Alumacraft Competitor 175CS 115 or 150?

[Savage Brewer]

A friend of mine is looking at buying a new Alumacraft Competitor 175 CS.

The dealerships seem to think the 115HP motors will push this boat around fine, but the hull is rated to 150.

So what we are figuring out is the extra money and weight (anywhere from 60 to 90 pounds more) worth it for 35 more HP?

Do you think a 115 would be fine on this size boat?

The other option would be a ETEC 135HO, lil more money, but is around 140+ HP and only weighs 420 pounds.

Thoughts?

Thanks

[BoxMN]

We have older TP175CS (1997) which is I believe basically the same boat with new name (and upgrades of course). We originally ordered it with 125, but after talking to a guy who helped design it at the boatshow, decided to up that to a 150efi. The 125 would have worked, but it would not have made us as happy as the 150 has.

Your buddy should get a 150 on it. Heck, look at most of the posts about porpoising or other issues, and most have a 115 4 stroke on them. Possibly also because many 115 are sold, but point is, if he wants to get a full grin when he cracks the throttle, get a 150 2 stroke. If he wants to have a smile get a 150 4 stroke. If he wants to get good mileage and have things "work okay" and wish he would have gotten a 150, then get the 115 Tongue in cheek, yes, but honest even more so. Good luck!

PS I still get a ear to ear grin when I hit the throttle on our 15 year old boat, as it shoots to life, it doesn't ease its way to life haha!

[Savage Brewer]

Yeah, I would like the idea of a ETEC 150, OptiMax 150 ProXS or the new ETEC 135HO (supposedly 148hp) on there. I dont know how well those DI 2 strokes troll down though, might have to look at getting a 9.9 kicker.

I think he should max it out, but then again it is his money, not mine .

[BoxMN]

FWIW, I have a buddy who fishes mainly walleyes on Mille Lacs (has cabin there, and does some muskie fishing) and Miss river, some tournaments still but used to do a lot up until a couple years ago. Has a yammie 150 4 stroke tiller now, used to have optimax on previous boat. Trolls with the main motor a ton, like up to 10 hours a day. He said his next will be back to the opti with the smart craft gauges or whatever they are called. He trolled with his opti and had over 4000 hours on when he traded it in.... dealer though the hour meter was messed up, but nope, he trolled a lot with it Anyway, for what it is worth, plenty of trolling can be and is done with dfi motors.

edit - most of that is cranks and spinners, so not really too slow of trolling, for that he uses his bow mount eletric, but he also runs his main outboard for power and just uses the bow mount for steering at times.

[CaptainMusky]

Most 150 motors are the same displacement as the same manufacturers 175. My suzuki 150 is the same as the 175 as an example, just a different intake to reduce power. Consquently, the 115 and 140 share the same displacement.

I have a 185 Alumacraft Tournament Sport with a 150 suzuki on it. Two guys, with gear I get 45mph. I had a different prop on it and I was getting 48 consistently, but it didnt troll down as well.

I will tell you the DFI 2 strokes (big ones) do NOT like to troll. Ask anyone with one who is honest and they will tell you to troll effectively for long periods of time you will need a kicker OR you will be putting in plugs regularly and they are $20 a pop.

I have literally trolled for an entire day with my 150 and it never loads up and runs so smooth you forget its running.

I have even started using my trolling motor and my buddy says "arent you going to turn off your big motor?". Yes, its that quiet.

In your situation the 115 would do you just fine. A 150 on that boat will probably get it up around 50 or close.

Aluminum boats it isnt as important to go max HP as a glass boat. All they are is extra cost and weight.

[Savage Brewer]

That is kind of what I figured also. Most of the guys complaining about their 115's are the ones that want to know why they cant go 50+MPH...

I mean if a person can use a 115, and troll with it fine, that saves almost 200 pounds off the transom vs stepping up to a 150 and a kicker motor.

[CaptainMusky]

What kind of speeds are you expecting to troll with in needing a kicker? I troll around 2.0mph with my 150 in forward, could easily throw out a driftsock or something to bring that down slower. A kicker is nice for a backup if you are running big water though.

[Savage Brewer]

It would be nice to troll down to 1.5mph using gas.

The other thought is the kicker also has recoil start, so if a battery dumped, or had main engine problems, the kicker could limp home.

It is ultimately his choice, would an Opti 150 on the back and a 9.9 four stroke be nice, yes, but that also pushes the cost upward.

[BoxMN]

Have him go out and drive the boat with his choices of motors on it. I am sure there are some folks here that might offer up rides. That speaks volumes. As long as people are happy with what they have, that is key. I personally would NOT be happy with a 115 on that boat, especially 4 stroke, and it is not based on top end speed. I have a 4 stroke, and I love it. On my pontoon Good luck.

[Kyhl]

A test drive is the best suggestion yet.

Spec-wise, the competitor is a similar size to my tourney 175. The competitor is 200lbs lighter and 1" narrower.

I have a 115 Merc 4S and idle at 2.6-2.8mph. Tops out at 37mph (GPS) with a light load on glass. I'd call it slightly underpowered but I can live with it.

I haven't tried back trolling but I'd bet it's around 1.5mph.

If money was no object, I'd go 150 plus kicker. You can always throttle back and not run WOT. It really depends on his desires. I agree, he should drive them and find out which fits his wants better.

The 150 plus kicker would have a better resale value too.