Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

[BoatFisho]

I was wondering what determines manufacturer OB ratings?

Ive currently got a 6hp and its rated 8, but was wondering if it could possibly handle a 10hp?

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

Boat manufacturers uses nautic formulas to determine which HP should be used for a given size & boat type. There's also Marine Companies that certifies that any given boat/engine complies with International boating safety standards. In your case you will be over powering if placing a 10 HP engine for a sib rated just 8. Including legal issues if applicable.

Besides thre extra CC and weight the10 has compared to the 6-8 HP, worst if being 4 strokes is that it's water behavior will be more of the nervous kind while steering at speed, will need to be tiller driven gently with slow steering movements. Depending on the engine brand, you could pass that 6 to 8 and be at top of what manufacturer recommends with much better performance for that size sib.

Happy Boating

 

[BoatFisho]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

thanks for that, good explanation. i plan to stick with a 6 anyway but was just curious how they come to the recommended hp.

 

[fbpooler]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

I had a 15 HP which was run on a 10 ft Avon rated for 10 HP. It was a real squirrel as it was difficult to control the motor speed and exhibited bad behavior if run wide open. It would jump from a slow plane to nearly out of control as you added speed. The reason was we already owned the 15 and did not want to spend the money for an additional motor.

We finally purchased a 9.8 and it was just the ticket for the boat. Go with the manufacturers recommendation, as they know what they are doing.

 

[BoatFisho]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

Good call, currently got an old 6, will probably jump to an 8 when something appropriate appears. 8hp is the max.

 

[Guest]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

I had a 15 HP which was run on a 10 ft Avon rated for 10 HP. It was a real squirrel as it was difficult to control the motor speed and exhibited bad behavior if run wide open. It would jump from a slow plane to nearly out of control as you added speed. The reason was we already owned the 15 and did not want to spend the money for an additional motor.

We finally purchased a 9.8 and it was just the ticket for the boat. Go with the manufacturers recommendation, as they know what they are doing.

Lol factory says 20hp for my z

 

[Guest]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

I had a 15 HP which was run on a 10 ft Avon rated for 10 HP. It was a real squirrel as it was difficult to control the motor speed and exhibited bad behavior if run wide open. It would jump from a slow plane to nearly out of control as you added speed. The reason was we already owned the 15 and did not want to spend the money for an additional motor.

We finally purchased a 9.8 and it was just the ticket for the boat. Go with the manufacturers recommendation, as they know what they are doing.

Lol factory says 20hp for my zoom. To bad I can't carry it down a second floor walk up. Right now I am under powering my boat like hell running a 6 mercury until I can fix my 15 force

 

[fbpooler]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

Have no idea of the dimensions of the Zoom and what it is capable of handling. If you ran our Avon with the 15 HP Evinrude, you would find that it was dangerous with two people and completely unusable with one. The factory recommendations are correct for the design.

The power curve on our present 15 HP Yamaha is more controllable, so it performed well when we ran it on the Avon and kept the throttle retarded. Wide open it too was dangerous. Second guess the recommendations at your own peril.

Zodiac extends the rear sponsons on many of their boats which cuts useable space in the craft. Is yours designed like that? We had a Zed with that design, but it was not one half the boat the Avon is despite being designed for more horsepower. That is why we purchased the Avon as a replacement and still have it after 30 years. Our Cadet FR also has a reasonable power recommendation which we would not second guess.

 

[BoatFisho]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

yeah the cadets pontoons are quite extended, i thought that was the same on all inflatables. id go an avon if i had the money, or better yet a caribe. the zodiacs in my opinion are the best of the PVCs though.

 

[fbpooler]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

We have a 285FR which is a nice boat. There is nothing wrong with a Zodiac where PVC is no problem, and ours sits in a closet ready for the next adventure. The design has larger than what was once normal sponsons to accept the weight of 4 stroke engines.

I will say that they have been on the cutting edge of inflatable boat design for years and still make great boats.

 

[BoatFisho]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

i love the fast roller range, just wanted a bit more strength and hard floor for fishing. so convenient the fastroller.

 

[BoatFisho]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

So far we arent enjoying it much, we expected it to plane with an 8hp as we have seen other plane with a 6. I am heavy though, all up I think we are about 200kg plus boat. Am thinking about upgrading to a 3.1 or 3.4 air floor as we were told they plane easier and will have a lot more room and we are already over the floor board set up every time we break it down (every 2-3 trips).

 

[fbpooler]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

It is funny that the air floor and solid floor are both rated for 8 HP max, but they sure are.

A short boat in particular is affected greatly by weight distribution, so perhaps you may get on plane with your weight moved forward in the boat. If you do, you will feel the boat speed up, but generally speaking, it is easier to plane with a longer boat. I planed a 16 ft canoe with just me in it a few times with a 4 HP motor, but that was a foolhardy thing to do. No stability at all.

Are you sure that the boat is inflated properly? With motors in the 6-8 HP range, a soft hull will work against you noticeably. Also, don't expect speeds in the high teens with motors of that HP.

 

[BoatFisho]

Re: Zodiac c285s, can it take more HP?

thanks for that. when it finally does plane, it gets up to about 37km according to GPS 1 up, and about 31km with 2 of us. problem is it takes so long.