upgrading to a bigger motor 25 more horse im aloud 90 i want 115

[chris7936]

i have 1984 bayliner 17ft bassboat 85 horse im aloud 90 the 115 is about the same size as my 1984 85 horse <br />besides the torque what will my biggest problems be<br /><br /> thanks

 

[CATransplant]

Re: upgrading to a bigger motor 25 more horse im aloud 90 i want 115

Depending on where you live, your biggest problem might be that it is illegal to install an outboard with more HP than the boat's tag specifies. If you have an accident involving others, your liability will go right through the roof, since you knowingly exceeded the boat's design specifications.<br /><br />Beyond that, you may encounter other problems, such as exceeding the hull's design capabilities at high speeds. That can lead to things like chinewalking and other nastiness.<br /><br />With the oversized engine, you'll probably go a few MPH faster, but not all that much. I wouldn't do it.

 

[bluewater19]

Re: upgrading to a bigger motor 25 more horse im aloud 90 i want 115

If you live in CA you can put any motor on your boat you want. At least the tree hugging hippies haven't screwed that up!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: upgrading to a bigger motor 25 more horse im aloud 90 i want 115

Yes, you can. However, that does not make it a good idea. Here's a scenario for you: You're out on the lake and you somehow run into another boat, or, say, someone falls out of your boat and drowns.<br /><br />You have insurance to cover this? Probably not, or if you do, you didn't tell them that the outboard you have on it exceeds the manufacturer's hp maximum.<br /><br />So, the lawsuit happens. The very, very first thing the jury's going to hear is that the boat had a larger engine on it than the maximum recommended by the boat manufacturer. You lose...instantly...whether or not you really did anything wrong. Negligence. You were negligent in attaching an outboard to the boat that was more powerful than recommended by the boat manufacturer.<br /><br />That's why the insurance companies won't insure you if you are overpowered. And...if you got the insurance with a smaller motor, they're likely to have a clause somewhere in the policy that's going to mean you don't have insurance any more, even if you paid.<br /><br />Tree-hugging hippies have nothing to do with it. Lawyers do.<br /><br />I still don't recommend overpowering a boat.

 

[chuckz]

Re: upgrading to a bigger motor 25 more horse im aloud 90 i want 115

Chris,<br /><br />That vintage engine HP is rated at the crank not at the prop. At the prop you have about 60HP. Upgrade to a modern 90HP (rated at the prop) and you will have 1.5 times the power you have now without exceeding the maximum rating for the boat.<br /><br />Chuck

 

[LubeDude]

Re: upgrading to a bigger motor 25 more horse im aloud 90 i want 115

L. A. Chuck has it nailed:<br /><br />I had a friend a long time ago that had a 15.5' Ranger Bass boat just like mine, same color even. We both had the exact same setup. Same 85 HP Evenrude. I had a few little tricks up my sleeve, and my boat was 2-3 MPH faster than his. One day out of the blue, he beat me, When we got back to the dock he told me that he put a 115 on his and just put the engine cover for the 85 on it and you couldnt tell. A long story made short, He never could use the full amount of the HP, because the boat was too squirly, I was running almost 50 MPH, he could only go a little faster than me untill the boat got unstable. Me thinks it was a waist of money and time.

 

[Lakebiker1st]

Re: upgrading to a bigger motor 25 more horse im aloud 90 i want 115

I've had 175 HP on boats rated for 115 HP but that was before the legal stuff was an issue. One thing you need to check before spending any money is the integrity of your transom. I bring this up from experience!!!!$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[walleyehed]

Re: upgrading to a bigger motor 25 more horse im aloud 90 i want 115

That vintage engine HP is rated at the crank not at the prop. At the prop you have about 60HP. Upgrade to a modern 90HP (rated at the prop) and you will have 1.5 times the power you have now without exceeding the maximum rating for the boat.<br />

Actually, it's not quite that extreme...you may have 80hp at the prop now.<br />With a new 90hp, the difference will not be as drastic as you may think, in fact, if you stay with the same brand, the prop used would be most likely the same. you might gain 150RPM if everything is just right.