Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

[reelfishin]

I bought a super clean used motor for my 1974 Starcraft SS which I am restoring, the max hp on the boat is 85 hp.
With this in mind, I bought a really clean, recently rebuilt, (Last fall), Evinrude 85 hp, I bought the motor from a private party that has come up with some really nice motors before as well. I called, he said he had one that just came in, I went to see it and it looked good, not a fresh resto or repaint, just a good clean motor. I heard it run, checked the compression, pressure checked the lower unit, all was perfect and bought the motor, today, after taking a closer look, I see it's not an 85 hp, but a 1990 115 hp in 85 hp trim.

There is no weight difference, the boat is rated at 85 hp, so it can take a V4, and this motor is super sweet. Would you run it and all is well or save it for the next boat and buy a true 85 hp? The motor runs super strong in the tank, I can't wait to hang it on something to try it out.
When I bought the motor I was so impressed with the condition and the fact that it's ready to run for a really good price I never bothered to check the tag, and to be honest, I'd have bought it anyway, even if not for the 16' SS.
The only question now is whether or not to run it on the SS or use it elsewhere? I'm leaning towards just hanging it and having fun, the extra ponies can't hurt and the transom I put in is far stronger than the original being that I covered it on all sides and assembled it with glass mat and epoxy resin. Not to mention all new hardware.

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

Reelfishin I personally would say if it has been set up to look like an 85 nd it weighs the same thing as an 85 hang it on her and go have fun . The thing with a bigger powerplant as long as theres not a weight issue is you can always use LESS throttle but with a smaller powerplant once she is maxed she is maxed .


Rick

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

That's pretty much how I see it, I'd rather run the motor easier rather than all out to get where I'm going. I don't run my boats hard anyhow and extra power is always a good thing. The way I see it too is that if I were to go buy a brand new 85 hp four stroke, I'd have a lot more weight and less power. Plus, the transom will hold it, it's the same transom I put in my 18' boat too, and that boat will take a 120 hp.
I do have a slightly older good running 90 hp but that don't have tilt and trim, it's the same weight and has a lot more hours on it. The 115 will probably run for fine for many, many years to come. The 90 isn't as fresh of a motor.

I did consider hanging the 90 before and swapping on an 85 hp cover and paint job.

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

I am sure there wont be a problem with it . I will add here I dont know if you have heard about TinStock the 2010 Starcraft club weekend get together but theres a thread on it in the Starcraft forum let me know if you need a link .


Rick

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

I've got a V4 on mine. I'd run that 115 (cough) 85. Going to be fast as heck.

 

[Andy in NY]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

I've got a V4 on mine. I'd run that 115 (cough) 85. Going to be fast as heck.

omg, mine goes good with a 50! i cant imagine with a 115!!!!

 

[henrye718]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

I have a 60hp 3 cyl merc on a 17' starcraft superfisherman. It does 28 mph, on the gps with two people fully loaded with gear and leaky hull full of water. This seems plenty fast to me.

That thing is gona fly with the 115. Since your restoring it how about adding a transom brace or some kind of reinforcment, that thing is gona pull hard on the transom if you ever run it wide open, even the hole shot torque is going to be alot more than normal too. The rating is for the weight, yeah, mosty likly due to a overly heavy a motor will end up causing the stern to sit deeply in the water but also for the amount of force the motor's power can put on the transom dont forget with old and possibly fatigued metal.

 

[Rickairmedic]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

LOL remind me not to try to drag race reelfishin at the get together . I have an 80HP 4 cykinder Merc and am looking forward to seeing what the GPS has to say when I get it out on the water .


Rick

 

[Andy in NY]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

LOL remind me not to try to drag race reelfishin at the get together . I have an 80HP 4 cykinder Merc and am looking forward to seeing what the GPS has to say when I get it out on the water .


Rick

im thinkin you should be able to hit at least 30... hell if i can do 25 with a 50hp...

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

at 2/3 throttle you'll prob be where the 85 max'd out!
Always nice to have a little more "pedal" for emergencies..

Same weight..won't be max'd out @ all (if ever..)
In the hands of a skilled, reasonable man like your self...No brainer.

Me..I would prob twist the transom off!!!..lol

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

I fired the motor up in the tank at lunch time, it sounds really healthy, it sounds and feels stronger than my 135 hp on my 18" Starchief. The Starchief hits 42 mph on the GPS with the 135, and it's lugging a lot more weight and has far more wind resistance. That boat is over rating by 15 hp but that's the motor it came with. I don't push any of my boats hard, they all get treated pretty well on the water, but I do like to run fast when I can. My 14' tinny with a 25 hp Merc does about 27 mph with two big guys onboard and that feels slow to me. If the SS will run a solid 35 - 40 mph I'll be happy. My biggest debate is whether or not it would run faster with a lighter, lesser hp motor. I had the instance with another boat where my 70hp ran faster than my then 85 hp since it was lighter and made better power for its weight. I think in this case though, the 115 will have enough umph to get the boat well on plane and keep it there.

The transom already had three large gusset braces, and with all the new wood, epoxy, and layers of glass mat, it's solid as a rock. The way I look at it is that the 18' boat has the same design hull, only a bit longer and a few inches wider, it's rated at 120 hp with the same supports and that transom is still original and rock solid even though it's spent most of it's life with a 135 hp motor on it, and the last owner was never afraid to run it hard at all.

The plan is for now to put it on the SS when its done, which won't be for a while yet, I've not had much time to work on it this summer. Its been ready for paint for two months but I've just not had the time or spare space in the shop. I'll be happy to at least finish the painting by the end of the summer, then I can start reassembling it and put it on its new trailer.
Then I'll hang the motor. When I first got the boat I had planned to run a 55 hp I had, then I sold my other boat, kept my just freshened up 70 hp, now I found this (115hp)/85hp. I got the motor super cheap, so like I said, I'd have bought it even if I didn't have a boat.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

My biggest debate is whether or not it would run faster with a lighter, lesser hp motor. I had the instance with another boat where my 70hp ran faster than my then 85 hp since it was lighter and made better power for its weight.

I had this discussion with Andy earlier today. I think I fall into this category. If my 85 were to die tomorrow I don't think I'd replace it with another V4.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

I really started to get that impression about weight and the smaller V4s after I hung an older 65hp on my Jupiter before it sold it last month, the boat really got up and went with that on there, of course, it was basically just a hull and motor, no seats, one 6 gallon portable tank, and one battery. I didn't even have the windshield on it. The new owner wanted it to be as stripped down as possible to fish off of. My handheld GPS said it was hitting 38 mph, but it felt faster in the choppy water I tested it in. The motor was on older electric shift 65 hp that the new owner had. I had intended to hang a newer 70 hp on that boat but never got around to it. I was a bit concerned about freeboard at the stern, with any V4, but the SS is pretty basic, which also means it's hard to relocate the fuel tank and battery forward. The last owner had an older 4 cylinder Mercury 500, (50 hp), on it. which was pretty light, he said it flew with that motor but his idea of flying and mine were quite different. I thought about a 50 or 55 hp Johnson motor but the triple seemed to be the way to go.
(If I had another late model triple, I'd probably just hang this V4 on my 18' and retire the older 135hp.

 

[brobrad]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

I've got a 18' starcraft with cuddy. I have a 1970's 115 Johnson i'm going to put on it. I wouldn't hesitate to put the 115 on your boat. You'll just need to watch the hole shot and not over torque the transom. I can't wait to get mine mounted and see what she'll do.

 

[Tacklewasher]

Re: Starcraft engine choice question/opinions.

I'm with the others. Run the 115 and be careful.

But I'd take a 70 over an 85.

BTW, I run just under 40 mph with a 1980 115 on an 18' SS.