Small boat towing towable

[Sgonza101]

I just bought a inflatable bestway mirovia pro from costco and I plan on towing a inflatable towable. There's a video on YouTube of two guys doing it while they pull a 3rd person on the back. I believe hes using a Mercy 15hp engine. I cant a afford a 3+k engine so my plan is to use a 14hp engine with a mud runner propeller. Or if necessary a 22 hp engine. (My boat only handles 15 hp engine max. ) Is this possible with my set up? I already have the 14hp engine but I can upgrade to a 22hp if I have too.

 

[briangcc]

First, welcome aboard.

Next, don't overpower the boat. If its rated to 15HP then that's the safe max on the boat. Finally, mudrunner? You mean one of those open prop, long shaft jobbies? If so, that doesn't sound very safe with a towable behind it...unless you're looking to dispose of something.

 

[southkogs]

I'm assuming you're running an open tiller steer style boat, somewhere between 14' and 16'. Like Brian said, don't over power it, that really won't get you anywhere. The 15HP might pull the tube around with someone light on it, but you won't get much more out of a 20HP. If the 15HP won't work, you need more boat.

I learned to ski behind a 14' runabout with a 35HP, and I've seen tubes pulled behind pontoons with 30HPs. That's probably the bottom end of the setup you need.

And I agree, if it's the long shaft mud motor ... definitely NOT.

:welcome:

 

[Scott Danforth]

what are the plans for when the towed inflatable rips the transom off the towing inflatable

that costco inflatable is intended to be used as a dinghy, not for watersports.

any attempt at over-powering it will simply fold the boat up.

 

[444]

I've seen guys pull tubes with 15hp aluminum fishing boats. For small children or someone you don't want to pull with any speed you would be ok. I don't know how well an inflatable would handle that.

 

[Sgonza101]

Thank you guys for the info! Let me show you guys the video of the boat pulling the towable https://youtu.be/54oKC4CVZXM

 

[briangcc]

Just because there's a video posted on Youtube doesn't mean that it is safe or wise to do so. What you don't know, and isn't posted, is how long they were able to do so without a catastrophic failure.

You can find any number of videos up there that point out the next Darwin Award recipient.

 

[Scott Danforth]

towing tubes by the ski loop on fiberglass boats often results in the hook being ripped from the transom. which is why boats should tow tubes and other inflatables from the transom hooks. when the tube submerges, the instant shock load on the rope is in the thousands of pounds.

 

[southkogs]

Whoah! I just caught up with the train ... you're towing a tube from an inflatable boat!

I don't recommend towing with a mud motor (if that's what you're planning on using).

I don't recommend overpowering the inflatable. If I'm looking at the right one online; a) you won't get much more out of it by overpowering it and b) there's no rigidity to that hull so too much weight is going to affect you from a safety standpoint.

In the video, they were going pretty much in a straight line, and from the looks of it the towable was tied to the rear handles. I don't think it's all that safe, but it's probably not crazy dangerous. Most people I see tubing want to do turns and whip the rider around ... the increase of potential damage to the boat, the possibility of turtling the tow boat, and likelihood of deflating the towboat go up significantly once you start turns.

 

[wahlejim]

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes

 

[aspeck]

UMMM,, nope ... not advisable or recommended at all.

 

[Sgonza101]

Okay well now that the towable is out of the question do you guys have any suggestions on what engine to put in it? This is the boat https://www.bestway-europe.eu/en/1387-hydroforce-mirovia-pro
and this is what I plan for the engine https://mudmotorkit.com/mud-motor-kits-97.html

 

[southkogs]

Are you running an inflatable through swamp areas? Out on the open water, I would go with a tiller steer outboard. The mud motors are designed to run in shallow muddy/stumpy water, right? I would think you run a chance of spearing the air chambers in that kind of stuff.

 

[Sgonza101]

I'm not running the inflatable in swamp areas. Just rivers and lakes. I was thinking about the mud motor instead of a outboard due to the price. I can get a 15 hp engine and longtail for less than $800. Or is a outboard really worth the 3x the amount of cost? I'm trying to keep it low cost, I'll probably use it a hand full of times a year or less.

 

[roscoe]

Get yourself a Johnson, Evinrude, Mercury, Tohatsu, or Yamaha 15 hp 2 cycle outboard from the early 90's.
They are everywhere for $600-1000.

I picked up a '92 Merc 15 hp with electric start for $700 last year.

Those mud motors only shine in waters that are plugged with weeds and small stumps.
Dangerous, hard to maneuver, and noisy.

 

[Sgonza101]

I forgot to mention that I already have a 15hp engine for a mud motor setup from a previous project. I'm going to take a look at the 90's outboard that you tell me. What if I buy a bigger propeller for the mud motor setup, do you think that might help?

 

[Sgonza101]

Get yourself a Johnson, Evinrude, Mercury, Tohatsu, or Yamaha 15 hp 2 cycle outboard from the early 90's.
They are everywhere for $600-1000.

I picked up a '92 Merc 15 hp with electric start for $700 last year.

Those mud motors only shine in waters that are plugged with weeds and small stumps.
Dangerous, hard to maneuver, and noisy.

I just found a [h=2]Chrysler 20hp electric start outboard motor on craigslist for $400. Supposedly it runs good. Is this a good brand?[/h]

 

[Scott Danforth]

stay with the list that Roscoe pointed out. Chrysler has been out of production for a long time and ignition parts were non-existent for many years.

 

[wahlejim]

Stay away from the mud motor on this one, especially overpowering the kit with a 22hp motor. The kit and the boat would be overpowered with that. STAY WITHIN THE MAX HP RANGE FOR THE BOAT, YOU ALREADY MENTIONED 15, THAT IS YOUR LIMIT, NOT A SUGGESTION.

Look on CL or FB Marketplace. There are a lot of outboard motors on there for less than what a mud kit costs. I would start with a 9.9 on that boat. Just a quick search in my area and I found several under $400 in decent, running condition. Heck, I found 3 aluminum fishing boats with 15hp motors for under $1,000 and I would hop in one of those before a Costco inflatable, especially after reading the reviews online.

 

[Sgonza101]

Sounds good I'll stick to the list. In my situation I don't have the space to store a full size trailer and a aluminium boat. That's why I went with the inflatable route. Thanks for the info guys