Re: 1950's Lonestar boat
Hi, I am restoring a 55 Admiral 14ft. With some fairly straight forward structural mods and a Detwiler hydro jack plate, (13.5" setback), I am running a cherry '64 Merc 1000 SS with no problems at all. If your boat is pre 1972, there are very few restrictions on horsepower and load capacity. Yeah, thats 100hp on a 14ft aluminum boat. Currently running a brass 2 blade 21p prop, which gives a wicked hole shot, but not enough top end speed. I have a 3 blade Merc Vengence 25p to install for the 2011 season that should be a lot of fun. Keep in mind that these old hulls were never designed to be pushed very fast, and dont handle like a newer step hull or similar. Its easy to get in a "situation" lol Best for straight speed runs, long sweeping turns and such. I got a lot of great advice from the "go-fast" guys at screamandfly.com when I was rigging mine. Joe's advice is right on point: If you plan to run a big hp/torque motor, and your boat has the old cable/winder steering, upgrade to a push\pull rack type setup like Merc. Ride Guide, or Teleflex IMMEDIATELY! The 50's stuff cant handle the torque, and will either break, derail, or fishtail your motor at speed creating some really damp and/or soiled shorts!