Boat Speed~aluminum boat/motor

keninaz

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Dec 15, 2010
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I am considering purchasing a small aluminum boat, around 14 feet or so. I have only owned one aluminum boat which was a 12 foot deep V design and I think I had a 15 hp motor on it at the time.
The boat will be used on some of the larger bodies of water here in Arizona so I would like some decent speed without getting dangerous.
So curious if you own a 14 foot or so V bottomed boat as to what motor you are running and what kind of speed and fuel economy you are getting.
 

64osby

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Jul 28, 2009
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I have an older 14' Lone*Star, with a 10hp it runs 17/18mph with an 18hp it runs 23/24mph. Can't say anything about actual fuel usage, just fill up when needed. The typical usage is 10% of HP per hour at WOT. So a 10 hp would burn 1 gallon per hour, or an 18 = 1.8 gallons per hour.
 

keninaz

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Thanks for the reply, and I just thought of something else I had better ask as I have not had an outboard motor in many years.
We now have the 4 strokes that I guess you don't mix oil with like we used to how is there fuel economy versus power?
 

NYBo

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Oct 23, 2008
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Modern fuel injected two-strokes and modern four-strokes are fairly close in fuel economy, and they are both much better than carbureted two-strokes.
 

keninaz

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Thanks for the information. And doing some reading I also read the 4 strokes are heavier due to more components of course and for that reason alone I may wish to have something lighter on the transom of a 14 foot aluminum boat. So perhaps the direct injected two-stroke is for me
 

pckeen

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I wouldn't worry too much about the additional weight - provided your transom is strong, the additional weight of a modern four stroke shouldn't cause any problems - just check your capacity plate.
 

inthedirtagain

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Aug 10, 2011
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I had a 14ft alum Crestliner awhile ago. At the time, I tried both a 10hp Honda 4-stroke and an older 25hp Johnson. It was only rated for 20hp, but I thought that the age of Johnson and some careful piloting would be just fine. I loved how quiet and reliable the Honda was, but with just me in the boat, it would barely plane out. The Johnson pushed it much better, even with my young family of 5. My vote would be a 15/20hp Evinrude/Johnson to get you where you wanted to go, then turn on the electric trolling motor for quiet run times.
 

roscoe

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Oct 30, 2002
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Results will be all over the map.

Some 14' boats weigh 190#, some weigh 400#.
Some are rated for 15 hp, while others are rated for 40 hp.

A 350# hull with a 40 hp will get you into the upper thirties, and bruise a kidney if you're not careful.

Here's a 14' aluminum with a 50 hp. For less than $1000

http://duluth.craigslist.org/boa/4667431475.html

What do you plan on doing with the boat?

How big of water will you be on?
 
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keninaz

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Fishing is it's purpose and I will be using it on Lake Pleasant, Lake Havasu and Lake Powell. I know the last two are very big and can get rough.
 

ripper1961

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Mar 3, 2013
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I have a 2014 Lowe 14v with a 2 stroke 20 hp merc on it. With just me and the wife it is gets around pretty well.
 

keninaz

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Thanks, I was thinking that a 20 HP would be enough for a 14'. I just did not want to be all day trying to do some distance on the bigger bodies of water, assuming the water will allow a little speed.
 

Texasmark

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Dec 20, 2005
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Biggest I saw over the years was a Johnson 33 on a 14' Alumacraft semi V of the 70's vintage. It had side console steering. So given the age, 33hp - 10-15% for today's prop rated engines = about 29 hp. You can pull up old AC boats and see the hull shape. It ran out real well. Biggest thing on transom area weight is your transom height where you mount the engine. If 20" fine. If 15 like most boats used to be, especially in that size range you can have some problems in certain situations in taking water over the transom. Some came with splash wells, self draining, that helped to put the water back over the side from whence it came.

Folks say that the hole shot and acceleration of 4 cycle engines is not what it is with a comparable 2 but on that boat I doubt it would matter all that much. Even if you get an older engine the Loop Charging system that came on some really made a difference in fuel economy, but for a 25ish hp on that boat, even if you got an old cross flow, you aren't talking about all that much gas.

Mark
 

1216bandit

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Aug 18, 2008
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I would go with the maximum hp the boat is rated for and adjust speed for lake conditions. A 14' can be a lot of fun...30 mph will feel like 60! If there is a big differance in weight between 2 or 4 stroke I would go with the lighter 2 stroke. I had an older 14' lund with a merc 25 hp tiller on it and with just me in the boat it would do over 30 mph. The speed the max hp will give you is nice if you have to get off the water quickly.
 
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Ray1958

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Aug 10, 2010
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I have a 1975 Lund, a pretty heavy boat as far as tin cans go. It's paired with a 1975 Evinrude 50HP Sizzler. Gets me up over 30 by myself.
This boat handles rough water really well, not all 14' boats are created equal as far as ability to handle the conditions, and Captain's ability is another factor.
Fishing I can run all day on a 6 gallon tank of gas. I rarely take runs over 30 minutes one way. So ones habits and needs should be taken into account as well.

Ray
 

tomhath

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Dec 5, 2007
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Something else to consider is launch sites. A big lake will have several launch ramps. Unless you enjoy motoring around the lake in the boat it's probably faster to drive to the closest place you want to fish and launch there.
 

Texasmark

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It's paired with a 1975 Evinrude 50HP Sizzler.
T I can run all day on a 6 gallon tank of gas.

Ray

That engine is Loop charged and that is why he gets the run time he gets, vs the older cross flow combustion 2 stroke designs. The larger the engine the more that matters.

Mark
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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economy and boating are not something that go well together. However I grew up with a 14' mirro craft ski-n-troll rated for 45 hp. My friends '59 larson crestliner is rated for 25hp.
 
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