Re: Sea Nymph boat question
Okay,I am sure some of you have already seen,...and read,...my post about my still searching for a boat. Now,it brings up a question I need to ask. The
14R,according to the Sea nymph spec board,was made up to 1990. In 1991,the FM141 seems to have been the replacement for the 14R since it
still has the same specs ,...13.67" in length approximately,...just a hair under
14 ft. Both boats have the same max HP rating of 25 hp. If I were to find any
one of these two boats with,...say a 15 hp Evinrude or Johnson motor,...what kind of performance should I expect with a 15 HP rather than a 25 HP motor? The 14R was not listed under 1991 specs,...so it leads me to believe the FM141 is a replacement for the 14R. Am I correct in my assumption?
And I have a 14R that I purchased new in 1993. Title lists the hull as a 1993 model. I have two engines for my boat, my Dad's '74 9.9 Evinrude, and a Bombadier manufactured Johnson 25 (I actually had purchased a '94 Evinrude 25 that was stolen, bleh . . . but, while that Evinrude was my preference (for cosmetic and sentimental reasons) Bombadier has made slight improvements to the otherwise identical Johnson and it has proven to be the better of the two).
My 9.9 gets me around on lakes where 15 hp limits are in effect. It's a great little motor. I am of the understanding that the 15 hp version uses a modified version of the same powerhead to achieve the additional power - if this motor didn't have such sentimental value, I'd look for some competent person to make the modifications.
In boating, 5 hp makes a significant difference. Before I purchased the 25, I used to tell myself that the 9.9 moved that boat pretty well. 15 HP should move it even better. I had my daughter on board the first time I fired up the 25. She was probably 6 years old at the time, and was seated in the center seat, facing forward. As the boat lurched forward (a surprise to us both), she went flying backwards onto the floor (not hurt in any way, thankfully).
My boating days go back to fondly remembered times spent with my mother and father out on back waters fishing for northern pike and large/small mouth bass. No less of a thrill than hooking many a big one were the scenic trips up and down the river in our gleaming Sea Nymph powered by some iteration of Evinrude motor (first a 3hp, then a 5 or 5 1/2 hp, then an old (even in its day) 10 hp (the square-ish housing with rounded corners), then that 60's era low profile 9.9, and, finally, the '73 motor that I still have today, similar shape to that 10 hp jobbie, but smaller proportions.
The Sea Nymph that my parents had was not as deep as the 14R and, no doubt, rated for far less HP, probably 15 hp max. On that boat, any 10hp motor was fast, especially if you were a skinny little 15 year-old teenager testing your luck. I didn't realize it at the time I purchased my present Sea Nymph, but the 14R is a much more substantial boat and can handle much "heavier" water and will take a much larger engine.
The 9.9 feels like an electric after you have run the boat with a 25, but that is to be expected. If you start with a 15, I think you will be pleased. If you ever run it with a 25, you will never want to go back to anything less.
I sometimes wish I had purchased a 30 hp, although that would exceed the rating on the transom plate (don't know if that matters or not). I can't believe that it would make that much difference in terms of safety, but would probably give me a good deal of extra power.
Good luck to you.
Happy boating.
Caruso
