14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

[wellsc1]

I just read a set of posts related to proper outboard motor hp on 14' al boat and just gotta say my two cents worth (maybe confession). I purchased a River City Marine model. It's rated for 30 hp, but I had an 1980 Mercury 40 hp from 16' tri-hull fiberglass boat I wrecked (another story about hitting a tree on the river bank) that I put on it. THat motor became not worth fixing, and replaced it with a used 1999 Force (by Mercury) 40 hp with hydraulic trim/tilt. It provided a little more ooomph with 14 pitch prop off the old 40. Yes, it's overpowered, but it's a heck of a ride! Stick steering for front seat driver keeps the bow down and tames porposing. Then I replaced the 6-gal tank with 12-gal tank behind the back seat. With battery under back seat and passenger on back seat, I can't slow to a stop too fast or turn corners to tight without water introducing itself over the transom or gunwale (did I spell that right?). I can't back down the ramp too fast either. Wife screams at me when turns are too tight, but man can it whip around a corner in short order! By the end of the day, she's got wet feet sloshing in a puddle of water.

I look forward to your reply posts. ...just don't tattle to USCG. BTW, my mechanic would not put the motor on the boat for obvious reasons.

 

[Whoopbass]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

As long as your boat is decent made and you have more then half a brain then 40hp is just boat the right size.
I have a 30hp on my 15' aluminum and wish I had more.

Check out the inflatable section. There is a member with a 55hp outboard mounted on a 10' zodiac type boat. I didn't believe it until I saw the pic.

 

[arks]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

It might be fun but if you exceed the maximum HP noted on the boat's capacity plate you could be liable in an accident, not to mention your insurance company absolving themselves from any claim.
Also, if stopped by law enforcement, exceeding the capacity plate is a ticketable offense.

 

[Expidia]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

It's a stupid thing to do. You want to kill yourself go right ahead, but don't take your Wife with you!

This post sounds like you are a 15 year old kid. I'm afraid to ask how old you are.

 

[allinmygarage]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

I love it, sounds like a great ride. No where did you mention you were not taking some precautions I'm picturing you and the wife wearing life jackets and having a fun ride. I am all for extra horse power on anything with an engine. As long as you know how to control the power who cares (well maybe law enforcement). If your wife is like mine she would be screaming even if it had the rated 30 HP.

Keep having fun and don?t let all the old people give you a hard time.

 

[Expidia]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

just don't tattle to USCG. BTW, my mechanic would not put the motor on the boat for obvious reasons.

Did you miss the above part of his intelligent post . . . There is a reason why many of us are old. And this clown will probably never get there and sadly take others with him.

Would you want this guy to be your "Father"?

 

[Blue Crabber]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

I would have to agree with the other posts. Altough it may be fun, is it worth the risk?

I didn't hear you say anything about bailing devices and it sounds like you could sink that thing pretty quick with the wrong movement. I can't believe you wife actually goes out with you.

There are lots of other boats that you can have a great time on, go fast, stay dry and do it all while being legal.

Hey, its your life, but when you blantaly disregard safety measures you are putting yourself, anyone else around you and and rescue personal in grave danger.

I am all about having fun on the water, but I try to do it as safe as possible!

Just my $0.02 worth

 

[Expidia]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

From your posts you really sound like someone who should really own a jetski.

Put the correct O/B on your aluminum and buy a two person used jetski.

For the stuff you do with a boat it's really what you could be doing safely with a jetski. The one's I use go 70 mph. That's a bigger thrill ride than what ever you could think of doing in a 14 foot aluminum.

And I'm not putting anyone in danger

 

[CATransplant]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

Uff da! I hope you're not on any of the lakes I visit. I'd hate to have to pick up the pieces.

Bragging about doing stupid things is evidence of something...I'm just not sure what.

 

[allinmygarage]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

Well I do agree with the Jetski post. If this guy is having this much fun on an aluminum boat he would have twice as much fun on a jetski. Age I am sure does play into it so sorry if I sounded young. I have realized as I get older (I?m 27) that some of the stuff I did was stupid (mostly with cars). I have fully outgrown my jetski stage. Sold it a few years ago as soon as I bought my MN lake home. I quickly realized how annoying they are. I do race a camaro with a full cage at Brainerd speedway so that?s where my "extra HP" comment came from. But I do only race at the track where only I can get hurt.

All in all I hope you don?t get hurt and have a little fun with the 40 horse I still think extra HP is a good thing as long as you know how to control it. I would take a good driver with way too much horsepower then an inexperienced driver with the perfect amount any day. That's basically what I meant.

 

[Expidia]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

Not to beat a dead horse, but these types of posts can help others not to make the the same stupid mistakes that I have already made.

Several years ago my Daughter and I were both thrown into the lake when because of wind and the wakes from other boats instantly turned the lake into 3 foot waves out of no where.

The list is long on how I could have prevented it from happening if I knew what I was doing wrong at the time of the accident. I had a 5 hp Honda on this square backed canoe rated for the 5hp and after we were tossed into the water the canoe came back to continue to slowly circle us in tighter and tighter circles (just like a shark )

If that prop hit either of us it would have been ugly. I was finally able to grab onto the side on one of it's passes by us, but could not get back into the moving canoe. But my weight hanging off the side pulled the O/B under the water and it finally stalled out.

With my latest aluminum which is only 14.9 feet with the max rated 40hp on it . . . I even think it's overpowered to the point of being lethal in the wrong hands. Just like a jetski that can go 70 mph is (I don't own those jetskis, I use a friends) My boat pops to plane in about 2 feet!

I raised the O/B 2 holes to eliminate spray off the cav plate last season but had 3 incidents of accelerating only to have this combination of 40 hp on a lightweight aluminum suddenly whip around into a 90 degree turn.

If I was not gripping the wheel tightly, I would have been tossed 10 feet and have put others in danger (especially my wife if she was not sitting low in her seat at the time). If I was in the water, the boat because of the prop rotation could have come back aroound and easily killed me.

So I lowered the O/B back one hole at the start of this season and it might have solved the whip around issue from not enough boat being in the water under acceleration.

But with the canoe and each time my new boat whipped around I WAS NOT USING THE O/B's CUTOFF LANYARD! How freaking stupid do I have to be???

I guarantee you, this original poster does not even know the reason for using this cutoff device as he's flying around in a small over powered aluminum boat putting others in danger like I did.

If he's illegally overpowering his boat, think he's worried about using the proper safety devices that could save the lives of others.

And I have even taken a boating course and have over 40 years boating experience and still manage to do STUPID things.

If I manage to continue to do all these stupid things then I know how really scary it is out there with so many of us making stupid errors in judgement, when we should know better, yet we do it any way . . . Go figure

 

[allinmygarage]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

You are right there these posts can help. I have taken the safety course although it has probably been too long. I know my wife hasnt so maybe I should refresh myself. I always use the cutoff lanyard mainly because I am used to it from my jetski days.

I suppose promoting stupid things is not the best on a forum But you said it best, for some reason we all seem to do something stupid from time to time and always look back and say "what the hell was I thinking"

I should also note I have never owned an aluminum smaller boat so i really have no experience with them. Currently have a 21' Maxum which can be dangerous but fortunately they are really easy to control.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

One of the problems I see, and it's one of the reasons I don't boat on weekends, is very young boaters doing dangerous things with their boats. Just like kids in cars, many kids (under about 25 y.o.) in boats tend to think they're immortal and want to push things to the extreme whenever possible.

Our original poster is an example. He's running an overpowered little tinny, and even his wife recognizes that how he's doing it is unsafe. And yet, he's proud enough of his behavior that he comes here and brags about it. I guess he's expecting that we'll slap him on the shoulder and say, "Dude!"

Not me. I'll say, "Knock it off before you kill someone! If you want to grow old enough to have some sense, start behaving like you want to get older."

If someone's alone on a deserted lake and want to kill himself, he has my blessing. But, I don't know of any such places, so when I see dangerous boating, I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and call the lake patrol on that lake and report the problem. An expensive ticket or two might just save the boater's life along with the lives of others.

So, for you young guys, all full of yourselves, I may be on the lake you're on. Drive carefully, OK?

 

[David Greer]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

I've been boating the same river for over 40 years. One change I've seen is the boats are bigger and the engines bigger, and the drivers younger. We would start as a young teen with a 13' whaler with a 33, max, and at 16 move to a 16' bowrider with a 65. Now you see a 14 year old running a 19' with a 150. Or a grownup who has never owned a boat trying to pull tubes behind a 25' Grady.
The few intentionally overpowered boats were the home-made hydroplanes, and many of them had small engines, and got speed by hull design. So if someone who knows what he's doing puts together an otherwise "overpowered" boat but knows it, and runs safely, good for him and I'll enjoy his ride vicariously. While any boat in the wrong hands is deadly, the big boat/big motor is even more so. Picture the teenage girl onthe cell phone at 45 mph in a 20 foot whaler. Yikes.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

Well, I'm an old geezer. I started out at 10 years old in an 8' dinghy with oars. I finally saved my allowance and bought a 3/4 hp outboard that ran...sometimes...so the oars stayed in play.

Over the years, the boats and outboards got bigger and bigger. Now, though, I'm on a downward path, with a 12' aluminum boat and a 6 hp outboard. There's still a pair of oars in the boat, too.

 

[wellsc1]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

Great discussion on my original post. The wisdom, safety, and other precautions resulted from me seemingly wreckless post and should pay huge dividends to those not safety oriented. I'm 55 and fish for bream, speckled seatrout, redfish, sheepshead, flathead catfish and other river and flats fish.

I respect the power of the engine and only push full throttle on straight-aways and sweep turns. Knowing what it can to in tight turns after some test runs, I slow down for them and know there's reserve power if needed. The wife rides/fishes with me because I listen to her. She knows I'm the Capt. as long as she is the Admiral. We have the coast guard equipment and safety cutoff switch. I went to 12-gal tank after running low or out of gas on long runs from house boat to fishing spots. Getting towed is not fun. If water is rough, we slow down or don't go at all.

Thanks to all for sharing, even the passionate outburst. Like others that posted, I have learned from experience and paid my dues. I know the 14 foot operates differently than mhy 175 Sea Chaser, and that operates differently than a 22-foot offshore walk-around cuddy we owned. And beyond that, our son's 30 Regal is way more than I am comfortable manuvering. I'll drive it in a straight line and long turns, but he's in charge at the dock and putting it on/off the trailer. I know my limits. Again thanks. I enjoyed the responsed.

 

[bekosh]

Re: 14 foot aluminum boat overpowered

Don't let these worrywart, busy bodies rag you.

A 40hp on that isn't overpowered.

Now this on the otherhand might be a little overpowered. 14ft Paradise with a Merc Racing 225hp. You can read the whole story here. http://www.speedwake.com/upload/sho...66&perpage=20&highlight=paradise&pagenumber=1