Thinking of buy a 14' - Advice on transom weight

yycmike

Recruit
Joined
Feb 10, 2018
Messages
1
So I'm retiring in a couple of years and want to get back into a boat. All my previous boats have been 14-18' aluminum with 50-100hp OBs. My dad had a 12' porta-bote with a 5hp motor. It worked very well for him when he was alone in the boat. When I joined him, all 250 lbs of me, not so good :)

I tow a 5th wheel so I need a portable. I'm not excited about an inflatable. I'm thinking of the 14' but want to able to run on plane with myself, the wife, the dog, and gear. so at most 500-600 lbs in total, well below the bote max of 807lbs.

I've seen a number of videos on youtube with 9.8hp (85lbs) on the 14' and it seems to perform very well. But a youtube video is not indicative of day to day use.

What I am looking for is advice from anyone who has ~85lbs on the transom, and how it holds up in day to day use. Are there mods required for that weight? Is 8-9.8hp too much or is it manageable?

Thanks in advance.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
47,297
The 14' portabote is not rated for 10 hp, it also has a transom weight limit if 56#.

Have you looked into a jon boat? They may not fold up, however the empty hull is about the same weight
 
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