What do you think about HP?

[Bandit]

I think more is better, being under powered sucks. I have a friend who thinks guys with lots of HP are just showing off. I have a 175 on a 1900 pro v , he thinks I should have a 90. I tell him he is nuts and that I will put a 200 on it when the time comes. What do you think, am I the one that is nuts??

[OTBASSER]

I think more power is always better. I know I would take a 175 over a 90!

[Tyler23]

nope. if your boat can handle that much power go for it. a boat that can handle a 200hp motor and he says 90? yea almost that would be like being in a row boat.

[metrojoe]

To each his own, but I personally don't see the need for one unless I fished a lot of big water where I would have to make long runs to get to the fish. I don't need to go 70 mph on South center.

[gregg52]

I guess if you like burning up gas get those big 250s lol

i have a 20ft glass boat with a 150 its not real fast 44 top speed but thats fast enough for me plus i fish winnie most of the time and you are very seldome runnin wide open anyway

but i agree nothing worse than being under powered and i think u might use more gas that way

[buddha]

A 90 on that boat is fine if you never hit big water. If you ever get stuck on ML, Winnie, etc with a boat that size and a 90 is a long ride! Go as big as the boat can carry and you know that if you want/need the extra push you always have it. Besides it's fun to whip the kids in the tubes with a little extra!

[paceman]

Bigger is always better......

[SkunkedAgain]

I guess that I'm in the minority here, but even on the big lakes that I mostly fish, I don't see the point in whipping across the lake at 40mph. You miss too much of the beauty, scenery, wildlife, etc. Maybe as a 30-something year old I think too much like an old man.

I agree about making sure that your boat isn't under powered, but you also need to consider what you really need. However, if you like having the biggest truck, biggest boat, and biggest motor, go for it. Just don't run me over!

[Tyler23]

id just stay with the 175 if it was me

[BobT]

When I purchased my Lund Rebel 16 it was rated at 45hp. I didn't think there was a good reason to go that high so I purchased a used 25hp. I quickly learned that I would never buy a boat without maxing out the horsepower or coming close to it.

For some, they think maxing out the HP is a priority so they can go fast. I do it as a matter of safety and function. The 25hp was plenty for me when I was the only one in my boat. It even worked okay if there were two of us in the boat but with three adults it barely brought the boat up on plane. I added Dolphin stabilizers and that helped a little but it was still not quite adequate.

One time I and three others decided to go out on Osakis. It was a rather nice day to start but as time went on, it got more and more windy and so the water got rougher. By the time we decided to pull up and head in we were in three abd four foot waves. If you've never been caught underpowered on rough water consider yourself lucky. That 25hp was barely able to move the boat at all and climbing waves was a real treat.

Bob

[Mr.Seaguar]

mmmmmmmm horsepower gllggllglgllggl

[Walleye Guy]

In my opinion if your boat isn't equipped with at least 80% of the boat's max HP capacity it is underpowered. The resale value of the boat also seems to suffer greatly if the HP isn't 80% or higher.

[Pro V's R Us]

My dad started me fishing at age 2. Most days I dont know wether to thank him or blame him.

That has to be one of the best lines I seen.

That said, More power son!

[Drewski]

I like 16' boats with motors in the 40-50 hp range. They can still move at a pretty good pace, and with a motor that size you are still able to backtroll slow enough so you don't need a kicker.

[JimBuck]

I like 16' boats with motors in the 40-50 hp range. They can still move at a pretty good pace, and with a motor that size you are still able to backtroll slow enough so you don't need a kicker.

I'm with ya' on this one. A 16' with 40-50 ponies running behind it is great for multispecies angling. I can troll slow enough if needed, handle skinny water and still tackle the rough stuff if I want.

[PierBridge]

Depends on the Boat!

Small boats are great and big boats are too.

The key is maxing out the HP ratings as much as possible for safety and Resale value reasons!

[PerchJerker]

Depends on the Boat!

Small boats are great and big boats are too.

The key is maxing out the HP ratings as much as possible for safety and Resale value reasons!

This is exactly what I was thinking as I read this thread. Regardless of the size of boat you have, you should max out the HP or get close to max, for performance and resale reasons. Performance doesn't just mean screaming across the lake at WOT, it means good holeshot, good handling with a load, good mid-range cruising and fuel efficiency, good handling in bad wave situations, etc.

[gregg52]

like i said i have a 150 om mine and ithink its rated for at 225 probably 250 but just didnt think that was needed

i have an e-tec with a very good hole shot that boat is flat in that water is sec theres never a time i cant see over the nose

ands its a 20ft glass boat

after the first few tanks i figured out the i dont need to go over 40 any way lol at least last yr with 4$$$$$ gas

we figured some where around the end of july with driviing to

the RV on winnie and boat fuel we had spent an easy 2000$$$

hope that price stays about where it is i see it edging up and up 1.99 i noticed today

[trackerbrent]

I agree that boats should be maxed out on H.P. I think getting there is half the fun. Nothing like flying across the lake at 60-70 mph. Although my boat only does a tick above 60 mph on the gps. Buddies Ranger does 70 mph which is a lot more fun. Besides, it is just gas, you can always buy more.

[gregg52]

lol tracker thats funny

[tunrevir]

I would always go with a bit more horsepower then a bigger boat that was underpowered. It is all relative to how and where you fish and with how many people. Both of my boats have the max horsepower they are rated for. One is a small puddle jumper that I use on the river and the other is larger that I use for the family and on bigger water. You will see the biggest difference in the horses when you look at the rating capacity of a boat and put all of the gear, anglers and other things in it and then try and throttle up in heavy seas. It isn't so much the fact that you need to get to a spot by breaking the sound barrier as it is getting up on plane and running with stability when fully loaded and that makes it a safety issue, not just a personal issue. If you don't ever run to your capacity rating and it is just you or one or two others without alot of extra gear a lower powered motor would be just fine. 1000.00 now turns into 2,500.00 later is what I am trying to say and most of the time you won't upgrade later because of the cost which is why you didn't go that high in the first place. Crazy circles.

Tunrevir~

[Fish Head]

Tunrevir is right. One of the biggest mistakes made by new boat owners is underpowering the boat. Boats are made to be matched with a motor that is 80% of the maximum hp rating or better.

[eyebjim]

I have a 1750 crestliner with a 115 johnson on it. 115 is the max rating of the boat. With all my gear(alot) and 2 people it gets on a plane fine. Add a 3rd person and it seems to be an eternity to get on a plane. This is of course due in part to the weight of the setup/gear but if you want to have a reasonble controlabilty in big water and haul a reasonable number of people/gear I would suggest the biggest it will take or at very least 80% like some have said. I wish I had a 175 on it and it is not so I can do light speed just for safety and controlability.

[Cast A Way]

A good rule of thumb for HP is to have at least 80% of the rated capacity. I feel the max is the best for all around performance, but some people run into the "how much for gas" problem.

The new motor nowdays get pretty good mpg. Some of the older 150s and up don't do so good.

Everyone runs good on calm or small waves, but I would never give up my big motor in the winds of Mile lacs or Leech.

[hydro]

I like fast boats.

With most Minnesota type fishing boats, its best to match the power to the hull and intended use. Most fishing hull designs will perform best at 80% to 100% of the rated horsepower, so that is where you should select the motor output. Pretty simple really. Fishing boats for the most part are wetted surface planing designs, fairly wide for the length and they slide the whole rear hull surface along the water at top speed. You can only push that type of hull so fast before the HP/MPH curve goes exponential and turns toward the sky. (read: dollars/MPH)

Performance hull designs like some bass type boats will have a "pad" style of planing surface, about a foot or so wide running along the keel. On this type of boat the wetted surface is long and narrow and they will retain manageable control at very high speeds. Pad design and setback have a lot to do with their performance and handling characteristics, and with this hull design semi-surfacing props start to be the preferred choice. Allison makes this type of boat and they commonly reach triple digit speeds.

Air entrapment hulls like the Stoker SST 204 in my avatar use tunnels to trap air underneath the hull, providing a cushion that lifts the hull from the water, reducing the wetted area and reducing water drag. With that boat I could feel it lift starting at about 70 mph and get free of the water. They too typically use the pad concept and are capable of high speeds. Tunnel boats and hydroplanes without a center pad use air to actually lift the sponsons clear of the water and "fly" the boat. Props on these boats are typically "surfacing" designs that give stern lift and are intended to run more or less with the bottom blade in the water. These racing boats can be extremely fast but are prone to kiting if you fly the nose too high.

That all being said, I have caught more fish from an old 14' Alumacraft with a 20 HP motor than all of the other boats I have owned combined.