Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by CUtiger on 03/19/08 - 8:38 PM

Hey guys, glad to find your site seeing I just bought a 1977 13ft Sport that has been somewhat restored!

Got a question, I am interested in putting this boat on a lake that has a 10HP motor restriction. Will a 9.9 Mercury long shaft move this boat around well enough?

I have received different opinions, and thought I would bring it to the experts, and hopefully someone that may even have this same setup.

Any help would be appreciated!

Posted by sraab928 on 03/20/08 - 3:24 AM

Welcome aboard!

This has been discussed before. Its been said that a 9.9 will get the boat to plane but will certainly not be a speed machine. I also am not sure it would plane with multiple people on board. Sorry I do not have any personal experience with it.

Posted by Yiger on 03/20/08 - 6:18 AM

I can't say much about how it would perform, other than planining will definatley be an issue, but I can't imagine a lake with a 10HP limit is big enough to require planing anyway. If you are just looking for something that is a stable platform to putter around with, you should be fine. My experience with inflatables (MUCH lighter than whalers) is that 10HP really struggles to achieve a plane with more than 2 people.

Posted by CES on 03/20/08 - 6:26 AM

Why even bother wasting such a great boat for a little pond? Go to Sears and buy a little Jon boat for that pond and use the Whaler for something more suitable for it's heritage!

Just my humble opinion. :|

Edited by CES on 03/20/08 - 6:29 AM

Posted by burtim on 03/20/08 - 7:35 AM

The 9.9 sounds like a trolling motor to me. I agree with the others, you should save this boat for bigger water and put a larger motor on it. If you fish you could always compromise and put a larger motor on it while using a smaller one as a "kicker" for this lake.

Posted by mattgeiger on 03/20/08 - 7:40 AM

A HP restriction is a good thing. You (and the neighbors) probably aren't interested in planing in a quiet environment anyway. Enjoy your new boat.

Posted by CUtiger on 03/20/08 - 7:45 AM

I appreciate everyone's opinion on this. I do want to clarify a little as well. I have a 30HP Suzuki with my Whaler already, I just need to buy a new set of controls and steering cable for it b/c it was locked up when I bought it. I had thought about just selling this motor and downsizing to get more use out of my boat.

My reasoning for possibly buying a 9.9 is that Lake Robinson is a 2250 acre lake which is located 7 minutes from my house, I figured I would get a lot more use out of my Whaler if I used it on this lake.(this is the lake with the 10HP restriction)

The next closest lakes to my home are 45 mins. to an hour away, but there are no restrictions on these lakes (Lake Hartwell, Keowee, and Lake Jocassee)

Posted by CES on 03/20/08 - 8:38 AM

It's worth the 45 minute drive to get to those other lakes to truly use your Whaler. My boat ramp is about 35 minutes from the house and the drive there is worth every minute I spend getting to the ramp....just to use my Whaler to it's fullest capacity.

Posted by moose on 03/20/08 - 9:01 AM

CUtiger,
I hate to offer advice on most subjects. I had a thought you may not have had. You could leave the 30 on the boat and clamp the 9.9 on for use on the lake near you and then remove it to go to the other lakes. Just tilt the 30 up and putter around with the 9.9. The extra weight would affect how the hull sat in the water and the weight of the 30 would inhibit planing but it's an option.
Mike

Posted by makanihula on 03/20/08 - 12:47 PM

#10

CU,

I have a new tiller 4stk Nissan 9.8 as my main engine on a Nauset hull (long story) and I estimate 18 mph top speed and will plane if I leave the tiller and sit in the the middle-forward. I'd imagine you would fly with that engine on your 13 or it would seem that way on a 1 mile x 4 mile lake

Edited by makanihula on 03/20/08 - 12:49 PM

Posted by CUtiger on 03/20/08 - 8:06 PM

#11

Hate to say it guys but now I am really confused!!! Like I said, if I put the 9.9 on the Whaler I will definitely get more use out of it with the smaller lake being less than 10 mins. away.

But I would also like to get the 30HP up and running and see what she can do at the same time. (I may have to start another thread on this one, the motor is ready to roll, but I need to get the Morse remote cables and setup to get it back running, I had to cut the other off after it froze up).

Any ideas on where to get this fairly cheap? I still have the old throttle control, not sure if it is salvageable now or not though. I cut the other steering cable about a foot from the motor so I could knock it out where it rusted.

Posted by sraab928 on 03/21/08 - 4:50 AM

#12

Here are a couple of threads about the subject.... as you can see opinions vary - but one thing is for sure - people have done it - Those that have say the same thing - you can get it to plane - its not a speed demon. The rest of the opinions are just that, opinions from people who haven't tried it. Both these threads also deal with 4 stroke motors which have less power out of the hole than 2 strokes. Not sure which way you are going.

Thread about 9.9 on a 13
Another thread

Do you already have the 9.9? If so mount it up and give it a go. If not something to consider is that most older 15hp motors are the same exact block and size as a 9.9 and the hoods are interchangeable as are the decals.

Posted by CUtiger on 03/21/08 - 5:47 AM

#13

sraab928 wrote:

Do you already have the 9.9? If so mount it up and give it a go. If not something to consider is that most older 15hp motors are the same exact block and size as a 9.9 and the hoods are interchangeable as are the decals.

That was some great reading sraab928! I appreciate the info. I don't have the 9.9 yet, I wish I could find a 15hp and set it up for remote and electric start, seems they are scarce! I would probably keep the 30hp Suzuki just to make sure I didn't make a bad decision. I could always sell the 9.9 or 15 depending on what I can find.