Horsepower Question

[Parrot6909]

Hello all.....I have a question about what size O/B i need for my boat......The boat is a 1966 16' Trihull....weight...well, your guess is as good as mine. It currently has a 1968 65hp Evinrude on it which I want to get rid of and get something that is not older then I am. The plate on the boat is faded and unreadable....Trying to figure out what the min/max hp I should be looking for. I would assume that something around the 70hp range would be fine, but wanted to see if i could go with maybe a 50 or if i went higher a 90.....thoughts?

 

[JasonB]

Re: Horsepower Question

(Standard disclaimer) I would go with the max rated for the hull if the transom is in good shape. Be careful though. That being said, I would think a 70 would be ok I have a 15.5' tri-hull made in '76 that is rated for 100hp. My 85hp V4 scoots along at 36mph. A friend has the same length boat that is 6 inches narrower and is only rated for a 70. His 70 pushes him about 30 or so. Also keep in mind that those HP numbers are for 1976 outboards rated at the crank. A newer ('84 or later?) 70hp probablyhas 10% more power since they are rated at the propshaft.<br /><br />Who is the manufacturer of the boat?

 

[Solittle]

Re: Horsepower Question

I'll take a good running 68 over a poorly maintained 98 any day.

 

[Parrot6909]

Re: Horsepower Question

Boat manufacturer is West Wind, circa 1966 in Mint condition, motor looks great too....1968 65hp Evinrude sport four.....however, motor hasn't been run in over two years (just bought it this past winter) and I am concerned about the reliability. I tried to start it up (after putting some mystery oil in the cylinders to lube her up again) and didn't even hear a click, guessing a bad solenoid.....I wanted to take the whole thing apart and rebuild her, but A) three month old son takes up a ton of my time and B) when I went to remove the lower unit to replace the impeller, the screwheads were sheared off.....not a good machinist by any stretch, I am sure i could get her up and running again, its more of a time thing at this pt.

 

[n0ukf]

Re: Horsepower Question

for a basic hp rating for any given size boat go to www.fiberglassics.com/, go to their "Engines & Drives" menu and down to "How Much HP?".<br /><br />Rudes run forever, don't they? Did you have the throttle set low enough? There's a safety switch that disables the starter if the throttle is set too high. Don't forget the water, or you'll need a new impeller. 4 of the 5 Johnnyrudes we have around here won't work with the the water muffs. If the front edge of the fin (underwater exhaust port) above the prop has an intake screen, you need a special flush adapter, or use a garbage can full of water.