Safe on the water.

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oneoldude

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Dec 2, 2004
Messages
48
Hi, I am a newbie here and wish to thank you all for the resources provided, also I have a couple questions. <br /><br />I have an Evinrude 70 that is about 20 yrs old and runs like a top. I would like to use that motor on a hull that I will refurbish as described on this site. My problem is that I need to put it on the lightest boat possible because my 4 cyl car cannot pull much of a load. <br /><br />At http://www.uscg.mil/d11/msosf/links/inspection.html . There is the USCG article "SAFETY STANDARDS FOR BACKYARD BOAT BUILDERES". It describes formulas for safe HP on different hull sizes. I crunched the numbers and found that a 15' to 16' hull of proper width would do the job. I thought that if I could find an ancient boat that fit the bill I could revive it and go bay/flats fishing with it. What do you think? How small can I really go?<br /><br />After crunching some more numbers and comparing commercial offerings I found that the Boston Whaler 150 Sport (LOA 15.8') is calculated at 116HP but factory rated at 90HP and the Carolina Skiff 1655 DLX (LOA 15.4') is calculated at 90HP but factory rated at 50HP. Are these manufacturers conservative or is the USCG wrong? What do you think?<br /><br />I live in Sarasota Fl and would like to see what some of my neighbors have accomplished. If you live near me, send me some mail. Heck, you might even know of a boat that will work for me. My email address is oneoldude@THORNcomcast.net Remove the THORN for the proper address.<br /><br />Thanks<br /><br />ab
 
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JasonB

Lieutenant
Joined
Feb 10, 2003
Messages
1,455
Re: Safe on the water.

That motor is about 230-250lbs if memory serves. You can lookit up at NADAguides.com to get the actual weight.
 
JasonJ

JasonJ

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 20, 2001
Messages
4,163
Re: Safe on the water.

The numbers are more of a guide. Hull design and material have more to do with it than anything. Look at a bass boat, it'll run 300 hp and scream over 80 mph, but there are other boats the same size that are rated at half the horsepower. If you are wanting to build a modest flats rig, there is no reason why you can't locate a 60s era 16 foot boat and rebuild it to what you want. Those hulls are light, you can end up with a boat that weighs in around 1200 lbs, fully rigged, including trailer.<br /><br />An alternative, though more spendy, is to locate an aluminum hull. It would be lighter, thus more easy to pull with the car. By the way, you have not mentioned what car you have. That is important, because you may be able to pull more than you think you can, but odds are you will need to stay below 1500 lbs. Good luck...
 
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