Advice Needed....Motor Selection for Lund SSV 16

[Seabass77]

So I put my order in at Nelson Marine for my new boat. Lund SSV 16 with a 25 yamaha four stroke. The SSV is rated for a 40, but since the dimensions are similar to the WC 16, I stuck with the 25 horse. I've been on WC-16s with 25 two strokes and I always thought they had plenty of power.

Long story short, I was up north this weekend talking with a guy at the resort and he told me that he had used to own the exact same boat that I mentioned above and he thought it was really underpowered, he switched to the 40, and then he said it just flew.

So, just looking for other peoples experiences with this boat. Will the 25 yamaha do? Should I maybe upgrade to the 30 honda or 40 yamaha? Is there much difference between the 25 yamaha and 30 honda? Thanks for your help. I just want to make the right decision before I take her off the lot.

Seabass

[Fisher Dave]

Everyone here is going to chime in and say max out the horsepower.. same story as always.

You can get by with the 25.. just be sure you dont have too much pitch to the prop... If you have problem getting out of the hole when fully loaded, go a pitch less.. no matter what the book says.. every time I go by the book I end up getting a prop 1 or 2 pitch's less and then the boat performs properly, and at the proper rpm's.

The boat is to suit your needs, not everyone else's.. It is still wise to get as much advice as possible.. myself I would stick to the 25 hp rather than maxing it out because then I would be able to use it on some lakes I fish in the BWCA with the motor restrictions(25hp), and the smaller motor will troll down beter, and be more fuel efficient... and I really dont need the extra 5 mph your going to get out of the motor that cost another $1000.. that $$ can get lots of betts and whistles, or seriously upgrade other aspects of the boat that are solely directed towards fishing... I'll take a better rigged boat over a faster boat any day... thats just me.

If it is most important to you to win a race with 2 full livewells, and 4 people on board.. you are going to have to max it out. If its normally 2 people in the boat, sometimes 3 under a normal load, a 25 should be fine if you have a prop pitched for power vs speed.

[Seabass77]

Do you run a SSV 16 Fisher Dave?

[Ryan Berger]

E-Tech !!!!! seriously get one,,,

[Fisher Dave]

Seabass..

No, I wish I did.. but I used to have(later 90's) 17' Alumacraft that was no feather of a boat either and it did absolutely fine with the 30 hp on it. And I also ran a 16' alumacraft with a 25 after the 40 blew up(lower unit) on me. There was not a lot of difference to me between the 40 and the 25 other than top speed. The smaller motors did huff and puff a bit before I dropped the pitch down.. then it was like putting a new motor on the boat.

Its similar to a truck.. if you remove the stock 235/75 r 15 tires (30" diameter roughly), and you put a lift kit in and switch to 35" tires... you are going to lose a ton of power at low speeds, and will run a much lower rpm at highway speeds(less power)... If you change the gears in your differential to the proper ratio, you can make the vehicle perform the exact same as it did with the stock tire.. better *hole shot*, and it will run proper rpm's on the highway...

Its much easier to change the ratio on an outboard.. change to a lower pitch prop. The prop will grab less water per revolution.. or it wont lug the motor down trying to get out of the hole. Weight distribution is important.. dont put 2 batteries and a 600 gallon gas can, and your body all at the transom.

[leechlake]

seabass, I bought an ssv 16 with a 25 yam 4 stroke this Spring, great ride, goes plenty fast, I have to add weight to the front when I'm along otherwise it doesn't ride right. I'd stick with the 25. I'm not against going fast, I have a 175 on my 18' prov but the 25 scoots just fine, I'd feel out of control with a 40, it costs less, probably trolls better than the 40. I've fished 3 and it is fine.