Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

[RatFish]

It's 20'-21' in Length, 8'2" Beam and approximately 3300+lbs. She is a cuddy cabin powered with a 5.0L (220HP) I/O. <br /><br />It would be a general use family boat. Skiing, tubing and fishing. My average load will be from just 2 adults up to (on rare occasion) a max of 2 adults and 4 kids (6 to 13 years old). <br /><br />My gut feeling says 5.7L. What does everybody think?

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

You asked for Opinions!<br /><br />Mine is that it should be adaquate! You may need a different prop when you go tubeing or have more people on board, but should be a fine family boat!!<br /><br />Is the extra 2-5 MPH worth the extra fuel???<br /><br />LubeDude

 

[mattttt25]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

i think you will be fine on most occasions. 220hp is the standard for most boats in that class. my buddy bought a 22' deck boat that weighs close to the boat you're looking at, and opted for the optional 260hp merc. i've run the boat and it's fast as hell and performs great. but i think the 220hp would be adequate, unless high performance is high on your list of priorites. good luck-

 

[JB]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

My theoretical WOT estimator puts the boat at around 40mph, Ratfish.<br /><br />That should be adequate for anything you plan.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[Capt. T]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

Depends on how comfortable you are with playing with different props and engine/boat setup issues.<br /><br />If 'gas & go' is your thing then look for the 5.7L Also, the kids will only get bigger, pretty soon your load will be 4 adults... Being underpowered right now, I wish I'd gone for more HP last time around.

 

[jam39vw995]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

JB,<br /><br />What is this theoretical WOT estimator?<br /><br />What speed for a 19' Wellcraft bowrider, with a 350ci/260 merc? I don't know the weight of the boat. Just curious.<br /><br />Ratfish,<br /><br />My friend has a 21' Sangster, a heavier boat with a 165 merc and this pushes it along fairly well. It is a little under powered, however.<br /><br />I would think that the 220 should be ok. If you can cruise easily on plane without the 4 barrels kicking in the economy should be ok and it should have some extra for speed if you want that.<br />Good luck. I'm still trying to decide too.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

Sounds a lot like my brother's boat. Had to get trim tabs for it so it would pull us out of the hole when slalom skiing. Other that that, it works great - top speed is 42mph and it does make a great family boat. You will probably have to install the trim tabs, but it should work fine.

 

[Jason Adam]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

I have a 26' Seaswirl Striper(6000lb+ rigged, + 500 - 1000lbs gas) w a VP 5.0L Duoprop and I can hit almost 50mph on a calm day. I do have trim tabs and that makes a huge difference where I am speed wise at WOT. Most people say no-way I could do it, but I prove them all wrong. I didnt personally believe the guy when he told me that when I was buying it, but was plesently surprised

 

[sloopy]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

220 would be fine, if it does not work, just get trim tabs.<br /><br />-Bill

 

[KCook]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

Boat brand will make a difference. The low priced boats, such as Bayliner, are designed to work with modest power. High priced boats, such as Sea Ray, have a real need for more power. Every body likes to brag about their deep-V. But there is a price to be paid for that.<br /><br />Kelly Cook

 

[ufm82]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

I run a 20' cuddy with the 5.0L power and achieve 50+ fairly easily.<br /><br /> You will want two props- a 19 or 20 pitch prop for tubing and skiing and a 23 or so for top end speed. You'll run 40-50 fairly easily.<br /><br /> The theoretical speed formula looks like this. <br />Engine RPM = rev/min<br />Prop Pitch = inches/rev (add 1 inch for cupped props)<br />Prop slip may be entered as either decimal or integer values (.15 or 15).<br />Prop slip may be entered as either decimal or integer values (.15 or 15).<br />Speed = Miles/hour Obtain speed data from a radar gun if possible, boat speedometers are notoriously wrong. <br /><br />Go here to do the calculations: <br /> http://www.rbbi.com/folders/prop/propcalc.htm <br /><br /> That will give you a general idea of what to expect.<br /><br /> I almost laughed at the reply about Bayliners and Sea Rays. I really don't know why people continue to put down Bayliners versus any other boat but I have cleaned the clocks of many boats on the river with my Bayliner- including a LOT of Sea Rays. Personally, if I can run 50 with my 5.0L and they can't do that with their 5.7s, which is the better boat to run? My fuel is 1/2 theirs but I have just as much fun. Despite the continuing statement that Bayliners suk, it just doesn't hold up anymore. What's the #1 selling brand? Sea Ray. #2? Bayliner. Must be something about those 'liners that people like. <br /><br />UFM82

 

[KCook]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

UFM82 - Sorry if my post sounded like I was putting Bayliner down. That was not my intent. I just wanted to point out that the design parameters are different. Which the good performance of your Bay with 5L would seem to verify.<br /><br />Jeeze, you don't dare mention "Bayliner" in a post any more <br /><br />Kelly

 

[jam39vw995]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

ok, that's a cool calculator.<br /><br />What about gear ratio though?<br />How do you determine that? Is there a set gear ratio for 4cyl, 6cyl and 8 cyl engines?

 

[ndemge]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

I have a stringer 800... I just did a google search for "Stringer 800 Gear Ratio" and found a site with it listed 21:17<br /><br />21/17= 1.25 gear ratio<br /><br />I've gotta get my floor ripped up and see how much wet foam I have, I'm lucky if I can do 30mph with my 5.0L 21' bow rider

 

[ndemge]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

forgot about other gear .... 1.49 gear ratio

 

[walleyehed]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

The reason Bayliner is number 2, is because of the price, or lack of..........

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

Not only do I believe it will work fine I bet it will give you the best mileage/speed/holeshot balance.<br /><br />Doug

 

[RatFish]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

Thanks for everybody's input so far. There is a lot of experience here to tap into. It's been a big help!<br /><br />It seems the majority consensus is that a 5.0L (220hp) would be adequate although a little bit of tweaking may be in order (new prop(s), trim tabs, etc.). A resounding "YES" would have made me all warm and fuzzy but I'm looking for exactly what I got, honest opinions and experiences. Some of the very positive responses have led me to not totally rule out this boat. It seems a sea trial with my family in tow would be the only way to know for sure.<br /><br />I was hoping for a boat with a minimum cruise speed in the low to mid 30 mph range and a top speed in the mid 40 mph range. Anything faster would be a plus but not crucial. I don't want to have to swap props every time I use the boat for a different purpose. Occasionally swapping props would be fine.<br /><br />I plan on keeping the rig I get for 4 to 6 years so I worry about the additional weight of growing kids. The occasional unexpected additional passenger(s) and/or gear also worries me. Would a 5.0L (220hp) have enough power in reserve for the expected and unexpected additional weight? Would the boat struggle up on plane? Would it cruise economically at a decent cruise speed? Is water skiing still feasible? If the engine was at least fuel injected (260hp ?) or 5.7L (250hp ?), it would give me that "little edge" I'm looking for and I would be less apprehensive. I don't think I could do all that in a sea trial. Hmmm...<br /><br />The boat in question is a Wellcraft so we don't have to get into the whole Bayliner discussion. JB, does your WOT estimate include an estimate for the weight of passengers, fuel and gear? Thanks for the link to the calculator UFM82. It's pretty slick! <br /><br />I'm still open to suggestions and opinions. Enough babbling for now. Thanks again.

 

[walleyehed]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

My buddy has a 20' Wellcraft cuddy with the 305, rated at 228hp, and does a great job, plenty of power. This boat is (I think) a mid to late 70's model, and is used mostly above 3000ft elevation, so I would think you would be just fine with the 5.0 (305). He does, however, switch props on occasion from 21" to 19" for pulling multiple skiers, or trolling slower, and it still does around 42-43mph with the 19". You can load the boat to full capacity with this eng/prop combo, and it comes right out of the hole, no problem. My personal opinion is you would gain more fuel consumption, than performance by going 5.7L in a 20ft. boat...

 

[Solittle]

Re: Opinions please, Is this boat under powered?

I have a 1988 23' Wellcraft CC that I bought 10 yrs ago and love it.