Re: 1963 merc/w pics
First of all you have a vintage engine and it may be in need of some compression. We don't know if the engine is putting out properly or not and could be an issue.
The prop seems to have a pretty shallow pitch which should allow you to push a heavy boat.
The glass boat has an issue and potential issue.
1. It's a deep V. They do not plane out nicely with low hp engines. You need a semi vee (semi flat) hull for that like your wood boat. They (Deep V's) are built for riding (smoothly in) rough water and a lot of the hull remains in the water even though lifting strakes are present. I'd say you would need 100 hp to get any kind of performance out of this. Then as you stepped up in hp, more of the boat would come out of the water and with a lot of hp the deep V would be a real sweet big water boat.....like a 150hp.
2. It could be waterlogged. As you said, it's heavy. The boat is heavy by design, but if you add saturated innerds, you really have a problem. Old fiberglassed boats are bad about getting waterlogged.
On the wood boat:
You said the transom is only 12". You have a motor mount on your transom; I forget the technical name for it. The top of the motor mount to where the water comes under it (when planed out) is what you are interested in. Since it is behind the hull of the boat, when the boat is underway, the water will be closer to the top of the motor mounting surface than it would be if it were a straight transom installation since the boat would most likely be in a bow high attitude which would but the engine deeper in the water. Since it's a used boat you have to assume it worked once......question is, was it on a 15" shaft or a 20" shaft?
You could probably extend a yardstick straight back from the bottom of the boat and if the prop is well below that line you will have to shorten your shaft. If it is within a couple of inches, you are probably setup for a 15" engine.......but I'd bet on a boat that big, with an engine bracket setup like that, that you are setup for a 20" transom and as such your current engine length is ok.
Pulling a tube? You have to get on plane first and that means 17 or so mph. If you did get all your problems solved with this rig I'd bet you would be running just over planing speed, like 20 tops, and you aren't going to do much tube pulling, nor have much fun that slow.
Lastly, those 12" (looking) tires aren't much for trailering a heavy boat down a major highway; and if they have any age to them, weather cracking can make them lethal; for you and anyone driving close to you.
HTH,
Mark
