motor for my boat

[crappiegetter]

Okay I had received a 65-69 33hp Johnson outboard as payment of a debt of 60 bucks. So I purchased a 16ft Crestliner aluminum fishing boat for really cheap. My question is can anybody tell me how to figure out what the max hp motor I can put on the back of this boat? I know every boat has a plate mounted in them that tells you this info but the boat is a 56' and I can't find the plate because I think it has been drilled off. Is there a way to figure it out by using the length, beam, and depth of the boat?

[Ralph Wiggum]

You could probably call Crestliner and get an answer.

[Valv]

I am pretty sure a 16ft Crestliner was rated for 35hp max, so you should have no problem.

But also.... how anybody checking you out can figure it out too ?

[crappiegetter]

Kinda what I was thinking when looking into it. I was thinking maybe I could bump it up a nickel and get a 40 on it. Thought the newer motors would be a little lighter than my old one because it is pretty darn heavy to lift and it doesn't sink the back of the boat.

[Valv]

Yes, main concern would be weight of motor compared to a new one. I wouldn't try to go any higher, depending from the layout of your boat, 35hp might be the max allowed even in modern ones.

[boatfixer]

I'm sure Valv is correct on sticking with the max and that you cannot fudge the numbers based on newer engines being lighter. It wasnt until 1972 that boat manufactures were required to plate the boat with capacity ratings so your boat likely never had one.

I'll dig around in some of my old litature to find the formula