Motor selection

[LIADT]

I'm in the process of forming a public safety dive team in my area. We just won the bid on an inflatable, but don't have any specs on it yet (it's rolled up on the photos and we all know how forthcoming the gov't is with information). I am ASSUMING it is at least 12' length. What size motor should I be looking for in this application? I expect a crew load of five with dive gear for 4, sonar equip, etc.

 

[rolmops]

You are mentioning an official sounding purpose for your team. On this site we are all non official chat room members.
So What?
The thing you are forming has to adhere to every single standard regulation on the book. Your best source of information for this sort of enterprise is the United States Coast Guard. They have all the information you could ever wish for and they are more than happy to share it and possibly help you.
It is a good idea to start with knowledge of all facts and regulations. On this website you may conceivably get wrong information or opinion that could be damaging to your purpose. As for the engine, if you know the model number and brand of the inflatable, you can glean the length and width of your boat and taking it from there, some people on this site may give you valid advice.

 

[LIADT]

Understood- I appreciate the insight and direction. I will contact them once I have some actual specs on this boat. At this point in my exploration, I was basically looking for a ballpark idea of motor size (min/max) so I could start pricing and looking. Not so much for authoritative direction.

 

[Scott Danforth]

every inflatable boat that takes a motor has a rating for the motor. be at or below the rating for the boat you bought

 

[LIADT]

Oh, right on- that's useful information. Thank you

 

[FasterDaddy]

You really got to get the boat model and specs. Even if we knew the length and width and stern height, there are still other variables, like tube diameter, weight capacity and weight of the boat itself. My Newport is 12'6" long and 4' wide. It has the largest size tubes available in a small inflatable, 18 inches. Mine can carry up to 1700 lbs and is rated up to 20 hp. Your boat may take more or less motor depending on weight, capacity and size dimensions. Don't buy a motor until you know what the boat can take. In my case I decided for a light weight 9.8HP engine that was enough to put the boat on a plane (with two people and lots of camping equipment onboard).