Help me decide please

[k1w1t1m]

I have a '57 Texas Maid Bahama 16' aluminum boat currently with a '73 Johnson Seahorse 50hp two cylinder. It goes well with a top speed of a little over 20mph. I believe it should go a bit better but that is a long term project.

According to some Texas Maid information I found my boat was originally spec'ed with up to 80hp. It's stablemates (very slightly smaller) were spec'ed with up to 40 hp motors. So I expect my boat to go better than it does.

I have recently found myself in a position to obtain a late 60s 80 hp Johnson Seahorse Electramatic. The only number I can find is on a welch plug (J2808933 if someone can help with a year I would appreciate it). The motor has been sitting for about 10 years but appears to have been maintained and does turn over by hand.

After all that my question to the board is, is it worth pursuing and are there any pro's or con's to the 80hp?

TIA
Tim

 

[JB]

Re: Help me decide please

Howdy, K1.

Welcome to iboats.

Well, you are definitely underpowered now. That boat needs a minimum of 56HP for satisfactory performance, and that is 56 prop HP. Your "50" probably has about 45 Prop HP.

I wouldn't recommend an ElectraMatic engine. Too hard to get parts.

If you can find a nice JohnnyRude triple 70 with mechanical shift I think that would be an excellent engine for your Texas Maid boat.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Help me decide please

Hey Tim, gotta chime in here cause I'm another Tim with a Texas Maid project...mine's a 61 or 62 15 foot Impala (you can see some pix if you search for Texas Maid in the Boat Restoration forum). How deep is your transom...15 inches or 20? If your tansom is 20 inches and the 73 Seahorse isn't a long shaft, it won't do so hot. Could also be that it is out of tune and not making full rpms in the top end, or could be poorly propped. Smaller props allow the engine to make more top end rpms. 20 mph max sounds slow, I had a 72 fiberglass trihull boat with a 73 Merc 500 50 hp (a lot heavier than your Bahama) and it made 28 mph turning 5200 to 5500 rpms at WOT. How do you have the 50 hp Johnson trimmed? Does the bow stay down or come up after you get on plane? Is it only making 20 mph with just you in the boat? Weight/passengers can make a big difference in speed/performance. Can't date your prospective Johnson outboard, my book only goes to 1964. If you can get the 80 for a good price though, why not...can't have too many outboards you know. Might even put both on the transom for twin power. That's what I'm shooting for with my Impala project...twin 33 or 35 hp motors, unless a single 33 or 35 makes enough speed.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Help me decide please

Hey JB, is there a formula for figuring out how much hp/umph you need on a particular size boat? Just curious. Didn't know the electramatic shifts were problematic.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Help me decide please

the shift solenoids have not been made in years, supply exhausted, and supply of good used ones is dwindling.

rule of thumb, on HP is, the lowest hp for a boat to perform reasonably is 70% of the rated Hp. boat rated for 100hp, smallest motor, for it to perform reasonably is a 70 hp.

 

[k1w1t1m]

Re: Help me decide please

Thank you for the awesome replies. It looks like I'll pass on the 80 Electramatic. A pity because it was left on a property I just bought so it's free. However I might see if I can get it going so that both motors (the 80 and my 50) can fund a 70hp.
Unfortunately the information on Texas Maids is extremely limited. The boat was a $100 purchase on a trailer and was sold as a Lone Star. It took much internet searching to find out it was a Texas Maid. In fact it was only yesterday when I found out it was a Bahama and rated for 80hp. Until now everyone I spoke to figured 50 might be on the edge of overpowering it.

tmclavy
It's great to hear of another Tim with a Texas Maid. Yours sure looks nice. I hope those twin 35s work out for you.

The transom is 16" and the 50 is a LS but I have a jackplate to make the difference. My next immediate project is to reinforce the jackplate as it puts a lot of leverage on the transom. Doing this will enable me to adjust the trim better. I have also taken the fins off the outboard to see if that makes a difference (I haven't ever tried it without them). Although I am not an outboard mechanic I have tuned the engine the best I can (yes I have a manual) but am always looking for tips to get a little more out of it. The prop is new and is the recommended one and it goes better than it did with the old one. I will be continuing to tinker with it but a house purchase has slowed things down a little.

As with any old boat it does have a story. An older gentleman owned it and cut the dashboard and foredeck out (and other parts I don't yet know about) to make it a better bass boat. He bought and installed some top of the line items (at the time). Unfortunately he suffered from brain cancer and subsequently passed away without getting the boat and it's new equipment in the water. Then the boat sat in his back yard for 16 years uncovered. His wife did a deal to someone for the motor (I believe 40 hp Mercury), but otherwise the boat sat. The drain plug blocked resulting in all the interior rotting. As part of it's rebuild in his hands, he had heard that 3ltr coke bottles made good floatation so all the underfloor is filled with empty coke bottles.
3 or 4 years ago the guys wife had a cleanup and the boat was on the side of the road for sale, on trailer for $100. It was too good to turn down. A year, new floor, motor ,paint, legalities, and about $1000 later we had it on the water.We were also able to buy the trolling motor and other goodies too. Unfortunately while unused and like new some of the plastic parts have deteriorated so we will be replacing them as we can.
The coke bottle floatation was retained and thus it's new name and color scheme, "Coke Float"

Here are some pics taken after I fixed it up to be seaworthy. So far I am in it for about $1200 and lots of labor.

 

[k1w1t1m]

Re: Help me decide please

Any information on the Texas Maids would also be appreciated.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Help me decide please

k1w1t1m, you need a good bilge pump in that thing. nice boat.

 

[k1w1t1m]

Re: Help me decide please

It has a bilge pump that I put in along with a float switch and it has never come on apart from my testing it. The longest the boat has spent on the water at one time is about three days. When I took it out of the water there was surprisingly little water in the bilge.

 

[wbeaton]

Re: Help me decide please

Nice boat. Normally I'd say take the advice on the 80 hp given, but free is free. If it works, use it until it craps out or until you find a better replacement.