Re: weight of 140 vs 120
Boat HP rating is not based on weight. Putting a 140hp on a boat rated only for 125hp is not a big transgression, but a zealous water patrol might think so and insurance companies are more than happy to find a way out of a claim.
On this matter, sometimes you can end up with an engine that is not what it appears to be. Not that I'm encouraging anyone to do anything fraudulent, but this is what happened to me.
I bought a used boat and motor and the motor had a cowling that said Johnson 175 VRO. The engine was a remanufactured engine by a company that does it (big sticker on the engine with comany's name, etc.). The transom bracket label, that normally has the model number on it, was missing.
So I think my engine's a 175 and as a simple boat user/consumer, how could I possibly know anything different? I certainly wouldn't know from the performance because I have nothing to compare it to. The cowling is the only indentifying feature. I report the purchase to the insurance company and because the boat is rated to 200 hp, no problem.
Go to get some repairs done and the mechanic is trying to figure out what parts to use (gaskets I think). He tries to use gasket sets that are commonly used for 175 hp engines of that era, and they don't work. Searches on engine and finds model number that is casted into it and finds out it's really a 235 hp from 1982. This number was pretty difficult to find - took some searching and moving of parts to find it. I looked for it again the other day, and I had forgotten where it was, and in about 10 minutes I couldn't find it (I know it's there somewhere, because at one point he showed it to me).
OK, so what do I do? I keep my mouth shut because, as far as law enforcement and insurance company goes, I certainly have no objective way of knowing any of this as far as they know. Performance wise, it's probably a 175 anyway, because the 235 engine was originally built at the time when HP was not measured at the prop like today's engines. Also, I have NO idea how the ignition and carb. parts that were used in the remanufacturing affected HP. I gotta think the reman company put that 175 cowling on it because it is a 175 really.
Point of all this: it is not uncommon for transom bracket labels to be missing. If so, a normal boater would have no idea what his motor is except for what decals are on the cowling. If you were to buy an engine in this sort of condition (no transom bracket label, mis-labeled cowling) how would you know any better, especially if the sales receipt said 120, not 140? Just at thought.
