15.5' fiberglass 60HP OB: enough power?

jon705

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 26, 2009
Messages
101
The question's been asked in many different combinations of boat sizes/types and HP but I thought I'd ask anyway and seek some much needed advice.

I'm finishing up my first project boat, a 15.5' fiberglass open bow, and looking for the outboard to power it. The boat can handle up to 100HP. There's an early 70s 60HP Johnson for sale locally. Will the 60HP be enough for my family of four to do some tubing and skiing, or should I hold out for a 100HP? The four of us would be about 450lbs.

Thanks in advance!
 

skibrain

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 17, 2004
Messages
766
Re: 15.5' fiberglass 60HP OB: enough power?

If you are going to be skiing with the boat and carrying passengers, you definitely should go for the max. hp rated motor.

Or at least get into the next size engine displacement-wise. The Johnson/Evinrude V4 series of that era was 1632cc in 85hp up to 140hp. 85, 90, or 100 hp will be much better.

If your boating laws allowed for driver-only, the 60 (is that an inline 3 cyl?) would be marginal power. Keep shopping. :)
 

Brew2

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 12, 2004
Messages
427
Re: 15.5' fiberglass 60HP OB: enough power?

I agree....if you are going to have to buy a motor anyway, I'd hold out for something in the 90-100 hp range. The 60hp would be good for a child to waterski and likely "OK" for an adult on two skis....but when someone wants to try slaloming (one ski) it isn't going to work unless they get up on two skis then drop one. That's ok, but a PITA when you have to go back and look for ski that has flipped upside down. Also a hazzard for other boaters if they happen to hit the unseen ski.

Same issue for tubing...children will be ok, but put a couple of adults on tubes behind the 60 hp and you are going to take a loooong time to plane that boat.

I owned a V4 Evinrude (1986) for many years and loved it. I would think the 90hp V4 would be a great choice.

Good luck!
 

oldjeep

Admiral
Joined
May 17, 2010
Messages
6,455
Re: 15.5' fiberglass 60HP OB: enough power?

Depends on your definition of skiing. If you mean a pair of combo skis at a slow speed, then no problem.

If you mean slalom with an adult on a real slalom ski, no way. Besides the lack of power, a decent slalom skier will be moving a boat that size a couple feet each direction during the turns.
 

haulnazz15

Captain
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Messages
3,720
Re: 15.5' fiberglass 60HP OB: enough power?

Johnson SeaHorse v4 - 90HP - 'nuff said. :)
 

jon705

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 26, 2009
Messages
101
Re: 15.5' fiberglass 60HP OB: enough power?

Thanks for the advice to everyone that's responded so far. Seems about unanimous that I should wait for something a lil' bigger...
 
Joined
Jun 1, 2010
Messages
51
Re: 15.5' fiberglass 60HP OB: enough power?

well i know i had a 15.5ft flats boat with a 1979 85 horse johnson, and not only would it scoot, but it pulled 2 skiers no problem, not to mention a slalom skier. it went top speed of 43.8 on gps.
 

hibbert6

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 15, 2006
Messages
323
Re: 15.5' fiberglass 60HP OB: enough power?

I have a 15' tri hull with a 65hp Merc, and it will get me up on one ski, but I weigh 135lbs. For tubing it's fine. But I would give my eye teeth to trade up to 85hp - I'm just not willing to pay for another engine! So if you're buying one anyway, go for the bigger motor.

Dave
 

BoomerSooner

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
35
Re: 15.5' fiberglass 60HP OB: enough power?

I had a 15' Chrysler Striper with a 70HP Chrysler motor. It would pull me, 175#, on a competition level slalom ski with minimum load in the boat. Get 3-4 of my friends, well, that's a different story. 3-4 friends in the boat, she'd do fine double ski, tube, wakeboard, kneeboard, even pull 2 people, both on double skis. Remember gentlemen, it's all about power to weight ratio. So, that being said, I would wait and try to find as close to 100HP as you can. Can 60HP do it? Yeah. Would you maybe wish for more power down the road, Yeah. Will you be happy you waited for 100HP, umm, yeah.
 

Nolaner

Cadet
Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Messages
14
Re: 15.5' fiberglass 60HP OB: enough power?

I'm going to side with the majority, we have a 65 on a 16' and it's no fun. We could ski behind it but getting up was a pain because it took a very long time to get up to speed with people in the boat and to slalom you had to drop a ski and it barely had enough power to keep my up. Tubing was even worse, you can't really pull 2 tubes with it, and we just gave up because it just couldn't go fast enough to make it any fun. Go for something bigger.
 

75TowerOfPower

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
331
Re: 15.5' fiberglass 60HP OB: enough power?

Wait for the biggest you can affroad. I have an identical boat and I have a 115 Hp on mine and with 3 people in the boat I can get up (6'4" 230lbs) but I drink some water. We can tube with two people behind the boat and 2 in it. So wait for a larger one thats your boat capacity.
 
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