hey guys im in the market looking for a new boat and because of the oyster shell in one of our lakes im going with an aluminum center/side console over fiber glass. looking to get anywhere from a 16' - 18' aluminum. we are using the boat for fishing and messing around on them hot summer days water skiing, tubing, wake boarding, etc. so in my size range, how big of a motor should i be looking for to do what i want to do? im buying used probably from craigslist (of course going to check it out and put it on the water before any money changes hands) because my budget is pretty limited, but im in no hurry to get the boat. i was thinking id need at least a 60hp and maybe up to a 90hp? what do yall think i need for my application? i dont want to be under powered ploughing through the water, but i dont want too much engine either. thanks for any help guys.
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motor power questions
- Thread starter agengo02
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I would go with the biggest you can afford. You could get away with the smaller motor, but if you have a boat load of people in the boat and pulling skiers, you will wish you had more.
Loggerhead Mike
Well-known member
it depends on the build of the boat, and what the transom can stand. maybe some extra bracing can get you the extra hp you need
Quackrstackr
Well-known member
It is all going to depend on the boat and what it is rated for. It's going to be hard on an outboard to pull skiers up with anything less than a 90hp. I would even want something bigger than that if I was doing much skiing.
For a 16 to 18 footer, you need to look at some higher horsepowers. I am assuming you are talking about a vee (as opposed to an aluminum bass boat style) similar to the Lunds and Crestliners and such.
Something with a similar hull shape to this?
https://www.lundboats.com/2009_1700_pro_sport.html
Many of those are going to be rated higher than you are expecting. My dad has a 1974 15 foot Lund (feels bigger than my 15.5 mod vee jon due to the high sides), that is an incomplete project, and probably will be an incomplete project until I buy it from him. Anyway, even though it is only 15 feet, it is rated for 80, and I wouldn't even try skiing behind it with anything less than 70. Could be done by a somewhat experienced skier, but will not be fun, and will be real tough if you have the family aboard, as opposed to just you and a spotter.
Looking at the 16 foot Lunds, most are rated around 90 hp. The 17s are around 115 - 135, with the 18s being about 150. Most other brands of the same dimensions will be similar, maybe slightly less than the Lunds, as they tend to be a little beamier, and sometimes have more deadrise than the other brands, especially the older ones, but the hps will be very close to the same. Unless you are talking very light loads, and very little skiing/tubing, try to max out the hp of the boat as close as possible.
Find the boat you want, and look at the capacity plate. Power it as close to that as you can afford, with an absolute minimum of 75% of the rated (I didn't make up that number - industry standard for boats of these dimensions) horsepower.
Something with a similar hull shape to this?
https://www.lundboats.com/2009_1700_pro_sport.html
Many of those are going to be rated higher than you are expecting. My dad has a 1974 15 foot Lund (feels bigger than my 15.5 mod vee jon due to the high sides), that is an incomplete project, and probably will be an incomplete project until I buy it from him. Anyway, even though it is only 15 feet, it is rated for 80, and I wouldn't even try skiing behind it with anything less than 70. Could be done by a somewhat experienced skier, but will not be fun, and will be real tough if you have the family aboard, as opposed to just you and a spotter.
Looking at the 16 foot Lunds, most are rated around 90 hp. The 17s are around 115 - 135, with the 18s being about 150. Most other brands of the same dimensions will be similar, maybe slightly less than the Lunds, as they tend to be a little beamier, and sometimes have more deadrise than the other brands, especially the older ones, but the hps will be very close to the same. Unless you are talking very light loads, and very little skiing/tubing, try to max out the hp of the boat as close as possible.
Find the boat you want, and look at the capacity plate. Power it as close to that as you can afford, with an absolute minimum of 75% of the rated (I didn't make up that number - industry standard for boats of these dimensions) horsepower.
