Overpowering a boat by 10hp

[atomic912s]

Here is the deal, I have a 1984 16 ft Lund Mr. Pike with a HP rating of 75hp. Right now it has a 50hp on it, and I have a 85hp that I would love to throw on!!!

Anyone see any objections to overpowering by 10 hp that would bring the boat 8.5% over the recommended HP limit??

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

Oh boy HERE WE GO.......

Do yourself a favor and search "over powered" "overpowered" and "overpowering" so you can see the mickey mouse party these threads turn into.

I'll summarize for ya:

1: No way you'll kill everyone on the lake!

2: Of course you can, nobody will ever notice.

3: New motors are prop rated so an old motor can be 15% bigger

4: Laws are laws

5: It's not a law but rather a general guideline

6: The lawyers will own your house

7: That's what insurance is for

8: Ins won't cover you because you had too much power

9: As long as the cowling says it has less hp nobody could ever find out

10: How dare you even ask because you're gonna do whatever you want anyhow

I may have missed a few but you get the idea :lol:

 

[matt167]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

With a 1984 you have a USCG HP rating listed on the placard and being a popular model like a Lund MR. Pike, DNR/USCG/ water police may know your overpowered just by knowing your boats rating as it's a common boat. Your boat can probably handle the extra HP. It's not like your asking us for justification to strap 100-150hp to it like some of these type questions develop into, but it could get you a ticket or an order back to the docks depending on your state/ lake regulations and your insurance provider may not write a policy on it.... Your going to get a lot of flac in this thread, many will say run it but the choice is yours and yours only.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

As the list above suggests, there are two issues: legal and safe.

Legal: Check your own state's laws to see if the capacity plate is a "legal limit" that will get you a ticket if you go over, or if it's regarded as a guideline.

Safe: 10 HP won't matter. Assuming no big jump in weight.

 

[JB]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

The guys at Lund decided that 75HP is the maximum power for safe operation. Exceeding that is sort of like just slightly overloading your trailer.

Probably nothing happens. Maybe the extra weight and torque breaks your boat. Maybe the extra speed causes a crash of some sort.

This is not a good place to get an okay to take that risk.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

Smokeonthewater summed it up perfectly! One thing I've always wondered, why does iboats have such a hangup about adding 10hp, but yet I bet there are a fair number of those exact same guys with chipped diesel trucks that are maybe close to double what the factory said was safe in that vehicle!

Long story short, the USCG capacity plate for HP is not the word of law in most states. I challenge anybody to show me a state statute (they are all online) saying you can't violate that HP. (I'll leave this one open, there might be a couple out there somewhere.) And from my experience working in insurance for quite a few years, I never once saw a case where HP made any difference at all. (again, I challenge anybody to dig up a case file where overpowering (at least within reason) was the main reason in the argument.)

Until that happens, everything else is made up fallacy and conjecture. 'I heard from a friend who heard from a friend about this guy that was pulled over by a game warden...'

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

Probably nothing happens. Maybe the extra weight and torque breaks your boat. Maybe the extra speed causes a crash of some sort.

So what if the +10 hp motor is LIGHTER? That is fairly common, especially if you compare a boat that may have came with a 4 stroke from the factory. Also, +10 hp is going to be a negligible speed increase, in fact, he might decide holeshot is more important and runs a 5 bladed prop on that +10hp motor. Now the end result is that it is both lighter AND slower... Kind of ruins that argument.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

Look at the Lund in my signature, console steer with a max hp of 35. When I bought it I originally put a 18hp and it ran nicely with just me or 2 people in it. More than that and it got slow. Later I found the 35hp that is on it now. I could immediately notice the extra weight in the stern, sat lower in the water. Could also notice a great improvement in load carrying and time to plane. It also would become very squirrelly when alone and heading into a quartering wind at high speed.

I now also have an Alumacraft Classic 16, very simular to the Mr. Pike, also simular to the S14 DLX only slightly larger and heavier. It was originally powered by a 70hp Evinrude 3 cylinder that was damaged when I bought it. I repowered it with a 60hp Johnson 2 cylinder which is also 50lbs lighter than the 70hp. This boat with this 60hp performs very well. I don't know that the extra 10 hp would make up for the extra 50lbs. Again adding the extra weight would make it sit lower in the water and draw more water at low speeds or trolling.

Now I'm assuming that this 85hp you want to put on is a V4. Which is also 70lbs heavier than the 3 cylinder and 120lbs heavier than the 2 cylinder. Then look at the Capacity plate and it will give you a max weight loading with engine. Adding 120lbs of engine weight just cost you the weight of one small adult you can carry

Or look at it this way. If it has a max load of 1000lbs including engine with that engine you will be able to carry 700lbs before you become overloaded. With the 2 cylinder you can carry 820lbs.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

Oh boy HERE WE GO.......

op2:

8: Ins won't cover you because you had too much power

That one gets used a lot. So far I've seen nothing but opinions though. I'd really be interested in hearing from someone who's either had a claim denied because they were slightly overpowered, or from someone who works in the insurance industry and can give a definitive answer about this. One reason I'm skeptical about this is that when I got an insurance quote I was never asked what size engine was on my boat, or what size engine my boat was rated for. But they did ask how fast my boat was.

Anyone see any objections to overpowering by 10 hp that would bring the boat 8.5% over the recommended HP limit??

OK, I'm not one to miss any opportunity to nit-pick. You'd be 13.3% over the recommended max HP (10 / 75 * 100).

 

[agallant80]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

You are crazy to even think of this. The gravitational pull from the larger motor will change the tides and begin a new ice age. Thanks for ruining the planet for us

For real, I think you will be fine. I overpowered a boat by 10HP before and nothing happened. I would just pay attention for what weight the transom is rated at.

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

I overpowered a boat by 10HP before and nothing happened. I would just pay attention for what weight the transom is rated at.

Well, sure, as long as you don't count Mt. St. Helens!!! Nothing happened.

 

[crazyinkc]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

Smokeonthewater summed it up perfectly! One thing I've always wondered, why does iboats have such a hangup about adding 10hp, but yet I bet there are a fair number of those exact same guys with chipped diesel trucks that are maybe close to double what the factory said was safe in that vehicle!

Long story short, the USCG capacity plate for HP is not the word of law in most states. I challenge anybody to show me a state statute (they are all online) saying you can't violate that HP. (I'll leave this one open, there might be a couple out there somewhere.) And from my experience working in insurance for quite a few years, I never once saw a case where HP made any difference at all. (again, I challenge anybody to dig up a case file where overpowering (at least within reason) was the main reason in the argument.)

Until that happens, everything else is made up fallacy and conjecture. 'I heard from a friend who heard from a friend about this guy that was pulled over by a game warden...'

State of Kansas

115-30-5 – Boating; capacity plate and
operation; calculation of person capacity.
(a) A capacity plate, once installed on a
vessel, shall not be removed, defaced,
replaced, or altered.
(b) A vessel shall not be operated with a
motor whose horsepower exceeds the
maximum horsepower of the motor as
specified on the capacity plate or as
computed under K.A.R. 115-30-6.

Federal

“Horsepower capacity”: 33 C.F.R. section
183.53 as in effect on August 1,
1987;

 

[NYBo]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

Smokeonthewater summed it up perfectly! One thing I've always wondered, why does iboats have such a hangup about adding 10hp, but yet I bet there are a fair number of those exact same guys with chipped diesel trucks that are maybe close to double what the factory said was safe in that vehicle!

Diesel truck manufacturers do NOT state the maximum safe horsepower for their vehicles, so these situations aren't comparable.

 

[BonairII]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

10hp over is nothing IMO.

As long as the boat and transom are in good shape....you're good to go.

Don't think for a minute that Lund(or any other manufacturer) rates their boats right at the max that the hull/transom can handle.

I don't believe that anyone here has ever seen(or heard of) a person being ticketed for being overpowered....esp by something as minuscule as 10hp over.

 

[FindingWaldo]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

Well,

My starcraft 1980 fiberglass boat is overpowered by 20hp. It is only rated for 100hp and I have a 120hp engine on it at the moment. The only thing I notice is that the additionally weight will take effect. My boat does sit a little low, but everything is fine.

I am actually looking for some info here to about overpowering a boat. Thus, i'am glad to have joined!

Hope that helps.

Finding Finding Waldo

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

http://forums.iboats.com/search.php?searchid=6280442

 

[Nodd89]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

What about all the people that put big boy kits on there 49cc scooters to push them over a 75 or even 110, with anything under 50 cc u don't need a motorcycle licence for but the motors juiced out and registration says 55 cc

 

[JB]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

It is a matter of policy. Do not support or recommend violation of manufacturer recommendations.

 

[skyking897]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

About it being legal/illegal to overpower a boat let me tell you about the 16' Starcraft I bought a few years ago. Bought this boat that was traded in by the sheriff's department to a dealer in Flint Mi. Now being as the previous owner was the Sheriff's department, you would think they knew if it was legal to do this, but the boat had a 100hp motor (motor was shot)hanging on the back and I believe the max hp listed was 65hp. Just a littttttle bit over the max rating. BTW the transom needed replacing when I bought that boat. The dealer also told me they bought a new boat and did the same thing to it. I guess if they can do it so can you.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Overpowering a boat by 10hp

Just because you can do it doen't make it the right or wise thing to do.

I can also catch Northern Pike out-of-season on grappie jigs but that dosen't make it a wise thing to do!