New to Forum; First Post; New to Boating; Questions...

Six Stringer

Recruit
Joined
Mar 21, 2017
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5
Hello from Dallas, everyone. While I'm not new to forums in general, I'm new to this iBoat forum and relatively new to boating in general. Glad to have found this forum, as I'm sure I'll find all kinds of helpful information here (and maybe one day offer up my own helpful info down the road).

I'm fairly new to boating. I've been on boats before, but owning and operating a boat is new territory. Been fishing all my life. Was fortunate enough to receive an old 12ft aluminum v-hull boat as a gift from a friend last summer. Went ahead and gave it a new paint job with Alumahawk marine paint and added some fun camo patterns to it. I've always thought camouflaged aluminum boats were cool, and I hope to do some duck hunting out of this boat in the future. I'll post pictures some time soon.

I got myself a 55lb thrust Minn Kota trolling motor (transom mount) last summer, and it's been serving me well. I don't have a trailer for the boat yet, so when I go somewhere I get to load it into the back of my pickup truck. My first priority is to get a trailer to pull the boat behind my truck so I don't have to mess with the hassle of loading and unloading it from my truck bed anymore.

After that, I want to get an outboard motor for it. That's where my initial questions come into play. So, obviously, the trolling motor isn't getting me any "speed" on the water. But it does get me from A to B within modest distances. I'm a 200-225 lb dude, and I intend to have a friend or family member accompany me on the boat for fishing fairly often. I don't plan to put more than two adults in the boat at one time. I'd like the outboard motor to have enough power to get the boat moving at a good speed for getting across the lake to a fishing spot when there are two fully-grown adults in the boat. I've heard horror stories of guys putting 20hp outboards on 12ft aluminum boats and losing control of the thing. That's the last thing I want to do. I'm not a daredevil or a speed freak. I'm not looking to haul @$$ across the water, but I want something that will get us moving at a good speed... Enough to have a little fun without merely putzing around.

Am I right in thinking a 9.9hp outboard is the way to go?

When the time comes to get a motor, I'm thinking I'll have to get a used one. The prices of brand new motors are pretty steep for me. Brand preferences aside, are there any pointers you would offer to someone looking to purchase their first (used) outboard motor? What to look for? What to avoid?

Any suggestions on where to look for quality used outboards?

Any and all help and advice is much appreciated! Looking forward to what lies ahead on this forum.
 

alldodge

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Mar 8, 2009
Messages
40,582
I grew up on the water with a 16 footer and 9.5 hp and as a kid 9 to 15 years old did fine. It moved along I would guess around 15 mph. With the weight of your crew the motor would do about the same but I would lean more to a 15 to 20
 

southkogs

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Jul 7, 2010
Messages
14,785
Much like AD I've spent a lot of time on the water in a 14' with a 9.9. We'd put 3 in the boat and run the lake all day ... even now when I'm up north that's my primary boat on the lake (and I bank in around 230). I would think your 12 footer will be limited more in that 9.9 range, but if you find out it will handle a 15HP you will like the little extra speed you get out of it. My 14' handled horribly with a 15 on it.

Check with a couple of local marine shops (mechanics) if they have any around. I lean toward the older Johnson / Evinrude stuff myself, but condition is going to be a big key with anything used.

:welcome:
 

ezmobee

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Messages
23,767
If it were me, I'd sell the 12' and look for a 14'+ boat, motor, and trailer. 12' are too tippy. Even my dad's somewhat shallow 14' is miserable to use with it's max of 15HP on it if there's only one guy in it as the bow rises so bad. With out other motor, a 4HP, it's slow but more manageable with 1 person. You'll be so much happier with a deeper 14' boat/motor/trailer. The smaller Johnson/Evinrude/Mercury/Yamaha motors should all be gems and run forever. Avoid Chrysler/Force/Gamefisher and other off-brands as parts support is usually poor.
 

roffey

Commander
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
2,187
Brings back memories, I had numerous boats as a kid, some I made and some I bought. My motor was a 1959 Evinrude sports twin and it went on the back of every boat I had. As a kid I remember scooting across the water at what I thought was lightning fast speeds. It was what I learnt on and in my humble opinion the best way to learn how to pilot a boat.

to answer the OPs question I think a 9.5 would be perfect for that boat, enjoy....
 

SeaDooSam

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 15, 2016
Messages
575
One of our friends has some sort of aluminum v hull boat. It is about 10 feet don't remember for sure. With 2 people (about 350 pounds total). It had a 9.9 hp Evinrude and went a good 15 mph
 

Six Stringer

Recruit
Joined
Mar 21, 2017
Messages
5
Looks like the spec plate on the inside of the transom says max horsepower is 16HP and max weight is 684lbs. So at this point I know I won't be going north of a 15HP motor... Is it generally a good idea to go with more HP (within the limitations of your boat) so as to always have as much power on hand as you can for heavier loads (like two adults in the boat, outboard motor, trolling motor, battery, tackle, etc)?
 

southkogs

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Jul 7, 2010
Messages
14,785
If it's rated for a 16HP motor, I'd get as close to that as possible. 15HP if it's in the budget. You can't add horsepower to a 9.9, but you can always throttle back a 15HP :)
 

Six Stringer

Recruit
Joined
Mar 21, 2017
Messages
5
If it's rated for a 16HP motor, I'd get as close to that as possible. 15HP if it's in the budget. You can't add horsepower to a 9.9, but you can always throttle back a 15HP :)
That's definitely the plan at this point... If I need to wait a little longer so the budget can be augmented to afford a 15HP, then that's what I'll do.
 
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