overpowering

[westcoaster90]

hay guys and gals . I was just throwing another boat together today and thought I wonder how many other people are like me and overpower there boat to the max I truelly do not mean to though. I buy boats and motors cheap and rarely together as a package to fix and make a bit of coin off of. so what I do is everytime I buy a boat I fix it up, then walk over to the engine stands and pick a motor. whatever I have is what it gets. boats sell fast where I live as 60% of the population lives on islands in the sound. I actually have lists of people needing boats and fulfill it the best I can. anyways, what is the boat you consider the most overpowered you have ever owned not including race boats? my most overpowered currently was a 15'6" hourston glascraft with a 96 Suzuki 225. it really wasn't all that bad though. just sat kinda funny at the dock. I had a 150 black max at the time too but the 225 was just an experiment as it wasn't much heavier then the 150. what got me thinking about asking this question is today I was building a 12'6" hourston glascraft which I have now decided will be a personal boat. bought it for $100 and all it needed was a floor. it is mint otherwise. I went back to my engine stands and realized all I had left in a size range for it was a 89 30hp Johnson 2 stroke, 2006 25hp Yamaha 4 stroke and a 2002 50hp EFI merc 4 stroke. now I don't know about you guys, I love BRP but I hate all things OMC. the Yamaha is also a bit of a turd. so yet again, like all my builds the biggest motor ends up on the boat. this one has me a bit concerned though. this is a small boat with a heavy 4 stroke. 247lbs dry to be exact. another few questions, have any of you owned a 12'6" hourston glascraft?, and if so what is the engine you put on them? I owned one before which I put a 50 Honda on and it was great but I just feel the extra 40lbs (which doesn't seem like much) is gonna be a lot for such a small boat. sorry for the long rant but please discuss. I must add that around here getting caught by the coast guard or police with an overpowered boat is not an issue. either they're to dumb to realize or just don't care cause like I say, all my boats seem to be over powered but I never ever get it mentioned. I have many friends in the guard though so that could be it.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: overpowering

opcorn: This oughta' be good.

 

[aspeck]

Re: overpowering

What is the boat rated for? Let that be your guide. It is not about getting caught, it is about doing the right thing. What does your insurance company say? You don't want to be in a situation where an accident happens and your insurance company refuses to pay because the boat was over powered ...

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: overpowering

"Too much horsepower is never enough!"

Seriously, your mind is writing checks your body can't cash. Eventually it will bite you.

What worries me is not that you are overpowering, but apparently you sell these boats knowing they are overpowered--again, apparently to an unsuspecting or inexperienced buyer. A recipe for real trouble. You are looking to add drama in your life.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: overpowering

What is the boat rated for? Let that be your guide. It is not about getting caught, it is about doing the right thing. What does your insurance company say? You don't want to be in a situation where an accident happens and your insurance company refuses to pay because the boat was over powered ...

I don't speak for all insurance companies, but I used to work in one for quite a few years. Not once, EVER, did the rating of the boat ever matter. Not a single time. Insurance companies have a length to HP formula, and if you are above that, you end up in either the uninsurable or high insurance category. The only time it is ever meant to kick in is for the high end muscle PWC's that have 250+ hp in a hull smaller than 10 feet.

Plain and simple truth is that many have a huge problem with going 10hp over the sticker, but yet will happily tow their boat with a diesel truck that might be running double the factory horsepower/torque. I fail to see how overpowering one vehicle way beyond its design specs is ok, but a boat is not... Its all in your right hand (or right foot) I've 'overpowered' my car, and also removed the factory speed limiter which was at 132 mph. Does that mean I have to use every single inch of throttle all the time? nope.


Now weight on the other hand... THAT you have to watch! I'd be considering moving the battery & fuel tanks forward if at all possible.

 

[DAN M VAGOS]

Re: overpowering

I agree what do the stickers say on the boats? I doubt any one buying a old cheap boat is insurance it anyway but I would love to repower my 15' capri but my tag has a max of a 50hp and thats waht I have on it. If new a boat is rated att a 50hp and 25 years later you put a 75hp on well I dont think thats smart. There should be a hp decrease chart for repowers lol 5hp for every 5 years lol

 

[DAN M VAGOS]

Re: overpowering

O man now I need a 25hp on my boat lol just thought about it lol I'm overe powerd :doh:

 

[NYBo]

Re: overpowering

What worries me is not that you are overpowering, but apparently you sell these boats knowing they are overpowered--again, apparently to an unsuspecting or inexperienced buyer. A recipe for real trouble. You are looking to add drama in your life.

My thoughts exactly. The first time some newbie stuffs his boat into a bridge, or a transom with a hidden flaw tears loose, guess who they'll be coming after. To buttress their case against you, it would be easy to demonstrate that you have been acting as an informal boat dealer and therefore should have known better. I would have a talk with an attorney to safeguard my, um, assets.

 

[spdracr39]

Re: overpowering

Liability insurance will not even help you as negligence of this magnitude is a prison offense.

Add: Not if but when there is an accident.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: overpowering

. I must add that around here getting caught by the coast guard or police with an overpowered boat is not an issue. either they're to dumb to realize or just don't care cause like I say, all my boats seem to be over powered but I never ever get it mentioned. I have many friends in the guard though so that could be it.

That is a fairly IGNORANT statement and insulting to the member's of Law Enforcement and Coast Guard.

 

[Bondo]

Re: overpowering

"Too much horsepower is never enough!"

Seriously, your mind is writing checks your body can't cash. Eventually it will bite you.

What worries me is not that you are overpowering, but apparently you sell these boats knowing they are overpowered--again, apparently to an unsuspecting or inexperienced buyer. A recipe for real trouble. You are looking to add drama in your life.

Ayuh,.... I've always been a "Motorhead", 'n over-powered more than a few toys in My years,...
But never have I sold 1 of 'em, atleast not in it's over-powered state,...

If I happen to kill Myself in My quest for a speed adrenalin buzz,... so be it,...

Sellin' such a thing sets ya up to be Sued into Poverty for the rest of yer long sorry life,...

 

[matt167]

Re: overpowering

Liability insurance will not even help you as negligence of this magnitude is a prison offense.

Not with his own boats, only if one of the boats that he 'assembles' kills or critically injures new owners that he has sold to

 

[spdracr39]

Re: overpowering

Not with his own boats, only if one of the boats that he 'assembles' kills or critically injures new owners that he has sold to

He plainly states that he is knowingly selling them to people that have no idea they are overpowered which indicates they are new to boating and more prone to accidents. Even if the accident doesn't relate to the engine he is going to get in deep trouble when they do the investigation. Having posted here how proud he is of doing it the lawyers and prosecutors will roast him. Which is exactly what he deserves. Unfortunately the people killed or injured by his ignorance and greed will still suffer.

 

[moosehead]

Re: overpowering

If you don't have a capacity plate the below formulas on pages 2-3 are good guidelines.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/education_safety/safety/boatwater/backyardboatbuilders.pdf

Given your own stated concerns, maybe just try out that 2 stroke Johnson first?

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: overpowering

The police and coast guard in Canada may not have a problem with it but if one of those boats injures or kills someone their lawyer will try to get everything you have and ever will have. Rightly so....

hay guys and gals . I was just throwing another boat together today and thought I wonder how many other people are like me and overpower there boat to the max I truelly do not mean to though. I buy boats and motors cheap and rarely together as a package to fix and make a bit of coin off of. so what I do is everytime I buy a boat I fix it up, then walk over to the engine stands and pick a motor. whatever I have is what it gets. boats sell fast where I live as 60% of the population lives on islands in the sound. I actually have lists of people needing boats and fulfill it the best I can. anyways, what is the boat you consider the most overpowered you have ever owned not including race boats? my most overpowered currently was a 15'6" hourston glascraft with a 96 Suzuki 225. it really wasn't all that bad though. just sat kinda funny at the dock. I had a 150 black max at the time too but the 225 was just an experiment as it wasn't much heavier then the 150. what got me thinking about asking this question is today I was building a 12'6" hourston glascraft which I have now decided will be a personal boat. bought it for $100 and all it needed was a floor. it is mint otherwise. I went back to my engine stands and realized all I had left in a size range for it was a 89 30hp Johnson 2 stroke, 2006 25hp Yamaha 4 stroke and a 2002 50hp EFI merc 4 stroke. now I don't know about you guys, I love BRP but I hate all things OMC. the Yamaha is also a bit of a turd. so yet again, like all my builds the biggest motor ends up on the boat. this one has me a bit concerned though. this is a small boat with a heavy 4 stroke. 247lbs dry to be exact. another few questions, have any of you owned a 12'6" hourston glascraft?, and if so what is the engine you put on them? I owned one before which I put a 50 Honda on and it was great but I just feel the extra 40lbs (which doesn't seem like much) is gonna be a lot for such a small boat. sorry for the long rant but please discuss. I must add that around here getting caught by the coast guard or police with an overpowered boat is not an issue. either they're to dumb to realize or just don't care cause like I say, all my boats seem to be over powered but I never ever get it mentioned. I have many friends in the guard though so that could be it.

 

[matt167]

Re: overpowering

He plainly states that he is knowingly selling them to people that have no idea they are overpowered which indicates they are new to boating and more prone to accidents. Even if the accident doesn't relate to the engine he is going to get in deep trouble when they do the investigation. Having posted here how proud he is of doing it the lawyers and prosecutors will roast him. Which is exactly what he deserves. Unfortunately the people killed or injured by his ignorance and greed will still suffer.

I understand, that's pretty much what I meant.. If he runs around with his grossly overpowered, on the lake not bothering anyone knowing how to control the power, there is no issue, but when someone else buys the same boat, goes to see how fast it can go, looses control and gets killed or kills someone else, than he could be held liable for selling the boat like that.

 

[DAN M VAGOS]

Re: overpowering

:clap2:

 

[bonz_d]

Re: overpowering

I overpowered my little brother once. He's now taller and heavier than I am.

 

[westcoaster90]

Re: overpowering

first off I want you guys to know that the people in the guard and rcmp are a lot of my friends and I have no problem with any kind of law enforcement. I said they may be to dumb to notice. that's not ignorant at all. that's just me wondering why they say nothing, one of my friends in the guard has a 14' glastron with a 90 opti on it. 2nd absolutely nobody around here has insurance except for the whale watching companies. there are no high rollers at all. this is just a tiny little sound with lots of people that use boats. I bet the high rollers coming up from the states in there huge yachts (which have the locals around here ready to sink them in the summer because they park at the dock taking up one whole finger where normally 10 other boats would park) have insurance. until you guys know this area where I come from you have absolutely no idea. almost every boat which is not powered by the dealer is overpowered around here. hell I even see the dealer mounting 10hp over sometimes. I even asked our local merc dealer about overpowering and they said they mount more horsepower then rated for as long as the boat can tolerate the weight of the engine. I sell to people who have lived on the water and used boats their whole life in serious conditions. i'm not talking like 4-5 times a year like most, I'm talking 365 days a year. after all, they need it to get home regardless of the season. I have friends in every town and city from here down island who fix boats and motors and do the same thing as me. we actually have discussions just like now how it happens. it's just what we have. we have been doing this for 15 years and have only had really happy customers. oh ya and the people that buy these boats know very well that they are overpowered and they are happy about it. some people are just from seriously restricted area's and think because there area is like that they are gonna eat me alive giving me heck in my own thread even though my area isn't anything like there's. what got you guys going is the 15'6" with the 225. that is the boat I've had which was MOST overpowered and I clearly said was an experiment. that boat was not sold that way either. it was my personal boat for 2 years then sold with a 115 opti but was rated for a 90. the 115 was perfect on it and the owner (who is my friend) still runs it to this day. most of the boats I sell are only 10-15hp over which I see many on here in other threads say is ok. the 12'6" I am only worried about the weight of the engine on the boat. the power of the 50 Honda was awesome on the previous 12'6" I installed it on. I am not gonna sit here and listen to people tell me i'm not smart when they have no idea how it is. putting whatever engine on whatever boat is just a way of life around here. now please stick to the original question. the people who are strongly against overpowering just go away because you aren't putting anything into the thread. what is the boat you consider most overpowered you have ever owned?

 

[spdracr39]

Re: overpowering

Whatever melts your butter. I just hope you and your customers are lucky enough not to suffer the consequences of your decisions.