Justaguy10825
Cadet
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2012
- Messages
- 11
Hi, So I bought a 1993 24" sweetwater. It turned out that it needed an engine (long sad story). I really could not afford a brand new engine so I went with a used engine from a local & reputable shop. The shop has been in business for many, many, years & told me that the sweetwater brand is a great boat and they have had a TON of experience taking care of them. I say that to say this... When I told them I was looking for a used replacement engine, & knowing very little about them myself, I asked them how big I could go (the console info tag is completely faded out & Godfrey marine does not answer phone calls or emails). The boat shop told me that the highest HP they would recommend on a 24' boat was 150. I checked with the local DMV & my insurance company & they both said 150HP is acceptable & insurance company sent me a letter stating the boat would be covered, of course premium is a bit higher. I ended up buying & having the shop install the 1997 suzuki 150.
I got the boat home (long bumpy drive on trailer) & noticed that the transom appeared stressed. I am going to assume that it is because the 150 weighs a bunch more than the 90 Tohatsu that came off of it. I lifted the weight off the transom & fabricated additional supports that wrap around the bottom of the transom & attach up on top of the frame rails on both sides of the engine to support the additional "up/down" weight so now there is no flex whatsoever in the transom when I jump up & down on it. Also, worrying about forward/reverse thrust of the additional HP/torque, I added supports from the top engine mounting bolts to the frame rails ahead of the engine. I am hoping that these supports will help the transom plate hold/transfer the extra weight without having to worry about broken welds. I also installed a heavy duty shock absorbing transom saver to help bear some of the weight/bounce while trailering.
Besides the "Too much power" replies & since I already have the engine on the boat. Has anyone here ever added supports to configuration like this & how did it work out? Is there any other type of additional bracing that I may want to consider? I have already had the boat in the water & the extra weight is almost not noticeable as far as the way the boat sits. I know it is a lot of HP & I am not crazy or stupid. I have had street cars with 800+HP but the sense not to use all 800 where it was unsafe to do so & hurt myself or anyone else. I am 46 & have kids I want to be able to pull around at a fun pace to have fun. Not get anyone hurt.
Thanks everyone.
I got the boat home (long bumpy drive on trailer) & noticed that the transom appeared stressed. I am going to assume that it is because the 150 weighs a bunch more than the 90 Tohatsu that came off of it. I lifted the weight off the transom & fabricated additional supports that wrap around the bottom of the transom & attach up on top of the frame rails on both sides of the engine to support the additional "up/down" weight so now there is no flex whatsoever in the transom when I jump up & down on it. Also, worrying about forward/reverse thrust of the additional HP/torque, I added supports from the top engine mounting bolts to the frame rails ahead of the engine. I am hoping that these supports will help the transom plate hold/transfer the extra weight without having to worry about broken welds. I also installed a heavy duty shock absorbing transom saver to help bear some of the weight/bounce while trailering.
Besides the "Too much power" replies & since I already have the engine on the boat. Has anyone here ever added supports to configuration like this & how did it work out? Is there any other type of additional bracing that I may want to consider? I have already had the boat in the water & the extra weight is almost not noticeable as far as the way the boat sits. I know it is a lot of HP & I am not crazy or stupid. I have had street cars with 800+HP but the sense not to use all 800 where it was unsafe to do so & hurt myself or anyone else. I am 46 & have kids I want to be able to pull around at a fun pace to have fun. Not get anyone hurt.
Thanks everyone.
