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Fishing motor for a 17 ft hull
orchemo	#1  Posted on 01/31/16 - 9:41 AM
Member Posts: 23 Comments: 0 Joined: 09/18/15	Have a 17 ft hull that verses selling was thinking a out just motoring as a fishing boat. Pacific Northwest river and a few mountain lakes. No need to go fast A 25 - 40 hp seems to be a breaking point for very affordable (not an investment) sized motor. I realize bigger is always better, but would a 25 hp 4 stroke be enough?
EJO	#2  Posted on 02/01/16 - 8:04 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 669 Comments: 6 Joined: 11/25/12	NO, 40hp is probably what you need and you might get by with a 30hp but 25hp is not enough. I know you're not looking for speed but you probly still want to get the boat on plane and being on a river you have to overcome some kind of flow. For your safety go with a minimum of 40HP. Skipper E-J m/v "Clumsy Cleat" a 2008 Montauk 150
Perichbrothers	#3  Posted on 02/01/16 - 9:02 AM
Member Posts: 141 Comments: 0 Joined: 09/10/15	I had an old 50 2-stroke and it was a great motor on a light 17. For a week had a nicer 40 and was not impressed, had to work much harder to perform less. The 50 was cheap fuel and would cruise at 19 high at 26-28. Now if you just want to put-put around then 25 will work! TP
MG56	#4  Posted on 02/01/16 - 11:38 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 357 Comments: 0 Joined: 05/11/13	orchemo wrote: Have a 17 ft hull that verses selling was thinking a out just motoring as a fishing boat. Pacific Northwest river and a few mountain lakes. No need to go fast A 25 - 40 hp seems to be a breaking point for very affordable (not an investment) sized motor. I realize bigger is always better, but would a 25 hp 4 stroke be enough? No, a 25 wouldn't be what you want. You have to get to the next block size for the 30-50 or so HP. A little more money but very much value added. You could putt around with a 10hp engine but it is painful. It doesn't get significantly less painful until you jump to the >30hp level, and it is also a lot safer.
Whalerbob	#5  Posted on 02/01/16 - 3:28 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 311 Comments: 0 Joined: 12/07/06	I'd think 50 HP would be the bare minimum and anything under 70 is a waste. If budget is an issue I'd say look for something used or just put a 9 HP on it because you probably won't really be able to get up on plain with a 25 - 40 anyway.
JPB	#6  Posted on 02/02/16 - 5:45 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 103 Comments: 0 Joined: 02/26/09	I like the 40hp on my 17'.
wlagarde	#7  Posted on 02/02/16 - 6:40 PM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 442 Comments: 2 Joined: 07/21/13	JPB - Are you able to get the hull on the plane with your 40? 1976 Sport 15 w/ 2005 50hp Nissan 2 stroke
JPB	#8  Posted on 02/02/16 - 7:26 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 103 Comments: 0 Joined: 02/26/09	Yes...it gets on plane in a hurry and with a lite load WOT is 32 and will cruise easy at 25 with a full load and 3 men. Here is a video from when I was testing props. http://youtu.be/fV1YZY4IFSA Keep in mind that I am currently running my boat with most of the OE interior removed thus saving weight. You can see in my personal page how it is setup. A 40hp may not work well for everybody but maybe the OP can get some ideas....it works very well for me. Edited by JPB on 02/02/16 - 7:43 PM