What size motor?

[mrklean]

Starting to look for my first boat looking for something in the 16-17ft range what is a good size tiller motor to start with mostly metro lakes and mid size lakes. I was think 40-50 horse?

[harvey lee]

I would go with the largest motor one can hang on the boat according to the sticker in the boat.

I underpowered 1 boat and wish I would never have done it.

[panhead]

I would recommend at the minium 80 percent of the max. hp thats allowed for the boat. I once had a 65hp. on a boat rated for 100 and when loaded i wasnt happy with it. Bought the rig used so i didnt make the initial choice of what size outboard to hang on it.

[Gordie]

I would go with the largest motor one can hang on the boat according to the sticker in the boat.

I underpowered 1 boat and wish I would never have done it.

Ditto, I also had a boat that was just not to its fullest potential with a slightly under powered motor, so never again

[clKiekhafer]

4X

I fell into the same situation as the others have. 75hp on a 90hp rated boat, you would have thought right, not the same. Put a 90hp on the same boat and could pull 2 skiers and still have three in the boat. The 75hp was tough to plane with two adults and two small kids. My motto has be ever since, MAX horsepower and don't look back. You can always throttle back, but it is nice to have the extra when a storm in coming in and some of the bigger lakes that has saver my butt many times.

[harvey lee]

The boat I have now had a Merc 50hp 4 stroke on it and I thought that was plenty of hp.

It is with 2 people max on this 16.5ft boat.

Now, when I have 3 people in it and loaded down fairly heavy, it is short hp. I finally found a prop that will give me the power to get on plane fast but it cost me about 5 mph on the top end.

With another 25hp, I would not have had any of these issues.

I know it is only 3-4 times a year that I run into a lack of hp but it is not worth the few extra dollars I saved buying the smaller motor.

Never again.

[solbes]

It's especially important to max out boats with a tiller motor, as they almost always carry lower hp ratings than side console or full windshield versions of the same hull.

You don't want to pay for the design and fabrication of an efficient hull if the motor hanging off the transom can't push it effectively.

[CaptainMusky]

It's especially important to max out boats with a tiller motor, as they almost always carry lower hp ratings than side console or full windshield versions of the same hull.

Agree 100%. A buddy has the same hull as I do, his a tiller model rated for 90HP, mine a full windshield rated for 200HP.

His boat with the 90 goes 33mph. Mine with a 150 goes 48mph. I think I would get airborne with a 200HP motor on there and definitely didnt want to spend the extra $8000 for that motor.

[BoxMN]

Also, I know many with 4 strokes will disagree... but if you get a 4 stroke make sure to fully max it out. 4 strokes are great motors, but they are comparative slugs to 2 strokes. Top end will likely be the same, but add a person or two and you will notice the difference getting on plane guaranteed. I have a 4 stroke on my pontoon and love it. And I gotta say with the 4 blade prop it has more umph than I expected, but it is a pontoon not a planning boat.

I have a 150efi (older Merc 2 stroke, not how people call 4 strokes "efi" these days) on a boat and it is a blast even though is thirstier than new ones, haha!

So take that as you will. If you get a 4 stroke for sure max it out, or you WILL be sorry. With a 2 stroke you can be under more and not be sorry. But for fun sake, max that out too You can always slow down with the bigger motor, there is only so much throttle to give when wanting to go faster Good luck!

[Old Dewjabber]

People tried telling me to save money and gas with a smaller motor. But the way I look at it is I get more fishing time in because I get to the spot faster and can fish longer. I have noticed since I got a bigger boat with twice the horse power I'm hitting twice as many spots too! To me, worth every penny because I don't get enough time on the water as it is!!

[MattL]

As others have said, max it out. With a tiller you want to be able to pop up on plane quickly so you can see in front of you. I have a 16.5' with 70 tiller and its a great combo. I don't run full throttle often, but it sure is nice to pop up on plane quickly then slow down to 4-4500 RPM cruise speed.

[elkhornsun]

I agree in part with bigger is better but there is also a point of dimishing returns. I don't pull skiers and my boat has sold with 25, 40, 50, 60, and 90 HP motors. The 60HP was $2500 more than the 25HP and the 90HP would have been several thousand dollars more. From other owners of similar boats it was clear that the 25 and 40 motors were not adequate, the 50 barely so and the 60 was good and for my needs for fishing it was good enough.

I know I can get more of my money back out of the 60HP than I could expect to get from the 90HP motor. I also planned to add a kicker motor and did not want the extra 153 lb. weight of the 90HP motor on the transom of my 16' deep V boat.

Maxium speed is important if you don't particularly value your kidneys or those of your passengers. With a boat that I need to sit to drive my speed depends a good deal on the conditions out on the water.