[Mustad7731]

I'd like your input concerning the precentage of the
recommended maximun horsepower you've put on your
center consoles...and if you're satisfied with that %...or
If wish you had gotten more or you think you could have
gotten by with less????
Mustad7731
Jackie

 

[thundertrout]

if your going repower,take it to the max.i'd rather have more at
hand than not enough.

 

[bobber]

BW 18' 78% Powered. Good enough with my 90 but would take a maximum 115 hp if I had another motor. Reason being you add allot of stuff, decking, extra anchors, ice, generators, 250 lb buddies. Now your hole shot sucks, your top end is down, and your WOT is almost lugging the engine. Max power all the way.

 

[sqwaby]

You'll hear people say," I wish I had gotten a bigger motor". But you never hear," I wish I had bought a smaller motor".

 

[Shep]

I repowered my boat 3 years after buying it. For 3 years that was the only regret that I had. Now that it has the max, I couldn't be any happier.... it actually has more than the max with the XS. GET THE MAX!!!!

 

[MAKO 23]

I went the max plus 10 h.p. I'm happy with 50 mph.

 

[TimOub007]

You'll hear people say," I wish I had gotten a bigger motor". But you never hear," I wish I had bought a smaller motor".

Well then I'll be the first that you can say has said that. My 18' 8" flats boat is rated for a 200 with a recommended power of 150; I put a 200 'rude on it. I got a great deal on the motor since it was new in the box, but two model years old. The 200 FICHT RAM Evinrude is the big block motor, 3.3 L I think. Anyway it weighs in about 100 pounds more than the 175 'rude. The boat will reach it's maximum hull speed with either engine but it will float in about one inch less water when drifting with the 175. If I'm fishing with two big boys or three the scuppers will let a little water in while sitting at rest. So, most days, I wish I'd have gotten the 175. I have a break-neck hole shot since the big beast of a 200 has a ton more torque than the 175 would have.

I can still get pretty shallow, and run even shallower. There are some days though that I would like that extra inch. And I don't run around at WFO too often. It will go about 50 mph by the way.

Tim

 

[NautiGirl]

Two months ago, I repowered from a 1984 evinrude to a 2005 (Brand new in box) 150 mercury efi that was placed on a 17.5 ft boat. I wished I would have repowered along time ago and you can tell a huge difference in the power and wot. The crappy part is the price tag that comes with repowering!
The max on the boat is 160hp!

 

[cclayton01]

I've got an 2004 17' Explorer with Yamaha 115hp 2-stroke and IMO the 115hp is too much. With me, my brother and gear we got it up to 46mph and still had just alittle throttle left, too fast for that hull size. I would much rather have an 90hp on the boat.

 

[Japper]

I put 20hp more than the max and wouldn't go the other direction for anything. My little Shoalwater 16 is only rated for a 70 but performs great with the 90. My rec. would be always to go to the max. You can always throttle back, but you can't go past WOT.

 

[coachlaw]

Mine is not a glass CC, but an 18 foot flatbottom CC that's rated for 90 HP. I have a 60 on it and I couldn't be happier. It sips the gas and hits 29mph with a buddy and a full load. That's fast enough to get where I want to go and not fast enough to get me in trouble. I wouldn't even consider getting more hp. The mileage I get with gas prices these days really makes fishing affordable for me. - Coach

 

[DCW]

I ususally like the max hp a boat is rated for. Like someone else said you can throttle back. it just really depends on the boat and the performance you want out of it. I will say be carefull going over the max HP. I had a boat that was rated for max hp at 80. The boat had a 88 spl on it and since it was over the max hp my insurance would not insure it. I had to go search out another company so I could insure it to satisfy the loan company.

 

[ktdtx]

Also, if you are replacing a 15 or 20 year old motor--even if you get the same size, you are going to notice a difference.

And as others have said--just because the power is there doesn't mean you have to use it. You get to run the motor a little easier most of the time.

 

[jamesgreeson]

The rest of the story

What i didn't read was the part of horsepower to rpm range.I have a 20 aqusport i had a 90 evinrude on it .It ran 33 max which was fine and got 2miles to the gallon.I repowered it this year with a 175 johnson it runs about 40 and gets 1.5 miles to to the gallon.That 175 will almost flip it over on takeoff to plane the other motor struggled to get to plane.I have enought power to down size my prop. and still run somewhat fast,pull a boat in or skier,

 

[ssb]

Capacity and Horsepower Plates

FYI:
Maximum HP has to do with weight "not speed".

The maximum capacity is actually the number of people (or their total weight) that the boat will safely support if it is swamped.

Second, the horsepower rating has nothing to do with speed.

"Horsepower has only to do with weight," says Philip J Cappel, chief of the US. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Product Assur­ance Division.

"We're not so much concerned about the speed, but that the boat will float upright if swamped so that people can hold on to it un­til rescued," said Cappel, "That's the whole reason for the flotation standard and why we say how many people can be on board.


"Horsepower "only" has to do with engine weight.

If you put too big an engine on a boat, you
throw the flotation off."

 

[predator22]

Watch the E-tec videos on engines that weigh to much for the boat. You can noticeably see the differance in performance.

Mine is rated for a 150 but I run a 175. There is not differance in weight for those two engines so I get a little extra without any increased weight. Now the engine runs like **** and needs a rebuild.

Unfortunately I had to retire it to storage after this weekend until it is rebuilt.

But I run the max and I like it.

I just don't like the fact it need to spend 3K to get it rebuilt.