Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

[ijhb]

Hello,

First time poster, long time lurker.

I'm looking for a simple aluminum boat to pull my kids on a tube around a quiet lake.

I'm limited in vehicle towing capacity so a larger boat is out of the question.

I'm looking at a new 14ft Naden Fisherman with a new 20hp Yamaha tiller with electric trim / tilt. I'm a novice boater.

I'm a bit worried about engine strain / wear.

The max Hp on the Fisherman in 25hp. Should I max out the hp or stick with the 20hp? (The dealer has a decent price on the 20hp and tells me 20hp is plenty of motor for this boat).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, many thanks in advance,

Ian

 

[Campylobacter]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

Pulling a tube puts A LOT of drag on a boat. That 20 Horse is going to be right on the edge of being able to plane out pulling a tube.

I have actually pulled a tube behind a 12' boat with a 9.9, but only with a light load and even then it took a looooong time to get the boat on plane.

 

[Watermann]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

Not really the type of boat for what your looking at doing on the water. It should work but I would start out with one kid at a time to see if the motor and boat can handle it. You'ill need a spotter in the bow anyway to hold the nose down since it's a tiller you'll have the motor, you, the gas tank and the battery all piled up in the stern area.

Good luck!

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

BAH it'll be fine... The extra 5 hp WOULD be a good idea but what you really need is a prop with less pitch for towing..... You won't be slinging them around on a wild ride but it will pull em just fine..... If you want something small for better tubing get a big 3 seat jetski.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

I used to pull my kids behind a 9.9. Outboard mounted on a 14' Sea Nymph aluminum v-hull rowboat. It was Ok until the exceeded 60 lbs. or o, although the ride was pretty tame. I could get on plane, but I generally was unable to sling them outside the wake.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

It can be done. I've seen skinny kids ski behind jon boats and Gheenoes with 10hp motors, but having a 4-blad prop, or one with less pitch will help. Moving your own weight as far forward as possible will help too. I suggest a tiller extension. You can make one out of PVC by putting 3-4 slits in one end, sliding it over the stock tiller handle, and holding it in place with a few pipe clamps. You can also buy one if you have the money laying around.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

growing up, we water skied behind a 13' whaler with a 18. that was before they had tubes. That was also when I was a skinny 14 year old; my skinny sisters did too at that age.

also, the tube will pull you--lots of sliding, so be ready.

If you can get the tube on a plane you can do anything

 

[ijhb]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

Thanks for the detailed responses!

I can get a 25hp for $400 more but it won't have electric tilt / trim.

Will having the ability to make small adjustments to the trim with the electric be useful for tubing or is it a luxury I don't need?

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

Can't address the power tilt issue exactly but I do believe the added 5hp would be more benificial in this case. Keep the tube load light and the kids should have fun.

 

[pckeen]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

You can simply manual adjust the tilt/trim - basically, play with the boat with the tube, stop, adjust the trim, then play again, until you get it right. Do this without the tube first, so you can get the hang of it, then do it with the tube.

Once you've got it right - you can leave it and tube all day - at that point, it won't make a difference whether you have an electric or manual tilt. The manual tilt is a bit more of a headache, but not much. The 20hp will pull a tube, particularly if your kids are small, but the extra 5hp will make quite a difference. If it were my $$, I would go for the 25hp.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

Me too. I'd take the extra 5hp, which is a 25% increase in power. Plus, electric trim and tilt systems add extra weight at the stern and aren't really necessary on motors that small. 25-30hp, 2-stroke Yamis are some of the most sought after motors down here in my neck of the woods (FL).

 

[roscoe]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

An old fashioned wooden disc will pull a lot easier than a tube.

a 36" diameter sheet of plywood is what we used. Painted up nice, and pulled at 10 mph.

Here is someone trying to sell it as a new idea, but we were doing it in the 60's.

The Disk from American Disk, wake boarding, water skiing - YouTube

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

Me too. I'd take the extra 5hp, which is a 25% increase in power. Plus, electric trim and tilt systems add extra weight at the stern and aren't really necessary on motors that small. 25-30hp, 2-stroke Yamis are some of the most sought after motors down here in my neck of the woods (FL).

Totally agree. If we were talking about going from a 135hp to a 140hp motor on an 18' boat, there is no difference. There absolutely will be on your proposed setup. The tilt/trim systems will add weight. Plus, if you don't have those luxuries then you don't need a battery so you're making the boat even faster. KFA makes another great point about the type of engine. You get a better power-to-weight ratio by using a 2-stroke versus a 4-stroke. You could buy the boat from the dealer and then power with an older 25hp 2-stroke. Motors last forever and you could save money by not buying new.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

An old fashioned wooden disc will pull a lot easier than a tube.

I haven't seen one of those sense 1966

 

[southkogs]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

An old fashioned wooden disc will pull a lot easier than a tube.

a 36" diameter sheet of plywood is what we used. Painted up nice, and pulled at 10 mph.

Here is someone trying to sell it as a new idea, but we were doing it in the 60's.

The Disk from American Disk, wake boarding, water skiing - YouTube

I haven't seen one of those sense 1966

We just made one a few weeks ago. I was gonna' post, but we haven't gotten any pictures of it yet. EASY to get up on, and easy to pull. The kids got a kick out of it ... we'll probably play with it again this weekend.

 

[WN2712NJ]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

We have a 14 foot tinny skiff that is used primarily for crabbing and fishing, but on occasion we do tow my son and friends around on a tube. We have a 20HP 4stroke Tohatsu on it. It definitely wouldn't work for towing multiple kids, but for one skinny teen-ager at a time it works just fine. We've towed kids weighing up to about 170 pounds, which is right about where it seems to start to struggle a bit. Kids lighter than that are just fine. Do be aware that you have to have a spotter in the boat (more weight) and that with that light of a boat, what happens in the tube can very definitely affect what happens in the boat. If the tube digs in, the boat is jerked pretty hard, and there is the potential for the driver or spotter to be flipped out of the boat if they are not ready for it.

From what I know, most new 25HP motors are 3 cylinder motors and weigh a lot more than the 20's, which are 2 cylinder motors (this is assuming everything else equal). And power tilt is a LOT of weight for this class of boat, although I miss not having it on the Tohatsu (my 20 year old daughter struggles to be able to tilt the motor on her own).

Good Luck,

-dm

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

On a boat like that and for that use, I wouldn't get the PTT; they are worht it for shallow water hunters and fishermen and even then a bit of a luxury.


but do get the 25 hp. But when the boat's empty it will be really quick, and when your children are old enough to run it they need to be cautioned (how good was your judgment, and ability to go "slow and safe" when you were a 14 year old boy?)

 

[ijhb]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

Thanks for all the posts and the different perspectives.

One last question:

Does the extra weight of the 25hp make a difference? I think it's about 60 - 70 lbs. more for the 25hp even with the PTT on the 20hp.

The dealer thinks I'm a bit nuts for wanting the 25hp and thinks the extra weight isn't worth it.

 

[sphelps]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

An old fashioned wooden disc will pull a lot easier than a tube.

a 36" diameter sheet of plywood is what we used. Painted up nice, and pulled at 10 mph.

Here is someone trying to sell it as a new idea, but we were doing it in the 60's.

Yep we had one made from an old road sign . Rectangle with a nice curve/rocker to it . Only difference was we drilled 2 holes on the edge and tied a loop of rope through the holes with big knots tied to the rope so it would not pull through the holes that side was your handle and then ski rope tied to it from the bottom . That would keep the nose up . How did we ever survive those days ! :lol:

 

[Campylobacter]

Re: Can I pull a tube with a 20hp on a 14ft aluminum boat?

We just made one a few weeks ago. I was gonna' post, but we haven't gotten any pictures of it yet. EASY to get up on, and easy to pull. The kids got a kick out of it ... we'll probably play with it again this weekend.

Not to threadjack, but I would really like to see some pics and description to make one of these. I am struggling to find the easiest thing to get my kid's friend's up on. They want to try wakeboarding, but less than half can get up!!