Max HP on old boat

[74Baja]

I have a 1976 16 foot Baja speed/ski boat that currently has a 1974 Johnson 115 outboard on it. I am sort of anticipating that I will need a new Outboard soon. the boat came with a compacity plate (that looked Fairly new) that said "pennsylvania fish and wildlife" on it that said the HP was limited to 115. is this rating for real or can the boat take more (how much)<br /> <br />Thanks!

 

[Solittle]

Re: Max HP on old boat

Baja - A lot of guys go way over what their boat is rated for. Just understand that all it takes is one accident and one lawayer to clean your clock. Your insurance company will say "Baja who????"

 

[1981Baja]

Re: Max HP on old boat

74Baja, What model do you have? I have a 1981 16' SS. closed bow with a 1981 Merc 115. I looked at some of your old posts. Are you still running at 45mph? I run about 47mph with a 21" Hustler prop purchased here. I have a 23" Hustler that will run 52mph or so but it lugs the engine somewhat. Are there any websites for old Baja's?<br />Do you have any pics of your boat?

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Max HP on old boat

Just use a little common sense. As long as the motor you use isn't too heavy for the transom, and doesn't make the boat go dangerously fast, you're ok. The formula they use to determine the "max" HP for a boat is down right ridiculous. It doesn't take into account the design of the boat, the strenght of the transom, the weight of the engine, the torque, or how the boat handles at a given speed. Boats should be rated for max engine weight and speed, not HP...

 

[74Baja]

Re: Max HP on old boat

1981Baja, <br />I was able to run high 40's on the boat's speedometer with the johnson 115 with an 18 pitch Raker SS prop. But, I This is with Quite a load (one man, one 13 year old, full tank of gas and probably some water in the hull). The previous owner said he had it steady at 56mph. (he says you could get more with a differnt prop). I dont know if the speed he got is GPS or on the boat's speedometer.<br />UNfortunately, I havent really been able to find any old Baja sites (its a shame, these are really cool boats!)If you do you should post about it. About the Pictures, I have a digital camera but im not quite shure how to get the pictures onto a post. If you have any pictures of yours i would be interested to see them.<br />But, now i have bigger problems. The ol' Johnson has very low compression in the 1st cylinder (60 psi. compared to 120 on the others) I think it is because of coking and the cylinder got scored but the mechanic is going to look at it on wednesday.

 

[Mercathode]

Re: Max HP on old boat

If you buy a new 115 it will be much more powerful than your '74 model. Your motor had its power rated at the crank whereas the new ones are rated at the prop. The only problem is new motors are heavier.