Herters 13.5 Needs a Motor

micmor64

micmor64

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A friend gave me an old Herters Hudson Bay 13.5' fiberglass boat in great shape (needs stripping and re-painting). I'm very much looking forward to the spring when my Spaniel pup Buoy and I will be spending many hours on the water with it (very manageable size for the two of us). It came with a 1981 Suzuki DT-16, 2 stroke (moves the boat about 20mph with two adults in it). If I decide to upgrade the motor, what would you suggest I purchase? I'm a bit concerned about the added weight of the new 4 strokes, but am wondering if a 15-20HP 4 stroke would be a good choice.
 
alldodge

alldodge

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The Suz 16 motor weight listed at 90LB
The new 15 or 20HP motor weight is 107LB so not that much more
 
Scott Danforth

Scott Danforth

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Is this the herters 13.5 duck boat? The one listed as 16hp max?
 
micmor64

micmor64

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Apologies, I think I posted this in the wrong place. Thanks all for the feedback. If I could move this post I would, sorry.

I cant find much on Herters boats, but the cast breast hook and rear gussets are clearly marked Herters Hudson Bay and she's definitely 13 1/2 feet long w/ 15" transom. The intent of the query was predominantly geared around weight on the transom (should have been more precise as to what I was getting to) as I've seen some old articles suggesting 25HP would work well on this boat. I just have little to no experience with these old boats and their performance, and don't wish to overload it.
 
Scott Danforth

Scott Danforth

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micmor64 said:
My understanding was that with these older boats, the HP rating was more of the weight that could hang off the transom during trailering rather than thrust. If that's so, probably shouldn't exceed 95lbs (ish) to be safe (or exceed by very much)? Look for a motor by weight rather than HP?
Click to expand...
No, the rating is based on length at waterline and transom width

See 33CFR SS183.53
 
micmor64

micmor64

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Scott Danforth said:
No, the rating is based on length at waterline and transom width

See 33CFR SS183.53
Click to expand...
That being the case, I'll keep an eye out for a newer 10-15HP (assuming I retire the DT-16, and if the Admiral agrees) and not worry. Thanks for the info. By the way... your links are quite amazing. I look for hours it seems and can not find information like this. Very appreciated.
 
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