buying used boat

[blako66]

this is just for some information if anyone can help, i am thinkin about buyin a used sportcraft adventurer, from what i can tell it is either a 16 or 17 foot boat around a 1986. my question is it has a mercury 60 hp motor on it. we took it out the other day for a test run and to me it seemed to be dogish, no power, now the boat is rated at about 880lbs and i had about 700 lbs on it, it didnt seem to want to get on plane, there is no tachometer on it or speedo, should a 60 horse mercury push the weight i had on it and the boat weight, or should i invest in a 90 hp i want to be able to pull a tube and right now i dont think it can, thanks for the help

 

[mulliganmagic]

Re: buying used boat

I have a 15 1/2 ft boat with a 70 on it, and with one person it'll do about 45 but when you put 4 people or so in it then it does bogg it down a little. It'll still move pretty good with that amount of weight though. However, you are talking about a bigger boat (more weight) plus an almost maxed out capicity and a smaller motor on top of that. Take it out by yourself or with two people in it and a light load and then see how it does. If it does ok then you might consider lightining the load a little, a bigger motor, or maybe looking for another boat in the same size range with enough power to suit your needs.

 

[wilde1j]

Re: buying used boat

What does the data plate say is max HP? 60 HP seems too low. I had a 14' w/ a 55 Hp and it was not overpowered at all.

 

[blako66]

Re: buying used boat

ok, more info for the boat i am thinkin about buyin, the placard on the side says it can take up to a 110 hp, it has like i said a 60hp mercury the problem i had when i test drove it was it wouldnt plane out with 4 people at about 700lbs, then when i put 2 up in bow it dove down but didnt increase speed, i just feel that something isnt right with the motor, i talked to a marine place and they said with the 60 hp it should pull a inner tube on the back, this one just dont seem to have any guts to it, i checked compression and i am at 120 on all 3 cylinders so that should be ok, who knows maybe santa will bring me a 90 hp motor, will that give me much more speed, thanks for the help <br />Blake

 

[Laotzu]

Re: buying used boat

I was just out today with 6 people (50hp on a 16' aluminum fishing boat). It takes some time, but I could get on plane with two hefty's in the bow. When by myself it has no poroblem planing. about 25mph with just me and 20 with the crowd.<br /><br />What I have to do is to trim the motor all the way down to get up then raise it to gain the speed. It's a hassle with the crowd but I go mostly by myself or one of my grandkids fishing only.<br /><br />Jerry

 

[blako66]

Re: buying used boat

here is another problem i have, there is now tach or spedo on the boat, can anyone tell me what is a good price and where i can get a tach, it is a 3 cylinder motor, and how hard is it to hook up, the spedo should b easy i would think, also is there anywhere that sells them in a combo, hard to tell what a boat is doin without the tach, i would think that since compression is good that the motor is runnin good, but i cant tell by ear how many revs i am turnin to see if anything else is wrong, by the way the prop is a 13 pitch, if it dont seem like the revs are high by sound, would it hurt to goto an 12 or 11, i guess the most important thing to do is get a tach hooked up first, do they still make them for 3 cylinders, or do i need to get a used one, thanks again for all the help, i dont know if i have mentioned it before but boat ways about 1250 and i would be loadin it with about 600 lbs, i just hope this 60hp will do the trick, although i can get a used 90 johnson for about 3200, that is more than i am buyin the boat for, again thanks for all of your guys help<br />Blake

 

[Motor Boater Bill]

Re: buying used boat

You need to use a tach to diagnose this, I think. If you are not reaching the WOT rpm's spec'ed for the motor, you need to correct that. This could be a problem with the motor such as needing a fuel pump or carb rebuild or it could be a mismatch of the motor/prop/boat. If the motor is marginal in terms of power for your boat, you might even need to used different props according to what you are doing (pulling a tube) or the load in the boat. But for starters you need to be able to measure your rpm's.

 

[blako66]

Re: buying used boat

where can i get a tach for 3 cylinders, is it a special tach or is there a universal tach that works for all motors, thanks again<br /><br />blake

 

[north40]

Re: buying used boat

You need 75 to 80 percent of what your boat is rated for. I would say a 90 hp would be minimum or you probably won't be happy.

 

[BF]

Re: buying used boat

ditto... I think a 60 hp on a boat rated for 110 is likely gonna be a dog no matter what. Sure, if someone gave it to you, you'd make it work for awhile. But, if it were me, I'd hold off and wait for a boat I like that is more appropriately rigged.... that's usually cheaper than repowering. If you've already taken the plunge, then yes, you can get a tach and make sure you're propped right.... one problem with an underpowered rig is that it makes the propping and weight load of the boat crucial since the motor doesn't have a lot of surplus torque/hp.<br /><br />good luck

 

[blako66]

Re: buying used boat

well i am on my way, just picked up a tach for 25.00 he couldnt find it on his inventory so he sold it to me that cheap, it has a setting on the back for a 3 cylinder so it should work, now i just need to get it installed and takin to a boat shop. they said they will run test on the electical system includin stator. i will have them install the tack it will b a few weeks i will keep all posted, also the man i have workin on it told me he can put a used 87 johnson 90hp, and if my motor is good he would take mine on trade, so if the 60hp isnt good enough for my needs, the door is open on a 90hp thanks again to all that have helped, i will keep everyone posted on what happens and what i do,<br /><br />Blake

 

[blako66]

Re: buying used boat

oh one more thing i forgot to ask, if i do decide to go with the 90 hp johnson, how do i measure the shaft to make sure it isnt to long or short for my boat thanks again<br /><br />blake

 

[jasonbailey]

Re: buying used boat

Measure the transom.