Enough Power?

[s_bamman]

Im buying an 18ft Sea Boss with a 90 hp johnson. ( Thats the recommended engine for that boat) If I have 5 or 6 people on the boat will the 90 hp engine be sufficient? Will I be able to have 3 people on the boat while pulling someone on a wakeboard?<br />Thanks<br />-Sam

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Enough Power?

I dont think you will be happy seeing what you want to do with the boat. a 150 would be much better. An 18' boat is a lot of boat for a 90HP.

 

[jim dozier]

Re: Enough Power?

See current thread by BIN FSHN "Best way to improve performance"

 

[bossee]

Re: Enough Power?

Hi,<br />It is a matter of how much patience You have to get up on plane. With only 90 hp it will take a while if You are as many as 5-6 persons onboard. But it depends on the boat's hull also - some hulls are very well designed and give very little resistance in water and plane without much effort. I would say 3 persons onboard and one wakeboarding will work - I have a wakeboard myself and in my opinion it is not required that much force to get a normal weight person up from the water on a wakeboard. With my old boat I only had a 65 hp 2-stroke on a 17,5 ft hard top boat and a wakeboard pole (Big Air Universal Pylon) and we could easily be 3 persons onboard and one wakeboarding. My new boat has a 115 hp 4-stroke on a 19 ft bowrider - better of course.<br /><br />You probably want at least a 115 hp outboard to not feel you are underpowered in the situations You mention. That would be my best guess.<br /><br />I'm not familiar with Sea Boss Boats, but is it this model You are interested in?<br /> http://www.seabossboats.com/180dc.html <br /><br />That model can handle up to 140 hp.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Enough Power?

Check the ID plate for maximum HP rating for the boat. Since you are running heavy most of the time or using it as a tow boat, you want to bepretty close that maximum. I agree that 90 HP would not be the best choice.

 

[sanmig1969]

Re: Enough Power?

I just purchased a 19 ft Sea Boss bay center console, and I purchased it with a Johnson 150. My previous boat was a 17ft cc trophy with a 90 force. It was not alot of fun to try to tube or wakeboard with a few people on the boat. Getting on a plane took a bit, and the motor did struggle along. Comparison of that, and my new 2004 SeaBoss, this is a dream. My boat hauls booty, more than enough to wakeboard/water ski etc. This past weekend we went out with 4 adults and one child on board, plus coolers, food etc. I was pulling, on the choppy bay 42MPH via GPS and 44 via speedo. I believe after testing the GPS to my F250 speedo that the GPS reading was more accurate. I'd push for the 115 minimum for your boat, and the 150 if you can make the $$ to pay it.

 

[shep70057]

Re: Enough Power?

Get the highest rated hp engine the boat is rated for. That way you will not be left wondering what would have been if you had a bigger engine.

 

[s_bamman]

Re: Enough Power?

180center console

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: Enough Power?

Go with the 140 hp max. recommendation and you will be happy. 5-6 people is too much for a 90.

 

[CalicoKid]

Re: Enough Power?

Hey you're not going to be the fastest guy on the lake but if you prop it right and don't haul too much crap in the boat you should be able to tool around fine. I learned behind a 35hp, and ski'd for years behind a 17' procraft with an 85hp Suzuki and had tons of fun summer after summer. Now I've got a 110 OMC on a 16'er which is a bit of an upgrade powerwise. Didn't make me ski any better.<br /><br />Get the right prop, get rid of excess weight, weight has much more influence on performance than does horsepower, and remember to put the plug in!<br /><br />

<br /><br />That's a nice looking boat. I'll trade ya!