7HP on a 14' V-hull

[cbourbeau32]

I have a 14' V-bottom aluminum boat and have found a good price on a 7HP Johnson outboard. I'm hoping some of you have experience with this exact or similar set up. How many MPH can I expect to go with and and against the wind? I know that's somewhat an open ended question but I'm just talking averages. I don't want to pass up on this deal but then again if it's not enough motor it's not enough motor.

Thanks, Charlie

 

[mpsyamaha]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

I would think it should be alright unless you are dealing with a lot of current or rough seas. The boat is obviously not going to plane, but i bet it would move along at somewhere in the 7-10mph range. What you find with a boat that doesnt have enough power to plane off (if you bring a gps to get accurate speed) is that the boat will reach the hull speed without that much throttle, once it starts to push a bow wave in front of it, it takes a lot more throttle to gain very little speed.

 

[Ned L]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

What mpsyamaha said.

 

[Triangleboater]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

I do believe you will be dissapointed with that setup. Might get just you and a six pack of the beverage of your choice on plane (if it's aluminium). But and a cooler, and dog and your doggin through the water wishing you had a bigger engine. I would try to get closer to 15hp, or whatever the boat is rated for.

Also, try youtube. You can search johnson or evinrude 7hp and see what people are running them on.
Good luck!

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

Thought I posted this so here we go again. Having had a 1.7 Might Might, 3 John, 4 Merc, 5 1/2 John, 7 1/2 Merc, 9.9 Scott, 10 Scott, 18 Rude, 25 Wizard and so on, I know a bit about the subject. The 7 1/2 was on a 10' Lowe Lake John...flat bottom easily planed. I usually fished alone. It WAS a good match. The 10 dad and I used on rental boats and had to be light to make transporting manageable. It was marginal and often we couldn't get the boats to plane out....semi V boats with a flat stern area. Deep Vs are soft riding but harder to plane due to the hull shape.

You will be underpowered and dissatisfied with your choice your first outing. Get a 9.9 min and would do much better on up to 15-18 at least. Remember, once you spend the money it is gone forever. What you bought with it will be with you till it dies or you sell it. So why not be happy and make the right purchase. You will thank yourself. Grin

Mark

 

[cbourbeau32]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

Thanks everyone and thanks Mark, this is the kind of honest info I was looking for.

Charlie

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

I agree with Mark. We have a 14' v-hull and it will plane nicely with a 9.9 HP Johnson with one or two people aboard. Any more than that, and it just plows through the water but won't get up on plane. With a smaller 4 HP outboard, it won't even get close to planing.

If you have much gear or if you plan to carry more than a couple of people, you might be even happier with a 15 or 20. Kinda wish we'd gone a bit bigger than our 9.9....

Jim

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

First, confirm the horsepower, as I don't believe Johnson ever made a 7-horse. 7.5? 6? 8? Might make a difference, might not... I've run a 1980s era 8hp Johnson on my 14-foot alumnum Starcraft and it planed off nicely with just me in it. Even got over the hump with my 5-year old helper onboard. Not sure it would have if I had an adult with me...

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

First, confirm the horsepower, as I don't believe Johnson ever made a 7-horse. 7.5? 6? 8? Might make a difference, might not... I've run a 1980s era 8hp Johnson on my 14-foot alumnum Starcraft and it planed off nicely with just me in it. Even got over the hump with my 5-year old helper onboard. Not sure it would have if I had an adult with me...

Chine, where was your "helper" sitting? When I was young and in the 100# area (maybe 13 yrs old), a 150# area (skinny) neighbor had a 14' alum Lone Star semi-v rounded chine, with the two of us and his 80# area son, with a 5 gallon can of gas (have no idea as to how much 24:1 mix was in it) with 3 life vests, powered by a 7 1/2 Wizard with the gas tank on the engine.....to date it. We were on Clear Lake which adjoins NASA So. of Houston.

We got it to plane eventually but it took the son in the front seat and me at the "bowsprit".......as far forward as I could get. Remember the trip to this day. That was the first time I was in a boat that would plane. I thought we were doing 90 mph but in reality maybe 15 if we were lucky. Back then the 40 HP Merc Mark 55 was boss hog with the Scott-Attwater 33 then nearest 2nd. Most engines were 25 hp or less.

Mark

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

I am looking for a larger engine for the same set up because I hate my 9.9, it just plows with my wife and I in it, not a good set up in my opinion, I am looking for a 20hp to put on my 14 footer.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

I would look for a 15 - 20. I had a 18hp on a 14' and it went real nice...........

 

[newbytoboats]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

I have a 14 foot Gregor with a 6 hp Mercury. It's great for trolling but it takes forever to get anywhere. Have been looking for a 9.9 motor but this thread has me wondering. Will it plane with me (190 lbs), my 4 gal gas tank, a battery and trolling motor and 20 lb anchor? I don't want to buy a 9.9 unless it will plane and get me around faster than I'm plowing away now? What say the experts?

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

I have a 14 foot Gregor with a 6 hp Mercury. It's great for trolling but it takes forever to get anywhere. Have been looking for a 9.9 motor but this thread has me wondering. Will it plane with me (190 lbs), my 4 gal gas tank, a battery and trolling motor and 20 lb anchor? I don't want to buy a 9.9 unless it will plane and get me around faster than I'm plowing away now? What say the experts?

If my experience is an example, no it will not plane, which is why I am ditching the 9.9 and looking for a 20

 

[JimS123]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

My buddy has a 30' Fountain with TWO 454 cid turbo powered engines and the rig will easily do 80 mph with 15 fat people aboard. Now, IMHO you would not be satisfied with anything less than that. You will be bored the first day out. My buddy already is....he's looking to repower or add a supercharger to the turbocharger.

Your 14 footer should have no less than the maximum HP allowed!

Now let's get serious...

A 14' tinny with 2 skinny kids aboard and not a whole lot of gear will easily plane with a 7 1/2. When I was a youngin that's all we had and we were mighty pleased with the setup. And guess what? We were satisfied, because that's all we could afford. We were used to rented 14 footers with 3 HP Evinrudes. THEY wouldn't plane. I can't tell you how fast it went because we didn't have instruments back then but to us the 7 1/2 really went fast! And you know what else? We didn't get bored. Times were different back then.

 

[JimS123]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

I have a 14 foot Gregor with a 6 hp Mercury. It's great for trolling but it takes forever to get anywhere. Have been looking for a 9.9 motor but this thread has me wondering. Will it plane with me (190 lbs), my 4 gal gas tank, a battery and trolling motor and 20 lb anchor? I don't want to buy a 9.9 unless it will plane and get me around faster than I'm plowing away now? What say the experts?[/QUOTE

My kids grew up with my 14' Sea Nymph with a 9.5 Evinrude. Two fat adults (350#) and two boys (200#) and the boat planed nicely.

 

[Campylobacter]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

My kids grew up with my 14' Sea Nymph with a 9.5 Evinrude. Two fat adults (350#) and two boys (200#) and the boat planed nicely.

So, are those adults 350 a piece or 175? If I weighed 175 I would consider myself "emaciated".

If its 350 each, no way that boat planed.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

interesting.... when I was a teen... 165 lbs I had a 7.5 rude on a 12' semi v... I had made drop in floors and a mini casting deck for it from some 3/4" plywood I had managed to get my hands on... WAY overkill but did I mention I was a teen..... I also had two batts and and a 6 gallon fuel tank ...... it would plane with just me if I moved forward till it got up... I estimated 12-15 mph top speed..... been 25 yrs ago and was only a guess then...... If I took an equally light friend with me it wouldn't plane..... never once thought to ditch the floors and a battery at the time.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

I am looking for a larger engine for the same set up because I hate my 9.9, it just plows with my wife and I in it, not a good set up in my opinion, I am looking for a 20hp to put on my 14 footer.

I think your "6000 feet" in the Rockies has a lot to do with your dissatisfaction.

Mark

 

[JimS123]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

So, are those adults 350 a piece or 175? If I weighed 175 I would consider myself "emaciated".

If its 350 each, no way that boat planed.

OMG, what a completely ludicrous thought! A 700 pound couple plus 2 kids in a 14' tinny should be arrested for child abuse....

It was a 200# man and a 150# wife. For our heights the book says we should weigh 120 and 175, so that's why I jokingly called us "fat".

 

[terrysandlin]

Re: 7HP on a 14' V-hull

Somewhere in the forms it was suggested that one get an outboard that was 3/4 up to the full hp rating of the boat. I had a 9.5 Evinrude on a 14ft 6 in Lonestar (Heavy gauge aluminum) that worked OK; never the less, I replaced it with a 25 hp electric start 1983 Johnson. It was a great decision. A lot of people on these forums like the older 18 hp Jonnyrudes. That could be an ideal weight to power solution.

Terry