Will a 3 liter, 135 hp I/O be ok in a 19.5 ft Stingray?

[sail&power]

I am considering buying a Stingray 195 bowrider. I am concerned that the Merc 3 liter 135 hp I/O will have enough power for skiing. I currently own a 160 Sea Ray (1989) with the same engine; it meets our needs perfectly. We never pull more than one skiier. I read one article that said a boat this size needs a larger engine. What are your experiences and thoughts?

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: Will a 3 liter, 135 hp I/O be ok in a 19.5 ft Stingray?

a 3.0 will do the job in a 19' but it's not going to be a sport boat.

 

[Stingrayrulz]

Re: Will a 3 liter, 135 hp I/O be ok in a 19.5 ft Stingray?

I am considering buying a Stingray 195 bowrider. I am concerned that the Merc 3 liter 135 hp I/O will have enough power for skiing. I currently own a 160 Sea Ray (1989) with the same engine; it meets our needs perfectly. We never pull more than one skiier. I read one article that said a boat this size needs a larger engine. What are your experiences and thoughts?

If you are going to tow anything you need a v-6 stay away from the 3.0.I have one in my 18 and I pull skier`s but it works hard and uses alot of gas

 

[LEGASEA]

Re: Will a 3 liter, 135 hp I/O be ok in a 19.5 ft Stingray?

135 Hp is on the low side for a 19' runabout. I ran a 130 HP for 18 years on a 18.5' Sea Ray Seville -- marginal in skiing a male adult. We finally had to install a Doel Fin on the outdrive, which helped the hole shot tremendously. I also down propped to a 17" for the skiing, which dropped lots off the top end and I had to be careful of ventilation/over-rev. I ran a 19 for normal lake cruising with 4 adults. I ran a 21 for long-distance cruising with 2 adults. Since I kept the props on the boatg, it was no problem to change them out during "breaks" between activities.