I have a small 16ft Fiberglass runabout. It curently has an 80hp Merc. I'm thinking of going smaller. I don't need or want to ski of pull tubes... just cruise around with less noise and better fuel economy... how small can I go? 40? 50?
What year is the 80?<br /> You may be surprised at the mileage of modern motors.<br /> I sure wouldnt go with anything lower than<br />50hp.<br /> We had a 65 40hp on a 15 foot aluminum runabout<br /> most likely much lighter than your boat. It was <br /> was ok but when you added a couple of people and some gear you had to get it just right or it was hard to plane.<br /> The same boat with a 87 50hp is terrific <br /> And gets much better mileage.
I believe I'd go with a 50 or a little larger. Fiberglass can be heavy and a few passengers and gear add up too. There may be a day you will want some extra horses to get in quicker, too.
