Is 35 HP enough?

[ewscroggins]

Hey all, ive got a 35hp evinrude on a 15' fiberglass boat. the main waters i will put it in is the Clearwater and Snake rivers, they are big rivers, but have some fast spots. Is a 35 big enough to push that up river with up to 4 adults in it?

 

[countryboy26047]

Re: Is 35 HP enough?

I don't see a problem with that... It won't be a speed demon, but itll push ya. Gotta 17' aluminum tracker deep v with a 40hp 2stroke and with three adults on the ohio river it'll run about 26-28mph.. can't remember what pitch the prop is though.

 

[ewscroggins]

Re: Is 35 HP enough?

Well mine is not a deep V, and i plan on putting one of those fins on the lower unit that help it plane out faster, so maybe the 35 will do the trick. Id like just enough to pull a tube downriver if I wanted to.

 

[countryboy26047]

Re: Is 35 HP enough?

Dependent on river current, prop pitch, and getting trim adjusted for optimal performance (guessing it doesnt have power tilt/trim).. I would say rough estimate you may see 15-20mph.. that's without pulling the tube.. not quite sure how much of a diff. That will make.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Is 35 HP enough?

4 people is a good sized load. Add river current and it could get tricky. We used to water ski behind 35's but that was on light wooden 14' boats with only the driver and the skier (one each) on 2 skis, no slaloms, and light weight at that.....120-180 lbs.

The tail should help but don't expect miracles.

Mark

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Is 35 HP enough?

I had a 35HP OB on a 14 Crestliner. I would get about 23-25MPH, with 4 skinny kids on board...

 

[ewscroggins]

Re: Is 35 HP enough?

Well ill stick to the Big Twin 35 for now, I hear tell they are something of a collectors item, maybe down the road i can sell it on for a few dollars.

 

[B-Dozer]

Re: Is 35 HP enough?

I run a 79 35hp johnson on my 16.5 ft vbottom on the mississippi during floods to check on my moms house. We put 3 full sized adults in the boat 200+ and were not going to set speed records but I feel safe. If anyone knows the old muddy miss you know that is some really fast water during flood times.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Is 35 HP enough?

I run a 79 35hp johnson on my 16.5 ft vbottom on the mississippi during floods to check on my moms house. We put 3 full sized adults in the boat 200+ and were not going to set speed records but I feel safe. If anyone knows the old muddy miss you know that is some really fast water during flood times.

When I was in high school, the last 2 summers were deck hand on a tug that pushed barges up to Natches where the "river boats" took over and pushed them on up the Mighty Miss. We would take their tow and disposition it in NOLA and down the TX. Intercoastal water way.

What was tricky was when we turned off before NOLA at Angola on occasion. Negotiating the intersection of MM and the Atchafalaya R. to go down to Morgan City was a real bear. They had a USCG buoy tender permanently stationed there to mark where the sand bars were "today".

Mark