what size motor?

[walleye_guy18]

I am thinking of buying a 14ft lund s-14 or any other deep-V 14ft boat. I am just curious if I could get by with a 15hp motor. any of you guys out there with rigs like this? will the 15 plane out the boat with two guys or do I need to step up to a 20 or 25hp. thanks for the input

[Slyster]

I have a small aluminum 14' Lund. With 3 benches and the little front bench. Rated for 25hp and 800 or so Lbs of people and gear.

I bought a 15hp. Planes no problem to 21MPH with 2 adults. 3 slows it down but it planes.

[Ely Lake Expert]

IMO, for a 14 foot lund, 25 HP is the way to go. Then you don't have to worry about planing out if you have 3 people in your boat.

[TOP FROG]

IMO it all depends on how fast you want to get to where you are going

I just sold my 14' shallow old Lund. I had a 9.9 on it at first. When the spark plug stripped and blew out the back ens, I upgraded to a 20 hp

Ran very nice with 2 or 3 people and all the gear/beer for a days fishing in it. but also ran with the 9.9, just slower

"up to you" would have been quicker to type

[walleye_guy18]

I guess as long as it will get on plane with two people is really all I need. I probably will never go with three people. I usually fish alone but sometimes will bring one buddy with me.

[SoManyFish-SoLittleTime]

Here's my experience with the same boat you are considering...I started out with the 9.9 and it worked just o.k....Sure wasn't getting anywhere quickly...swapped to a 15 and really noticed the difference but did have a tough time in rough water and/or wind with two in the boat...Ended up making the upgrade to the 25 and that or a 20 is the only way to go....plenty of git!!!!

[rtwills]

hey walleye e-mail me, I have one with a 25 merc i'm lookin to get rid of.

[YouNeedAuthorization]@comcast.net

[Sod Farmer]

I have a Lund S-14 with a 15 HP Merc. It is a very good balanced combination. No trouble getting it up on a plane with three adults. I get about 22 mph with two people wot.

[danfall]

There are two such boats in our family. These boats are capable of handling big lakes if they are powered well. We had a 9.9 on one, fine for smaller lakes under 1000 acres and two people, but they fall off after that. We had an 18 on the other, again fine, but if you put a flat bottom in and put 3 adults, it is too much. My brother upgraded to a 25 hp Yamaha and I have a 30 hp Johnson on mine. These boats with 25/30 hp are good enough rigs to take on any lakes, and plane out and go fast enough with a full boat of gear and people.

My rig is actually for sale or split with a 2003 30hp Johnson ss with another month under transferrable warranty. I am also painting the boat to sell.

Dan Fall

651-739-6316

[Northland Sportsman]

I run a 25 hp johnson on a 14' grumman and it works great for that size of a boat. It has a floor, live well, 3 seats, etc. I upgraded from a 15hp a few years back and would not go back. I was caught in some wind and waves on Mille Lacs with the 15 hp and ended up about 2 miles from our access - no fun. 25 hp is the way to go.

[sami0115]

my suggestion would be to go with the largest motor you can afford that the boat will handle. it will plane better & get you there faster. underhorse powering is a mistake in my opinion.

[Northlander]

I would go 25 horse. My old 14' wouldnt get on plane with 2 big guys and gear in it. With a 25 it went well and top end was about 25 mph. You want all the motor you can afford when the weather sudenly gets sour!

[Fisher Dave]

Northlander... I'm surprised you even fit in a 14' boat.

On the subject.. Ive had just about every motor one could think of on 14' boats.. if its a tin can of a boat, and there is never a heavy load(3 guys, a week worth of camping gear, NORTHLANDER) a 15 should get by just fine.

If this boat is equipped with floors, livewell, bow mount trolling motor, kitchen sink, northlander.. you are going to want all the power you can get.

I guess one other factor to look at, if your one of the people constantly taking the motor off your boat when its not in use, a 15 hp is a heck of a lot lighter, and it will get you off the lake. A lower pitch prop can add some extra power.