Power

[hunter111]

Hi, I am thinking of picking up a 2008 Larson 180-it comes with a 135hp inboard. My question; will this boat be adequate enought to pull a 200 lb. slalom skiier out of the water with a few people in the boat. I have a 1990 Maxuum with a 90 Merc outboard that does the trick right now, but it is a struggle. Getting older and don't want to put as much effort into it anymore . My Larson dealer told me that it should do the job without any difficulties if I change the prop to a stainless one (more rigid).

Looking forward to your experiences.

 

[OhWellcraft]

Re: Power

Is it an inboard or an I/O ? If it is an I/O I would say no way enough power to pull 200# slalom skiers out easily. You may be abel to prop it down enough to get a good hole shot but your top end will be very limited may not even go as fast as you need to ski well. On a good day I would put your merc 90 against it and would bet it would give it a GOOD run for its money. I am not sure what the avaliability is on new boats but I have never ever seen a 135hp inboard in a ski type boat. They are usually 270-310 horse(and up) 350's or 351's. An 18' is not tiny especially if you had 2-4 adults in it. If it is that new of a boat see if they have one like it you could demo because you will be using it to ski and have concerns with the power. My brother has a 22' Larson and it has a 350 mag with a duo prop it pulls pretty good but a lot has to do with the duo prop. You can never have too much power in a boat, if it were me I would really want to see how it performed before I purchased it.

 

[hunter111]

Re: Power

Thanks for the reply. It is an I/O, boat is a sport boat. I will look at the 6 cylinder 195hp, instead.

 

[QC]

Re: Power

Good call. BTW, that dealer salesman is an idiot. Stainless could actually hurt your hole shot, but that is a whole 'nuther discussion . . .

 

[hunter111]

Re: Power

Thanks for the information, always nice knowing that there is knowledge out there. I contacted Larson directly as well, same response go to larger motor.

Thanks Again

 

[1981Baja]

Re: Power

I would still try to demo the boat with the 195hp. Make sure you have the number of passengers, coolers, and additional weight you would normally have along.
That salesperson is definitely leading you astray if they indicated 135hp would be adequate.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Power

4.3L minimum

 

[IboatDave]

Re: Power

Speaking of enough power... I've seen several different hp ratings on the Mercruiser 4.3L carbarated engines.. mostly 190 hp and 175 hp. Can anyone tell me the difference? ( I know ... 15 hp ...) And how can tell how many HP my 4.3L has?

PS: Some friends of mine bought a Sea Ray 180 with the 3 liter 135 hp I/O and they skied beind it... but it was work. They ended up selling it the next season and upgraded to a larger engine.

Thanks.

 

[dcg9381]

Re: Power

Speaking of enough power... I've seen several different hp ratings on the Mercruiser 4.3L carbarated engines.. mostly 190 hp and 175 hp. Can anyone tell me the difference? ( I know ... 15 hp ...) And how can tell how many HP my 4.3L has?

PS: Some friends of mine bought a Sea Ray 180 with the 3 liter 135 hp I/O and they skied beind it... but it was work. They ended up selling it the next season and upgraded to a larger engine.

Thanks.

Might post up on the mercruiser maint forum - I believe it's a 2bbl vs 4bbl difference. There are higher HP (EFI) versions of this motor available.


I'm 200 lbs and I've skied behind a Larson 3.0L powered boat... It works, but it's not pretty and will make it very hard for new skiers. After more than 3 people in the boat, it would get impossible to get the boat on plain. Another 4.3L minimum vote.

 

[Sondar]

Re: Power

Hmmm... that's interesting. I have a Bayliner 175 with the 3.0 135HP Mercruiser. It's pulled a 240lb guy up on 2 skis without any trouble but I'm yet to try it with a slalom, so I'm hoping it'll do the job. I am going to drop the prop pitch though to give it a hand. Fortunately I'm only about 160lb, so that should help.

Kind of hope it's OK as I really don't have the cash to go to a bigger engine right now.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Power

you've been warned.

 

[Sondar]

Re: Power

Fair enough, but as I already have the boat, I guess I'll see how it works out.

 

[ovrrdrive]

Re: Power

I just sold a Searay BR176 with the 3.0 Mercruiser I/O and it would not get my 250lb butt out of the water on a slalom. not even close. I think I quit swallowing water at around 2 gallons and let go. I should mention that while I am large, I'm also pretty strong. This was with 3 adults in the front of the boat...

I could pop right out of the water on 2 skis though, and of course never had a problem on a kneeboard, but the slalom just wasn't worth the effort. Tubes worked great too in all but the most hard cuts where the boat would run out of power too.

I know I'm a little late to this party but hopefully my comments will help in the archives...