I have a 1991 tracker bassbuggy 18ft with a 1991 40 hp evinrude. I have no bimini top or anything on the deck but the helm and the captains chair.At WOT I run 19 mph. Thinking of installing a 1987 75 hp merc. does anyone know what kind on speed I would gain? also this would give me Power trim and tilt. I dont have it with the 40hp. Any help would be appreciated.
averyj,Pontoons are "displacement hulls". They'll typically reach a certain speed and stay there unless grossly overpowered. Pontoons can be a bit tricky to select the right prop. Be more concerned about your top rpm. than speed.The 75 hp. may gain 3-4 mph, that's about it. What I'm concerned about is you overpowering the boat. If somethinng bad happens, you are automatically at fault.
averyj Just for comparison, I have a 20' toon and I run a '91 Rude 70 HP and get around 24 mph top end. 19 mph with a 40hp is very good speed! Sounds like you're set up properly and TNT won't make much difference on your toon. It is nice to have though! What is the Max HP your boat rated for?
averyj To get a jump on the Lecture that is coming, Overpowering your boat will most likely void any insurance claim and may be illegal or not, depending on where you boat. Check with your insurance company first and see what they say. Now on to the issue at hand. A 75 HP is not a significant difference, as opposed to the 70 HP rating. As long as your hull will handle a 70, you should have no problems with the 75 HP. You will definitly be able to pull a tuber and probably a light skier on 2 skies(I have)! I personally like the extra power on a toon, as I feel that you can never have enough on that type of hull design. If I had my way, I'd be running a 25'er, 3-Log, with a 200HP hangin off the back. And it WILL plane out, so to speak. But work with what you got and check all the regulations before you swap over to the larger motor. Good Luck with it,
Thanks Guys, it will be a few weeks and I will post just what happens to my toon with the upgraded motor. At this time the boat is not insured so I will get the details from them before the motor installation if there is any problems I will hold off until my dealer gets a used 70 HPJohn
If you have bigger tubes 23"+ I beleive you will get a bigger bang than if you have 19" tubes. On my 21ft with 19" tubes, most of the tubes was in the water. The more power the more resistance. On larger tubes where most of the tube is out of the water, you may acutally get some semi planing action.If you have larger tubes, installing lifting strakes may help in getting more speed as well..I have also seen an aftermarket center lift tube that will basically lift toons out of the water much like a hydrofoil.Just my .02..
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averyj,My brother owns a 20' Starcraft toon with a 1998 75 hp. Merc. He runs an 11" pitch prop. (top rpm-5750) and gets right at 25 mph.-with a light load.
My Toons are 21 inches in OD/Diameter. It does seem with the 40 Hp I get Planing action, anyways bad news today, insurance company wont insure my toon if its even 1 Hp over the plate rating. So looks like I will tell my merc. man to hold off until he gets a good 70 or maybe a 60 hp.John
averyj,Glad you found out beforehand about the insurance. I'm not sure about the Mercs, as I run OMC products, but I don't think there will be much weight difference between the 60 and 70 HP. So either one would be a good choice. The reason I am bringing this up, is that you will definitly notice the extra weight in the back end with a 70 HP on there and having 19" Logs. It will squat quite a bit while sitting still and at low speed. But if a good one comes along, I'd opt for the 70! Good Luck,
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Re: Pontoon Speed
I have a 20' toon with 50hp 4 stroke. Top speed is 19.5mph per gps @ 5600rpms. Pontoons are 23" dia. All up weight is about 2400lbs + passengers. 4 passengers and 1 120lb kid being pulled on a tube bring the top speed down to 15mph.
Yes he rebuilds them if needed then sells theminstalled and rigged for about $1800.00 50hp to 90 hp I dont know what higher hp prices are but to answer your question Yes.John
Pontoon Speed
At WOT I run 19 mph. Thinking of installing a 1987 75 hp merc. does anyone know what kind on speed I would gain? also this would give me Power trim and tilt. I dont have it with the 40hp. Any help would be appreciated.
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