Buying LUND SSV 14 What Is The Right Horsepower For The Boat?
The LUND SSV 14 will be a utility boat my wife, myself, and dog Gunner will use on the lake we live on for cruising. I have 21 ft powerboat, a jetski, etc. The power boat presents too much work to get in the water quickly for a short spin (lift, cover) and the jet-ski just doesnt work for the three of us.
My plan is to power the LUND SSV 14 with a Yamaha 4-stoke 20 hp or 25 hp. My requirement is to have the boat plane comfortably with the three of us me 200 lbs, wife 140 lbs (she says less, but I know better), and Gunner the Pooch 85 lbs when is goes light on the snacks. What I dont want is for the boat to push through the water straining to plane but never getting there.
Most would say just get the bigger motor. I could do that, money is not the problem (at least the $350 difference between 20 hp & 25hp); however, the 25 hp engine is about 60 lbs heavier than the 20 hp engine (dont want to get a hernia if I have to remove it from the boat), and if the 20 hp engine will plane the boat with the 3 of us, speed is not a factor (20 mph on a plane would be fine).
I would like to get feedback from LUND SSV 14 owners as to the motors/horsepower they use and their experience.
Re: Buying LUND SSV 14 What Is The Right Horsepower For The Boat?
Griz-
The max HP on a SSV14 is 35 HP. There is no question that the 25 would be a much better solution in this case than the 20 hp. If it was mine, it would have a 30...
Might I suggest looking at a lighter motor than the Yamaha if the weight is a concern for you? As an example- An Evinrude E-tec 30 is only 146 lbs.- alot lighter than a Yamaha F25. More HP- alot less weight...
Re: Buying LUND SSV 14 What Is The Right Horsepower For The Boat?
I just put together my new boat that I think is fairly similar to your Lund: It's a west coast region 14' aluminum Gregor (202 pounds bare): http://www.gregorboats.com/wseries.htm
I added approx. 100 pounds in optional floorboards, fuel, and other equipment. Gregor suggests 15, max. 20 hp for this boat. So I installed a new 20hp long shaft 4-stroke Yamaha tiller elec. start motor and spent a couple hours playing with trim, weight distribution, etc. after break-in. Observed on a GPS, my 300+ pound boat with a 230 pound man and 65 pound dog tops out at a respectable 23 mph. A real comfortable cruise speed is 16-17 mph. Great motor! It always starts in half a tick, hot or cold, the auto choke works perfectly, and it's miserly on fuel. In an hour of cruising around, a bit of idling, and a couple bursts of full throttle, it burns less than a gallon. Since I'm often out alone (re: stern-heavy), and have had good results with them in the past, I installed Doel-fins. The boat is on plane very quickly. Both spark plugs and the oil filter are very easy to reach (unlike my Honda 20hp 4 stroke), so self service should be simple enough. To be picky: The Yamaha vibrates a bit more than the Honda, but that may be due to the Honda being on a RIB instead of a metal boat.
The Honda is several pounds lighter than the Yamaha, but hefting any 110+ top-heavy object is best left to others (okay, I'm old and crusty).
I hope some of this was helpful. My gut feeling, if you want to cruise at 20 mph with your wife and dog: the 20 may not be enough.
Oops! My first post here; sorry for being so wordy.
Re: Buying LUND SSV 14 What Is The Right Horsepower For The Boat?
Griz, I bought a WC-16 DLX this year and chose a 20 mec 4 stroke for the power. This is a fairly heavy boat, and the 20 is the minimum motor I would suggest. I fooled with the trim and now am getting 22 mph while alone and about 18-19 with a passenger. I tried a smaller prop, but couldn't get even to 20 mph, so I think I have the right prop. I have a large rock in the bow storage to help balance the weight, as I fish alone most of the time.
This works fine for my use as the boat spends almost all its time trolling. Your choice of a motor will depend on your use and how fast you need the boat to go. The SSV has a more pronounced V hull, which will make your boat different in speed and planing than the WC series.
By the way, I love the boat, the open design works great. No more tripping over benches to get at the net! Good luck.
Looked up the weight of Merc 20 hp 4 stroke - 115 lbs versus weight of Yamaha 20 hp 4 stroke - 117 - so the weight of the engines is about the same.
QUESTIONS
- Is you motor electric start, i.e., have battery?
- Mentioned you keep rock in bow when you are alone. I have to guess that the purpose is one, or perhaps more, of the following:
Help boat plane.
Keep bow down while riding at slow speed for visibility.
Keep the boat from porpoising when at speed.
Let me know which apply.
Bottom line, seems that the Yamaha 20 hp 4 stroke would do what I want. My Lund will be a cruising boat, not a hot-rod. I have other watercraft that will plant bugs on my teeth, bounce me around and set my thinning hair on end.
Re: Buying LUND SSV 14 What Is The Right Horsepower For The Boat?
I owned a S-14 which was the predecessor to the SSV-14. It is basically the same boat other than the fact that the newer model has a slight V to the bottom.
When I bought the boat new in 1993, I powered it with a 1984 Mercury XD 18. This was an 18 HP that was a detuned version of a 25.
The boat worked very nicely with this motor. It actually planed easier with passengers than it did with the operator only.
I eventually wore out the engine. The driveshaft/crankshaft splines wore out. I replaced it with a 1999 25HP Mercury 2-stroke. The boat was a bit faster on top end with this motor, but to be honest I never liked it as well. It seemed to lack the low end grunt the 18 had. I suspect that they made changes to get more high RPM power from the motor that reduced the low end power.
My suggestion would to be pay less attention to HP and more attention to displacement. Weight is also a factor. Both my motors weighed around 115lbs.
I think you are in a tough spot. Most of the light weight 4-strokes around 20HP are wrung out smaller motors. The detuned larger motors weigh too much.
I would strongly consider an E-TEC 25hp. I think the 30 is way more than you need. The boat will be a handful with the 25, but they don't make a 20. The low end power of these motors and their light weight make them a nice choice for this boat.
Looked up the weight of Merc 20 hp 4 stroke - 115 lbs versus weight of Yamaha 20 hp 4 stroke - 117 - so the weight of the engines is about the same.
QUESTIONS
- Is you motor electric start, i.e., have battery?
- Mentioned you keep rock in bow when you are alone. I have to guess that the purpose is one, or perhaps more, of the following:
Help boat plane.
Keep bow down while riding at slow speed for visibility.
Keep the boat from porpoising when at speed.
Let me know which apply.
Bottom line, seems that the Yamaha 20 hp 4 stroke would do what I want. My Lund will be a cruising boat, not a hot-rod. I have other watercraft that will plant bugs on my teeth, bounce me around and set my thinning hair on end.
Yes, my boat has electric start/battery. The rock helps the boat handle a little better with just myself aboard, otherwise all the weight would be in the stern. I helps keep the bow down when trolling into or quartering to the wind--tracks better. The boat trolls much better with someone else in the boat, but I fish alone 80% of the time.
I really like the boat and set up as it works perfectly for what I need. I have no need for a speed boat, and don't really need a bigger boat for the small lake I'm on most of the time.
Buying LUND SSV 14 What Is The Right Horsepower For The Boat?
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