WHAT SIZE MOTOR??

[BADFISH]

Hey I am sitting here contemplating what size motor goes on what size boat. I am currently in the process of findin, rescuing, and resurecting a good ole' 14 foot aluminum boat so if you have any leads let me know. That being said, if I should happen to end up with a 12 or a 14 or a 16 what size motors can/would I want to put on them respectively. I goto Flaming Gorge quite a bit in summer, but mostly would be using the boat on Deer Creek, Jordanelle, Rock Port, and Pineview and possibly Utah lake and Yuba maybe once a year at one or the other. So seeing as how I am a rookie at fishin boats, and my wife and 5yearold kid are expecting me to be a pro, got any pointers? My main concern is finding a tiller mount motor with enough power to blaze me across the lake, but I WILL be trolling like a madman, my plan is to get a few down riggers, electronics, and I am already in posession of a lectric 22thrust LB. motor off of my float tube. Thanks in advance.

Laters,
[signature]

[danzilla]

whatever boat you get DO NOT exceed what its rated for theres usually a coast guard stamp on what motor to put on it. I had a 12' fiberglass boat with a 5.5hp motor on it as my 1st boat and it was great. I was a little leary on going out in the middle of some lakes and was always watching weather and other boats though.

I wouldn't go with anything smaller than a 5hp but no bigger than a 15hp.

being your first boat and all I'd stay in that range, you can capsize a small boat real easy by overpowering them plus you do want to do some trolling you can still troll with a 15hp.

if you do happen to get a 16' boat you can go with a little bigger engine but dont exeed your limits of common sence and be aware of what your doing and where your going. DZ
[signature]

[BEARCLAW]

I have a 14ft crestliner and my 15hp 4-stroke isn't quite enough. My boat is a little heaveir than the usual 14 footer and is capable of handling a 25hp. Just check the weight and motor capacity of your boat. Good luck and let us know how it all turns out.
[signature]

[Matador]

Hello BADFISH,

There are trade offs that you will have to accept based on your priorities. The problem is that a motor that will blaze you around on the lake will probably make a lousy trolling motor. A good trolling motor will not have enough power to blaze you around a lake, especially at altitude. I think a mistake a lot of people make is getting a trolling motor that is too big because in order to troll at a slow enough speed they have to have the throttle very low, and at lower RPMs a lot of motors don't run very good under load. I found that having a slightly smaller motor that runs at a slightly higher RPM prevents stalling and stalling a lot is very frustrating when trolling. Also, I highly recommend a motor with two cylinders because they run so much better at low speeds.

My opinion is that for a 14' aluminum boat your trolling motor should not be more than 15 HP. A 9,9 HP motor(or even smaller would be better) is decent for trolling but not as quick when you need to get off the lake in a hurry or go long distances. An electric trolling motor is also an option for trolling but on extended outings and on long days recharging the battery can be a real problem. You can also drag a bucket or use a trolling plate but these are also a pain.

For me the ideal situation was to have a bigger boat with a big motor for speed and a separate motor for trolling. But I know that isn't really your situation. I had 6HP Johnson(a sweeeeet motor!) on a 17' Hydroswift with a 65HP main motor and still had to run the trolling motor in the lower RPM range to keep my speed down for slow trolling.

You are going to have to decide what you do most and what is most important to you, trolling or speed. Good luck anyway...

m
[signature]

[PREDATOR]

Its all relative.

I have been in 14 ft aluminum boats that had all the goodies. livewell, raised platfroms, tackle storgae, ect. equiped with a 25 hp motor. Sometimes it seems that wasnt quite enough. The boat was rated for a 40 hp.

Then I have fished in 14 ft aluminum shell boats, thin wall, riveted, wouldnt dare put more than a 10 hp motor on it.

Boats these days are so different, the thickness, the bottom widths, transom support, and weights.

If you get a 14 ft boat like my duck boat, welded with solid floors, solid walls, raised platform, and .120 thick aluminum, you will definitley want more than 10 hp if you expect it to plane and have some go power.

Its all dependant on the particular boat you buy.

Some older boats dont have the coast guard rating plate on them. In that case you have to look at the construction of the boat and make a judgement call.
[signature]

[Theekillerbee]

Defenitley check the plate and see what it is rated at, then go for a motor you can afford. For most 14 footers, a 9 or 15 HP is more than sufficient. If you can afford the extra cost of the 4 stroke, go with one of those. I'd recommend a Mercury for the newer 4's. Good luck and happy fishin'.
[signature]

[Old_Coot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]For a couple of years, I ran a dependable 6 hp Evenrude on my 14 foot aluminum Gregor. It's trolling speeds were great but it took for ever to get from one place to another (7-10 mph max.). I tried a 9 hp Honda on it and didn't get nearly the desired speed that I needed (only about 10-12 mph) and even worse, that 9 horse, for some reason, was flipping water into the boat. And, that Honda was VERY cold blooded ... never warmed up and had to troll fast. Recently I purchased a new 15 hp 4-stroke Merc tiller. SWEET to say the least. With out being loaded down with people and gear, it planes at 11 mph, trolls at about 1.5 mph, and top speed is 23 mph! Not to mention that it is smooth and quiet. Fully loaded with people and gear it still gets up to 18 mph ... plenty fast for what I need. It was one of the best high-dollar purchases I ever made (right up there with marrying Mrs. Coot). Bad fish, you are welcome to use my old 6 hp Evenrude for a week or so to get an idea of how a 6 hp 2-stroke does. One other thing ... I used to be able to easily lift off the old 6 hp off the boat and store it on a stand every time I came in from fishing. No such doing with the new 15 ... it's a lot heavier.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]When I get to the point of wanting to blaze across the lake, I'll just borrow my brother's (future) $30,000 bass boat.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]No ... the Evenrude ain't for sale.[/size][/font]
[signature]

[Bowboy]

Badfish, I have a 14' Valco Aluminum boat with a 6 horse Johnson. It's a great trolling set up but it's slow to get you to your hole. I borrowed a 15 horse motor from my boss and it trolled ok but really moved me accross the water. The top speed was about 16 mph. At that speed the boat felt really squirrely and you could feel the floor flexing with the waves. I would suggest no more that a 15 horse but probably a 10 horse. I'm going to try and find a Merc. 9.9 for my boat. It won't move me as fast but hey, I'm not trying to ski behind it. Hope this helps.
[signature]

[BADFISH]

HOLEY MOLEY!!! You guys kick buuuuttt!!! Thanks, I want to troll more than get there.....heck ill troll all day across the lake to get to camp...did I mention I will be following a 28ft cabin cruiser, sea ray, I think. So this will be my fishin rig, trolling and the ability to get fish in the boat is the main point. From what you all say, I think about a 10 horse is right...give or take. So any of you have any old motors, running or not, you would wanna help me out with, I know I cant afford a new one, so it looks like used, or old, is the way to go. I am a skilled guy with a wrench and havent met a small engine I couldnt get running smoothly yet. I would love to rebuild a motor to use on my boat. I have a couple posts in the FOR SALE IN UTAH board as well. Check em out, if you think you can help, let me know.

Thanks again Guys/Gals!!

Laters,
[signature]