hp question for Boston W. 15 sport, what's enough..?

[panamapaul]

Was thinking of putting a Suzuki 30hp 4-stroke on a 15 Sport I have but a lot of people say I should go for 50hp or 60 hp…? That seems kind of overkill to me but I’m not a boating expert by any means. I don’t plan on pulling water skiers or anything. We’re just talking about a 15 foot boat here! I’ve seen the same boat with much less than 30hp on it and performing what I thought was reasonable well. Actual down here in Central America where I’m at 30hp is considered a monster by their standards but state side advice mostly leans towards much bigger is better..? What kind of performance could I expect out of a 30hp motor with two or 3 guys out leisure recreational boating? Will my boat plane ok? My boats a Central American Whaler copy without the foam coring or a center consol just going to be a tiller outboard. Just has a low profile floor, a rear bench seat and small bow locker. The fiberglass is a bit beefier than stock to compensate for the lack of coring. Without the motor it’s around 600lbs or so. I’m not looking for blister speed or hole shots. I just want an economical outboard with decent performance. Seems a little much to hang a 250lb to 300lb engine on a 600lb boat! Am I wrong or not..? Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: hp question for Boston W. 15 sport, what's enough..?

My previous boat was a 15.5 ft aluminum but it weighed about the same as yours. It was powered by a 40HP Evinrude and would plane just fine with three people and fishing gear aboard. You certainly won't have "rocket" but it should be a workable combination. Give it a try. If it doesn't work you can always upgrade.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: hp question for Boston W. 15 sport, what's enough..?

For what you are looking for, the 30 will be fine. It will most likely plane with 3 adults on-board but thats about the limit. I have a 14ft fiberglass whaler style boat that weighs in at 350Ib's and I am running a 40hp on it. Awesome holeshot, top end of 65-70kph, able to pull a skier out of the water etc. With the price of fuel, I wouldn't go bigger unless you are looking for speed.