3 hp strong enough?

[bluebrownie]

i have 12 foot aluminum semiv.... looking at a small trolling motor...do you think3 hp would push the boat well enough?

 

[bluebrownie]

Re: 3 hp strong enough?

anyone?

 

[Mas]

Re: 3 hp strong enough?

I use a 4hp on my 14' Lund aluminum. The entire boat & gear and a couple of big butts is about 1000#. The four works great...I would also expect the 3 to troll nicely. It just depends on how much throttle you want to use.

When I used to race my 21 foot sailboat, I used a 2hp kicker (for purposes of lightness) to get out on the race course. The motor wound up but pushed the boat as fast as my 10hp honda due to a non planing displacement hull.

With a smaller motor, your only concern is wind, waves, and tides (if they apply).

If your boat does not weigh more than my lund, I'm sure a 3hp kicker would be OK for a troller. Any chance of trying before buying???

MAS

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: 3 hp strong enough?

3hp will push it but you may get bored with it quickly. May want to go up some.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: 3 hp strong enough?

The 3 hp will push your 12' tinny along at 4-5 mph. It will also troll down as slowly as you like. I have a 6 hp on mine, and it planes the boat at about 14-15 mph.

If you can, you'll find that an 8 hp or 9.9 hp is the ideal size for that small boat, giving you a complete range of speeds from slow trolling to moving almost 20mph for going between fishing spots.

I wish I had a 9.9.

 

[film495]

Re: 3 hp strong enough?

I troll my 12 foot mirrocraft with a 3hp, and it work good. I pull it up on the beach too, so I really don't want any more weight on the transom to dig into the bottom when I'm trying to launch. It is ideal for me as a trolling motor, but at 35 lbs - if I could have 6hp, I know my boat will plane with that, but purely as a trolling application 3hp works perfect. I can troll around for hours and hours on a few gallons of gas.