like your flying.