size of motor

[drhdres]

I'm new to boating and just got a new 14' john boat for fishing on small lakes in Indiana. It says its rated for up to 15 hp but I can't imagine getting one that big for a small boat on small lakes. Can i use a 6 or 9hp or even one of the new 5hp B&S 4 cycles?

 

[roscoe]

Re: size of motor

Sure, a small motor will work fine on your boat. <br /><br />I would look for a motor from 4-9 hp.<br /><br />The Briggs motor is pretty decent for the money, and easy to maintain.

 

[oregonducker]

Re: size of motor

I've run a 15 horse on a 14' jon several times because that's the only short shaft motor I have. More than enough for fishing I'd have to say. Handy if you want to run around the lake trying different spots because of the speed or if you and a buddy and a dog like to go duck hunting in the winter. Doesn't take long to load up a 14' jon for duck hunting so the extra power is nice. If I didn't already have the 15 I probably would have bought a used 9.5 or 9.9. If you're going to just fish by yourself on small lakes then something in 5 or 6 horse would probably do fine.

 

[drhdres]

Re: size of motor

thanks for your help. Most times I am fishing alone or with a buddy. I borrowed a friends old Johnson 6 and had a hard time getting the boat to plane out. I was alone but wanted to do just what you described. Moving from place to place. I wasn't sure if the old 6 just was too tired to push me faster or the boat was too big. I'm a big guy 6'4" and 250 so it could be that I'm just too big.

 

[ED21]

Re: size of motor

You'll never be sorry you have a 15 hp when a thunderstorm rolls in unexpectedly.

 

[longshot]

Re: size of motor

I had a 1440 jon boat with a 15 horse mercury before my current boat. It would run 23MPH on a GPS with me @275# and a buddy at 200#. My friends did not want to believe me about the speed till they saw it on a GPS. I think the 15 horse was a great motor for that size of boat.<br /><br />thanks<br />longshot

 

[Greg New Zealand]

Re: size of motor

I thinks it is wiser to have the extra power and run at half throttle most of the time rather than being under powered and using full throttle all the time.