Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

[brice113]

hey guys...I am looking at a 1989 Bayliner 15' with a Johnson 50HP outboard that has just been rebuilt...is that too small of an engine for that boat?...this guys says he hits 32MPH with it...sounds hight to me for a 50HP...any help is appreciated....

 

[JB]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

Depends on what you want to do, brice. <br /><br />32MPH is a good clip. Do you want a FAST boat? If so, get something else.

 

[Navigator]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

Brice113,<br /><br />What kind of Bayliner is it? A Capri?<br />If so, Search out user "12footer". He usually hangs out in the force board. I believe he has a 15' Capri with a force 50 on it. He can probably give you a good answer as to your "is 50 Enough" question <br /><br />Nav

 

[asgrinne]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

I've been in the 2ft club... 16-18-20-24-24-20<br />all i've owned. Try to get a boat that will fit and hold enough people. Had a 16ft tri-hull will a 50 Mariner. Great starter. But add a husband,2kids. it was just not fun boating.

 

[Capt. T]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

Brice,<br /><br />With all due respect the current owner I don't believe that setup will run a true 32 mph. <br /><br />However that might be what his pitot tube gauge reads so he might be telling the truth... as he knows it.<br /><br />As JB said, it depends on what you want to do with the boat AND how much money you have to spend. <br /><br />My first boat was a 16' Starcraft tri- hull w/ a Johnson 70 HP. Had TONS of fun with it skiing, tubing & cruising. But it never went 30 mph in its life.<br /><br />Best advice, get together with the owner, take it down to a lake and test drive it, THEN TEST DRIVE it some more.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

Brice,50 hp should be sufficient.I dont see it doing 32 though.You may be a little disappointed when you load it with gear and a few friends.It will show a BIGGG difference with 1 person than with 3. Charlie

 

[agrazela]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

Brice,<br /><br />I have a 15' Starcraft Tri-hull with 70hp Mercury. This thing does 30-31 mph (via GPS) at the right WOT...but ONLY with me alone and very minimal gear.<br /><br />There is NO WAY that the 16' Bayliner with 50hp will do 32mph.<br /><br />(Maybe he meant he can tow it at 32mph )

 

[delsol]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

i have a 17 ft cobia w/ 80 merc has great power for small boat 2 adults 2 kids ...no gps i guess it does about 35-40 with 2 people all of us (4) i think 30-35 fast enought for me.<br />but i had one of my most relible boat a 16ft trihull 50 johnson it had a speedo, it ran 28-30 with current 25 against current it was fast enought for me i lived in wpb fl and was always fishing in ocean on calm days...it was the best boat i ever had $900.00 from a friend were as last couple of boat went 50mph but always broke down ..engine outdrive,stringers etc<br />my 2 cents...i will take going slower and no repairs then fast and fixing it all the time

 

[david.d.nguyen@honeywell]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

Brice, I grew up with a 1986 - 14' Bayliner Capri with a 50 hp Force engine. I will admit that we were able to pull a 125lb waterskier and the boat did top out at around 30 - 32 mph with one person and whatever that portable gas tank holds.

 

[achris]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

I think a better question would be "Is a Bayliner strong enough to hold a 50hp engine?"

 

[Stumpknocker]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

I have a 15'9" modified tri-hull fiberglass CC. It has a 50 Evinrude on it. GPS says 31 MPH top speed flat water with one person and light gear. I am happy but I usually fish alone and cruise around 20-22 mph to the reefs and try to stay within 10-15 miles from shore. I really would like to have a 90 on it, but until this engine bites the dust.... I have to run it. Seems like it will run forever. Just keep em maintained!

 

[Bert1]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

Brice113, I am running a newer capri 160 with a 50hp merc (4 stroke). Size of the motor is OK for our family of 3, but add other people and anything above that the 50hp has to work very hard. We use it to pull a large tube (2person) and it does that with no problems. I max out a 29-32mph (as per GPS) with two people on board. If you are not going to have more that 2 to 3 people on board, the 50hp should be ok, but if you intend to have more, then you may need something bigger. As far as the smart remark by achris

I think a better question would be "Is a Bayliner strong enough to hold a 50hp engine?"

I hope it does not start the bayliner debate on quality again, but they are price point boats so you get what you pay for, but keep this in mind, when I drive by my dealer's repair shop, I see mainly boats other than Bayliners in for repairs and mine has been dependable.

 

[brice113]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

hey guys...thanks for all the help...I will go out this weekend and test drive it....I am only thinking of having a max of 4 people...and most of the other time it will be just me and my dog for fishing...again thanks for the help...

 

[roscoe]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

ON that test drive, make sure you load it up with 4 adults. That will be the real test.

 

[CoachHolland]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

I'd say to move up from a 15' to a 17' anyway if you're thinking about four adults. It will get crowded on there really quick and you'll be looking for a bigger boat anyway.<br /><br />Bayliner is a fine boat for a starter boat. I have great time on my Capri 17'.

 

[achris]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

My apologies. I was out of line and deserve the wrap over the knuckles.<br /><br />Chris.........

 

[Spidybot]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

What max hp is the boat rated for? Rule of thumb says "no less than 75-80% of max" if you wanna enjoy the handling it was designed for.<br /><br />Check the type-plate on the hull for this info.

 

[timbo1963]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

If it was a Merc 50 it would be enuf.

 

[timbo1963]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

Honestly I had a 17' runabout (don't remember the brand) with a Merc 50 on it and used it for many years. It hauled me my wife and two small (at the time) children at 25 mph. I think you'll be ok IF it is correctly proped and you don't expect to much.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Is 50 HP too weak for 15' Bayliner??

brice, I disagree that the boat won't do 32mph. I have a 15' tri-hull with a 50 hp Johnson '71 model, and it does 29 to 30mph GPS with 2 adults and 4 big dogs. It just depends on the boat and motor's condition.