Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

[bombero15]

My father in law is wanting to upgrade the motor on his pontoon boat. He currently has a 50 hp Honda on it and woud like more speed and power, maybe a 115-135 hp. How is this done? DOS and DON'TS. What to stay away from? It's an 18' boat. Would appreciate any advise.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

Let's see, dos and dont's. DON'T. An eighteen footer can't handle anything that big. The fact is your father in law's barge is probably already maxed out at fifty. It may be rated for a little more, but unfortunately if he wants more speed and power he'll have to get a bigger boat. Sorry to be a party pooper, but a motor that big on a barge that small would be a recipe for disaster. Welcome aboard.

 

[bombero15]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

How do I find out the max. motor rated capacity?

 

[lncoop]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

Should be a plate somewhere on the boat that specifies person/weight capacity and max horsepower. Mine is immediately to the right of the helm, but his could be anywhere. Look around and I bet you'll find it.

 

[The Rooster]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

Welcome Bombero, Ditto to what Incoop stated. Even if it's rated for up to 75 hp, it wouldn't be worth the time and money for the additional few mph of speed.

 

[vbevans]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

So, according to your advice, I'd be a damn fool to hang a 150 on a 24' Party Barge that's rated at 115 max? Care to expand on why that would not be a wise thing to do? Is it just a matter of too light a motor pod or understructure? What anomalies should I expect? Thanks for your help.

 

[Water logged]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

You sound like a Damn Fool to me!!

Glenn

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

Why is this such a puzzle? Do you really think the manufacturers grab a specific maximum HP out of a hat??? The manufacturers know what HP limit creates optimum performance while maintaining safety. No -- it isn't JUST about the strength of the motor pod. It is about the size and overall construction of the entire boat. Did you not consider that a pontoon is a big flat platform that at speed would have the physical characteristics of an airplane wing? Ever see a pontoon do a blow over? It isn't pretty. Maximum HP and maximum capacity tags are generally located somewhere in the vicinity of the control box at the helm.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

Besides the obvious reasons.. Motor Pod Construction and Weight. My Pontoon's max HP is 150hp, the manufacturer has a sport package that increases that to 225hp however that is not just a capacity plate, They strengthen the boat by adding additional braces and a heavier transom.

Now for the legal side.. If you are involved in an accident on the water even if you are not at fault the other boaters attorney will claim negligence on you part by overpowering your boat beyond it's operating capacity and chances are you will lose. Your insurance company will not have to pay out your claim, you will get sued... All in all it would be cheaper to simply buy another boat.

In order to reply to the original question we need more information. What brand pontoon and what year is it?

 

[vbevans]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

You sound like a Damn Fool to me!!

Glenn

What a great reply! Your information is so VERY useful. Thanks bunches.

Silly me, I thought this forum was about exchanging information and discussing ideas. Now I see it's just a platform for flamers!

 

[lncoop]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

What a great reply! Your information is so VERY useful. Thanks bunches.

Silly me, I thought this forum was about exchanging information and discussing ideas. Now I see it's just a platform for flamers!

Glenn's comment was tongue in cheek and should not be taken seriously. The truth contained therein is another matter. Exceeding your boat's maximum horsepower rating is foolish for a number of reasons, all of which have already been elucidated ad nauseum, likely in every forum on this board at one time or another. Now, if you stick around you'll find that flamers don't last very long here, either because they fail to bait other members to their satisfaction or the mods take care of them in short order. You'll also find that if you keep an open mind iboats will demonstrate itself to be precisely what you thought it was. However, if you're looking for someone to tell you it's okay to put a 150 on a boat rated for a 115 (I think your question was in earnest) you'll have to look elsewhere. Welcome aboard.

 

[suncruiser 202]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

A local engineer from one of our boat companies told me that the maximum hp rating on most larger boats over 18 feet has more to do with marketing .
I asked him why that was and he told me , if a customer could get an 18 ft entry level boat and put a larger motor on it , the company wouldn't sale very many high end boats .
That made me think about going to the boat shows and looking at new pontoons from different manufacturers , when i was looking at a new 20ft model low cost toons were rated for 60 - 90hp max but as you went up the price scale several 20ft toons were rated for 135hp.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

There are alot of things you can't see that contribute to the HP rating, higher horse boats have more crossmembers at the back of the boat to support the engine and its thrust so 2 boats may have the same motor pod but all the other structure is different.

And on a boat that small it has some to do with weight, that is alot of weight on an 18 although the horse power rating has little or nothing to do with the weight of the engine, it is the thrust that it puts on the boat, my boat is rated for 70 but I could easily hang a 150 on it and the transom would hold the weight until I put it in gear then not so much.

The engineers aren't dumb and they don't play marketing games, your hp rating is there because that is what the boat will safely hold, stick woth the rating, it is there for a reason.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

I never cease to be amazed at the lengths people will go to to justify over-powering their boats. Everyone has an uncle or knows an expert who says it's fine...... I guess we're all guilty of rationalizing at some point or other. Know I am.:redface:

 

[Mr Crabbs]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

A local engineer from one of our boat companies told me that the maximum hp rating on most larger boats over 18 feet has more to do with marketing .
I asked him why that was and he told me , if a customer could get an 18 ft entry level boat and put a larger motor on it , the company wouldn't sale very many high end boats .

I'm not buying that. Why not make the smaller pontoon a higher end boat? Nicer furniture, add more features, then it's not an entry level boat. Still have more deck space than an 18' cuddy and it stores/tows easier too.

 

[Water logged]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

Response to vbevins. My comeback to your reply was not entirely tongue in cheek. I thought your comment was disrespectful and of no use to the thread and also disrespectful to the members of this forum. Also it was not the way for a new member to introduce himself. Did you notice you did not get a lot of welcomes to the forum.

Respectfully Glenn

 

[suncruiser 202]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

I think what he was asking was what was the logic for not putting a 150 hp on a boat rated for 115 hp .

but since no one will say it , I think I understand his frustration with some of the advice and yes I know it is just an opinion .
I really thought from watching this site over the last 9 months that I would get some ideas and imput about how to improve my pontoon or at least enjoy the sport a little more and I have read some great posts from repairing seats to how to grill on your boat etc.. But when it comes to the topic of performance in the speed area and horsepower the guys who post alot bash anyone who wants to add horsepower to improve performance and make them feel like " how stupid could you be the plate says 50hp if you put a 75 on it you will sink your boat , hurt other people on the water and how will you ever get insurance !! "
I am a member of pwc today forum , vintage motorcycle forum , and classic car forums and no one ever worries about modifying their toys there .
So what I am trying to say is show some American Spirit , we have always tried to improve , go faster , pull more stuff etc..
Quit being scared of thinking outside the box
respectfully yours
Kevin

 

[suncruiser 202]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

I think what he was asking was what was the logic for not putting a 150 hp on a boat rated for 115 hp .

but since no one will say it , I think I understand his frustration with some of the advice and yes I know it is just an opinion .
I really thought from watching this site over the last 9 months that I would get some ideas and imput about how to improve my pontoon or at least enjoy the sport a little more and I have read some great posts from repairing seats to how to grill on your boat etc.. But when it comes to the topic of performance in the speed area and horsepower the guys who post alot bash anyone who wants to add horsepower to improve performance and make them feel like " how stupid could you be the plate says 50hp if you put a 75 on it you will sink your boat , hurt other people on the water and how will you ever get insurance !! "
I am a member of pwc today forum , vintage motorcycle forum , and classic car forums and no one ever worries about modifying their toys there .
So what I am trying to say is show some American Spirit , we have always tried to improve , go faster , pull more stuff etc..
Quit being scared of thinking outside the box
respectfully yours
Kevin

 

[san diego flyer]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

I think what you are reading sc202 is input from shade tree engineers (count me as one) who really are not knowleddgeable in the total system setup of max power on a given platform. Sooo many things come into play. To get to max in my tritoon, a lot of beefing up was felt necessary. I wanted a fast tritoon, so I went the extra expense. But most platforms are engineered at birth to take more power than is recommended on the label, however things do fatigue over time and can result in unexpected failure. I think you can't take the same license with a 13 year-old boat that you can with a new one as far as max power. The guy who says my 50 horse Merc on a 24 ft boat moves the party along just fine just doesn't get our need for acceleration and speed. To each his own. I would say if you don't really know what you are doing, or paying someone that does, stick to the max HP on the label--or less.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Wanting to upgrade motor on a pontoon boat

No one on iboats is anti-horsepower, nor are we anti-performance, but we are anti-irresponsibility. I can't recall anyone being called stupid on here for asking whether it was a good idea to overpower his boat. What I can recall is a number of boaters asking whether it was a good idea then taking the answer they asked for to heart. Those are the boaters who are still on the board contributing to the community. I can also recall other boaters asking the same question then getting their feelings hurt when they received a response they neither liked nor expected. I'll let you determine whether they're still contributing to the community. Regrettably, a major component of the American spirit you invoke is an historic level of litigiousness, and boats rated for 115 hp but powered by 150 are a litigant's dream. The capacity plates are there for a reason.