1961 Johnson 40 H.P. won't get my boat to plane...HELP!!!

[Saskatoon2005]

Hello All, I have a 14 foot fiberglass boat that is pushed by a 1961 Johnson 40 H.P. outboard. I have just finished tuning the motor and it runs absolutely beautiful but my only concern is that it does not seem to be able to get my boat on top of the water. Is this motor strong enough to plane a 14 foot fiberglass? I do have a concern about the boat as well....there is tons of dried junk that is sticking to the bottom of the boat. Is this the resistance that could be causing the motor not to be able to lift the boat out of the water? Please help, I love my boat and motor. The boat's maximum rating is 40 H.P. so I know this is maxed out.

[mikeyzx2]

yeah that crud will cause some resistance, clean it up and see if it makes a difference.

[umblecumbuz]

It's easy to jump to a single conclusion as to why a boat won't plane.As Mikey says, any hull growth will make a huge difference to speed and therefore planing ability.But hull shape, boat weight, weight distribution, propeller type, WOT, engine height and trim - all these things have an influence. Get 'em all right and your fourteen footer should fly with 40 horses.

[CATransplant]

That outboard should plane your 14' boat easily. The crud could be part of the problem. Clean it and see.Which tilt position is the motor set at? That can also make a big difference. Since we can't see the boat, it will have to be a matter of experimenting until it's working properly.By the way, congrats on getting your outboard fixed up.