power

[dethridge]

I have asked this question before and dont remember what i was told. i havent been on in awhile. i am looking at a a few used fish and ski boat. i cant afford a new boat so i have to choose the right boat. i am a bigger guy weighing in around 325. my wife is around 200 and most people that will be going out with me are around 150 and up. its mostly going to be 4 of us. my question is would a 150 outboard be big enough or would i need to get a 200 hp. any advice would be helpful thanks alot.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: power

it all depends on the hull you buy. with yourself, wife, 2 small friends you are talking 825 lbs, plus motor, fuel, cooler, anchor etc. you are looking at a 1200 lbs, that is an 18-20 ft range. i would test drive anything before buying.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: power

Big boat = big power, small boat = less power, heavy load = bigger power, lighter load = less power. Pick the size boat you can live with. Then check it's load capacity which includes engine, gear, fuel, batteries, and adult beverages, etc. If that comes up to or approaches the maximum load, step up in boat size. Whatever boat you buy, for acceptable performance it needs to be powered with a minimum of 70% of the maximum rated HP on the capacity plate. If it's rated for 200 HP max, 140 - 150 would be the absolute minimum engine size and considering the above average load, probably 175 - max would be in order. Remember that a larger engine loafing can be almost as economical as a smaller engine that is working very hard.

 

[dethridge]

Re: power

thanks that helps. the one of the boats i have found that i really like is a 2000 javelin renegade 19 f/s with a 150 hp johnson. i am not sure the max power on this boat. however i would love it to be enough i really like the boat.if yall know anything else that can help would love to hear it. just really now getting into boating. i would like to learn everything i can.

thanks guys

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: power

I don't think I'd put 1000lbs of people into a fish and ski at one time, but that's just me. Let's dig deeper. What exactly are you wanting to do with this boat? Cruise, fish, watersports, all of the above?

 

[dethridge]

Re: power

honestly all the above. i love to fish and crusie. not much skiing but tubbing sometimes. mostly it will be for crusing and fishing.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: power

What type of fishing, though? If you are just looking to catfish or deep-watr, then there is not need for a bass boat-style hull or layout sine you won't be trying to get into the 18-24" of water trying to cast onto shore. It's not fun with more than 2 people trying to cast on a bass boat anyway, I promise.

Find yourself a nice runabout if you want to cruise and do occassional watersports. You can fish out of them just as easy as a bss boat if all you are doing it trolling or deep-water.

 

[dethridge]

Re: power

well i will be bass fishing alot. i would also like to do some amateur turnament fishing too. so i would be in some shallow waters.

 

[grego]

Re: power

IMHO? More power!! A friend listened to buddies about the power of a 600cc motorycycle, i told him that he would not be happy with a 600cc. long story,short. he did buy the 600. but! by the time he upgraded to the bike he liked "1000cc" it had cost him several hundred dollars more than if he had picked up the 1000cc to begin with! The same with boats. With the weight you are talking about, a 150hp will struggle to do what you want it to do. 200hp or above will do the job "AND!" make you more confident on the water. as far as tourney fishing goes. The time between "the last cast" and the run to the weigh in. Makes the larger engine a "MUST HAVE!" my .02

 

[dethridge]

Re: power

hey thanks. like i have said i dont know that much. i want an all purpose boat. so a bass boat would be out. however the bass boat style fish and ski would be good for my family. like i said earlier any info would be wonderful.

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: power

Get a boat with the biggest motor you can afford. Just because you have the power doesn't mean you have to use full throttle, but when you have to you'll be glad its there. Just remember to be safe with it.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: power

150 HP is a pretty big outboard on a 19 ft boot, isn't it? I know my buddy's 18 ft searay has the largest motor they put on it in 97, and that's a 125, and with 6 people we can still get up on the slalom...of course it tops out at 35ish MPH due to the prop, but it is definitely sufficient.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: power

150 HP is a pretty big outboard on a 19 ft boot, isn't it? I know my buddy's 18 ft searay has the largest motor they put on it in 97, and that's a 125, and with 6 people we can still get up on the slalom...of course it tops out at 35ish MPH due to the prop, but it is definitely sufficient.

Many 19-20 bass boats have 225's or 250's hanging off of the back of them. I've seen a 20'-er with a 300HP once, that boat looked like it was doing a wheelie at idle/stopped.

To the OP, you have sort of a conundrum on this one. The fish and ski may be your only option if you are looking to do the tournament fishing thing, but the draft on most fish-n-ski's isn't much different from a deck boat. I would definitely recommend a 4 or possibly even 5-blade prop to help move all of that weight around.

You might look at some deck boats to see if you think you could make it work for a fishing tournament. Many of them have trolling motors on the front and make great fishing platforms, they're just not quite as fast as the dedicated-bass boats and a bit wider.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: power

Right...but Bass boats are ridiculous. I thought we were talking about real boats here?

 

[riverkeg]

Re: power

Here's my 2 cents. My last boat was a 17.5' aluminum bass boat. I have 2 buddies I would go on an annual crappie trip with using my boat. They each weigh 260 - 280. I weight about 180. My outboard was a 75 hp 2 stroke, 17p prop. It wouldn't exactly jump out of the water but I got on plane easy enough and would run 38 mph (gps) on semi-flat water. I know it's a different hull but IMHO, that 150 on a 19' fish-n-ski would be enough. My family and I also used it for tubing. 3 in the boat, one on the tube and it was more than enough power.

 

[dethridge]

Re: power

ok so, i have found 2 boats that i really like. one is that 2000 javelin renegade 19 fs with a 150 johnson. the other in a 1999 triton 188 fs with a evinrude 200. you are right about the power. my buddy has a 93 javelin bass boat with a 175 he says its nice to have the extra power when he needs it. so i just have a delima i have to figure out. lol but i really thank yall alot for giving me the advice any more stuff i would be gald to hear it.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: power

For what you're looking to do I'd want something similar to this http://www.quinnsmarina.ca/sylvan/ProSportSeries-1900DC.html great fishing amenities but also a decent family cruiser. It's pretty much what I'm building my 18' Starcraft to be.