Thinking of buying a 1997 Trophy. Is it to much boat for me. $GAS and Towing

OK I was looking for a cheaper smaller boat but have found a 97 Trophy in good shape 190 hours(is this alot?) Just wondering is this to much of a boat for me. Gas wise since I am not rich and will I be safe towing it. Not really sure what size it is but its at least 19ft or 20ft. Comparing it to other boats in the lineup that had listed sizes. Price is $8300 MUST SALE SOON. IT has a 150 Mercury on it and I think the capacity is 6 people but the tag is faded. Getting to my questions I live on the coast NC Surf City area and would use it in the sound until I felt OK taking it out on the ocean Prob under 2 miles out. Possibly up to 7 miles(distant future) but only going with other boats and ONLY on the best of days. I have a 98 Chevy Full size but its a 5 speed and only rated to pull 3500Lbs. Also have 4x4 with low gear so I could use that at the ramp. I also only live 8 miles from free ramp or 2 miles from ramp paying $300 yearly fee. Basicly no hills. I think the same truck with an automatic trans tow rating is 5500lbs. Anyway to the other question with a 150HP how much gas am I going to burn through? Any thought? I have heard 15 gallons an hour at WOT. So say it takes me 30 min to get where I am going thats 15 gallons. Put around for 2 hours and motor not running for 2 hours making it a 5 hour outing. Will it burn much just moving slowly? ANy any input is welcome.

Re: Thinking of buying a 1997 Trophy. Is it to much boat for me. $GAS and Towing

Boat Topics and Questions (not engine topics)

Re: Thinking of buying a 1997 Trophy. Is it to much boat for me. $GAS and Towing

First question is how much does the boat weigh? Is a '97 Trophy a bass boat, ski boat, or off shore fisher? If it's close to the tow rating I think you would be ok, but install an oil cooler on your truck just to be sure. You have to take engine mileage into consideration too. I'm sure you'd be fine.

15 gallons per hour is about as right of a guess anyone can make. This topic comes up quite frequently, and there really is no straight answer. I think it's a consensus to figure in 1 mpg / 10 hp rating. Also, if you use 2 cycle oil then you have to figure in the cost of the oil every other fill up. Depending on what brand you use it can cost up to $28 a gallon.

Re: Thinking of buying a 1997 Trophy. Is it to much boat for me. $GAS and Towing

I like to tow with automatics because of the wear on the clutch, especially at the launch. It would be smart to put it in low to take it out of the ramp asit would make it much easier on your truck. No hills and only 8 miles to the launch, the truck should be fine.
The 15 gallons per hour are at wide open throttle. If you throttle back to a reasonable speed it saves a huge amount of fuel. It's just like your truck, mash the gas pedal at every stop light and you'll go through a tank of gas in no time. Take it easy and stay off the pedal and you'll save gas and money.
I have a 130hp Evinrude and I find I can use the boat for both weekend days with a little WOT but mostly cruising or slow idleing the engine with total engine use somewhere in the 4-5 hours and go through $30-40 worth of gas at $2.95/gallon so about 10-14 gallons on average. Hope this helps.