RECOMMENDATION for OB to power a 1995 STARCRAFT 19 foot SUPERFISHERMAN 190

[satx78247]

Friends,

I'm purchasing a 19 foot "tin" 1995 STARCRAFT bare hull on a decent trailer, that had its OB motor stolen some years ago while it was in storage & prior to the current owner buying the boat/trailer in a police auction.- The original owner is deceased.

As best as I can tell, it is a SUPERFISHERMAN 190 & the hull/trailer needs little more than cleaning up, installing a suitable OB, with the usual accessories, repainting & reupholstering the seats to start fishing the Gulf out of it.,
(The bare hull weighs about 1150 pounds.)

Do any of you have actual experience with that particular boat & can give me advice as to how much horsepower is necessary to efficiently power the hull for fishing The Gulf Of Mexico.
(Since finding the boat/trailer, I've had "experienced boat owners" , who have suggested everything from 60-250 HP = "One
veteran owner" said that I will need a PAIR of at least 125 OBs for the boat to run properly, "on the BAD day that you have to run for home from a sudden storm.".)

Your advice is solicited, as I've never owned a "tin" fishing boat larger than 15-16 feet.

yours, tex
San Antonio, TX

 

[Bob_VT]

I will give an opinion...... that model boat is NOT dual engine capable but a primary outboard plus a kicker would help but you will not get a pair of outboards. It is rated for 150 HP so a nice 115 at a minimum plus a kicker should make you happy.

 

[BWR1953]

According to the Starcraft catalog here: https://www.starcraftmarine.com/sites/starcraftmarine.com/files/catalogs/1995-Starcraft-Catalog.pdf

The boat is rated to 150HP. Dual 75s anyone?

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Well it looks like you came to the right place. I own a 1995 StarCraft Superfisherman 190. I have had it since 2010 and bought it from the original owner that is a part time salesman at a Marine dealer and full time teacher. The reason I say that is because he had it serviced regularly at the Marine shop and was in pristine condition when I bought it. Used boats it's all about condition. What do you want to know? Oh yes an outboard. I have the original 115 HP 2 stroke Mariner that came rigged on the boat new. This boat fishes the Great Lakes 99% of the time. Lakes Ontario and Erie. These are referred to as inland seas complete with big storms. I'm not sure how different the gulf is from The Great Lakes, not much I am thinking. You are going to have far more storms including hurricanes but we get 150 mph winds here in Nov and Dec, enough winds to sink ocean and lake freighters.Your boat is rated for 150HP maximum. I don't know who the person was that told you that you will need 2X125HP O/B's is needed to out run storms. Here on Erie where we live I am not out running any storms. They pop up fast and move faster than any 19' boat will. Besides the hull is rated for 150 HP max. Same goes for the person that you need a 250 HP. That boat is not designed for anything much above 150 HP, they are solid boats but not that solid. The weight alone of anything more than 150 is a problem. The 19 foot StarCrafts always sit with the bow a bit high thus the water well and transom sit a bit low. When I put my 15 HP 2 stroke kicker on the back that is 100 pounds I had to put weight in the battery storage at the bow to act as a ballast to get the bow down and transom up. With me weighing 215 at the time and no passenger, a full tank of fuel, no kicker at the time. About 100 lbs. of tackle plus 2 downriggers, all the electronics, 3 12V batteries (at 60 lbs each, I'm guessing, maybe 80), elec. trolling motor on a clam day with zero wind and frozen water flat and planned out nicely I only got 32 miles per hour on the GPS. and the speedo showed close to that. I thought I would be faster than that. 3 blade prop. and I can't remember the pitch which I can get for you. Everyone tells me I need to re prop. If I was 40 maybe. I am going as fast as I need to. We run 10 miles out to find fish and my pal in his Ranger Walleye boat with the 250 Merc flies out there at 60 MPH and I just run out there at 28 MPH with my 1st mate. Then he and his partner start digging out rods and reels and setting them up. I spent an hour the night before setting everything up and my lures are wet 20 minutes before his and he beat me out there by 20 minutes. I don't think I would be venturing more than an hours ride from home base on any body of water. I need a boat to fish most times. We don't go sigh seeing on the boat, skiing or tubing. It's a tool I use for fishing. If budget is unlimited I would be out there ordering a brand new 150 HP Mercury 4 stroke crate engine. You can get a rebuilt crate 150 2 stroke in western Ontario from a company I know of for under 6 grand CDN funds. PM me if interested. I am getting the bottom wet on the boat this week as the Gov. gave the thumbs up to open all the marinas. Now I need someone to fish with or maintain 6 feet apart in a 19 foot boat somehow.

I hope that answers some questions. I won't get into answering questions you didn't ask like testing the transom for stiffness and the floor for rot. The picture in my avitar is a shot from above of my beauty.

More questions ask away.

Johnny D/Selkirk Ontario Canada on the pristine north shore of Lake Erie.

edit: I'm sorry I'm wrong here. My Superfisherman 190 is a 94' mot a 95'. My paper work says the hull is a 1994 and the engine is a 1995. Thus the confusion. The difference is the windshield on the 95' is rounded at the A pillar and squared off on the 94'. The brochure BWR1953 kindly provided is for 1995.

 

[ahicks]

Spoiled rotten with 4 strokes, and Honda's are my game, so I would go with a 90 if you don't care about anything over 25 or 30, and 115-135 if you want to go faster and have the wallet that will handle it. Quiet with super gas mileage and they'll idle forever.

If 2 stroke, maybe something in the 115 -135 range.

 

[Texasmark]

On outrunning storms, it all depends on what you have to go through to outrun them. A little chop and you can hook up to 40 mph and a 115 will do that on that boat. Any ground swells and you have to quarter or ride in the trough-crest meaning you have to Zig-Zag to have any kind of speed at all, which obviously slows you down so you take the most direct route and throttle back and plow and break, plow and break, making your way home. Doesn't even take a 90 to do that.

Course the Starcraft isn't the right hull for plowing. I like one with a lot of (bow) flare so that when you dive into the oncoming wave, you have something to support the bow, keeping it from submarining and flare to deflect the water/spray away from you.

I used to fish Gulfport, Miss. to Cat Island, about 10 miles out in the Gulf (Boundary Island). I had a 13' Taylor Craft and 22 HP Scott Atwater. Made the trip many times. Morning nice rolling seas, nice ride out at a good clip. Afternoon winds were up and it was plow and break. To my advantage, the trip was directly into and away from the prevailing Southerly wind. Some of my best fishing.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Some specs from right here on iboats. That's how I found iboats all those years ago.

http://boatspecs.iboats.com/Starcraft_Marine__Superfisherman_190__1995/bp/66b87837

 

[satx78247]

I will give an opinion...... that model boat is NOT dual engine capable but a primary outboard plus a kicker would help but you will not get a pair of outboards. It is rated for 150 HP so a nice 115 at a minimum plus a kicker should make you happy.

Bob_VT,

SOUNDS LIKE GOOD ADVICE to this "educated hillbilly". = I'm a fisherman, NOT a "hot-rodder".
(I knew that a PAIR of 125s was "JUST NUTS" & PRESUMED that a single 60 was TOO LITTLE HP.)

I seriously doubt if the CHINA DOLL will ever be used for anything but fishing & I know where a NICE 115 Johnny from 1994 is for sale, with REALLY low hours & at a good price.
(The PO replaced the Johnny 115 with a MUCH BIGGER OB.).

THANKS for the advice, Tex

 

[satx78247]

old ironmaker

,

ESPECIAL THANKS to you, as you own one & have practical experience with the same boat.

yours, tex

 

[Bob_VT]

Yes the transom is really not wide enough for "dual" power (with dual weight) I have a starcraft supersport 16 with a single Johnson V4 and a small kicker for trolling.

The rule of thumb is power a hull with at least 75% of it's rated capacity for decent performance. Too little and you will not be happy and too much will just beat things up. You are rated for 150 so a 115 will work

Here is the true hint - watch the weather and don't take chances

Stay safe!

 

[satx78247]

Bob_VT,

OK. - Sounds RIGHT. ====> THANKS MUCH.
("I have a call in to" the local guy who has the 1994 Johnny 115 & that has REALLY low hours. - Haven't heard from him yet however.)

WHAT HP "kicker" do you believe that I need to troll with that hull??

yours, tex

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Bob_VT,

OK. - Sounds RIGHT. ====> THANKS MUCH.
("I have a call in to" the local guy who has the 1994 Johnny 115 & that has REALLY low hours. - Haven't heard from him yet however.)

WHAT HP "kicker" do you believe that I need to troll with that hull??

yours, tex

I have a 15 HP Mariner kicker I bought a few years after I bought the boat that actually matches the 115 perfectly, I got lucky. . It is perfect and I can troll down to less than 1 1/2 MPH. I had a problem once and had to use the 15 to get back to the marina. It moved the boat with no problem. A 9.9 and a 15 HP of the same make is the same size and weight. The added HP is in the carb size and set up. Always more HP than less.

 

[satx78247]

Old Ironmaker,

THANKS much for the advice. = I have a "long foot" 18HP Johnny with electric start that should work OK. - I think that it was made to push sailboats around.

Yours, Tex