The Boating Forum - Engine too small to plane?

I have a 14' boat, that weighs in at about 660-700 lbs for just the hull. I want to put a 25HP on it that weighs about 160. Myself weighs in at 150, plus the gas tank and a little bit of gear. Figure all about 1050lbs, my question is:

Is a 14' 1050lbs boat too much to get to plane with a 25HP motor? I have played on a friends 13' whaler with 3 people and a 25HP and it planes no problem, but the whaler hull is over 300lbs less than mine. Should I be concerned? I havent got the engine yet, but I am buying a new 4stroke, probably Tohatsu. I just cruise, and fish in the bays around south Florida/Tampa areas. Occasionally tube or kneeboard and dont need a speed demon. Any ideas on this?

Thanks.

Find a 40hp 2 stroke and you'll be happy.

What specific boat is it?

14' McKee craft. I would love a 2-stroke, but I am buying a new engine this time around. Want as little hassle as possible (not saying 2 strokes are a hassle, or hard to work on for that matter) but buying used in the past always led me to problems in the near future. Got stuck out in Flamingo with a 5HP and had to use a 30# trolling motor to get back to dock... Terrible experience.

Prop it correctly and you won't have any problem planing. You may not end up with big top end, but you will plane, no problem.

Here is why I say so:

I have a 10.5' RIB powered by a Yam F15. Ok, no biggie, right, it planes easily. But here's the amazing thing: I will pull me up on a slalom (one) ski easily with one or two people in the boat.

You won't have any problem.

The more HP the better !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

You should have no problem Planing with a 25

You willl not like the performance with a 25. You really need at least a 40. I would look at a DFI 2-stroke in Tohatsu or Evinrude.

It wouldn't be a speed demon but it should plane Ok with a 25. Could you and your friend with the 13' Whaler get together before you buy the Tohatsu, and trial his 25 on the simiilar 14' McKee?.

It should plane no problem. Tune up the motor, making sure hi speed jet is not clogged, you are running on both cylinders, and timing is advanced, etc etc.
Check that the boat isnt waterlogged also, needless to say.

What prop are you running?

A doel fin helps my flat bottom boat jump right onto plane also.

It will plane easily with a 25. I have a 14'er with a similar type bottom that planes with a 15hp Honda with 2 people on board. :thumbsup:

Are you sure that the 15hp weighs 160lbs? seems like a lot to me...

You willl not like the performance with a 25. You really need at least a 40. I would look at a DFI 2-stroke in Tohatsu or Evinrude.

I agree either of these 2 engines would work very good for that boat and both are very reliable. if you are going to tube or wake boarding you will want the xtra power.
good luck

It will plane fine with the 25. I use to run my 16' rig below with an 2009 yamaha 25 2 stroke. It would run 22mph with 2 adults full offshore gear and 20 gal livewell full.

The sig pic is with 2 adults, full offshore gear and a 337lb swordfish. We still ran 20mph.

Get the new engine and as stated above get it proped right.

It will plane fine with the 25. I use to run my 16' rig below with an 2009 yamaha 25 2 stroke. It would run 22mph with 2 adults full offshore gear and 20 gal livewell full.

The sig pic is with 2 adults, full offshore gear and a 337lb swordfish. We still ran 20mph.

Get the new engine and as stated above get it proped right.

As you can see when he says offshore load he is not kidding.

I have a 14' Kennedy Craft that i rebuilt from the hull in and added a lot of weight. The boat itself probably weighs 400 lbs before I added gear, fuel tank (6 Gal), and a 25hp mariner (mid 90's). I have an aluminum 13 pitch powertech prop that will push it to 31 MPH with just me and 28 loaded with 2 or 3 people. If you pitched yours with a smaller prop like an 11 pitch you probably would be fine and cruise about 18 to 20 MPH with a top of 23 to 25.
Maclin

Would a 20HP get it on a plane? My funds are much less than I had originally planned. Its just for fishing inshore waters/freshwater. And cruising the intercoastal, offshore on the FLAT days here in SFL. :(

A 2 stroke will weigh less be easier to work on. With limited funds I'd look for a used 2 stroke Yamaha with more HP and have it checked out by a mechanic before writing the check.

i have a 13 whaler with a 25hp twostroke (long-shaft too). it will plane with 4 people and gear no problems. the key is having a hydrofoil

I had a 14 mckee side console, whaler type tri hull...it was a heavy boat, I had a Evinrude 70 on it and it would fly...like 45 mph. I remember that boat being so heavy, I got it on the little trailer crooked one time and the ramp was packed so I figured me n my bud would just lift up the back and move it...couldnt budge it, and im no weakling, it had to be like 7-800 pounds on the transom...i would for sure go minimum 50 hp...probably get 35 mph or so then

It wouldn't be a speed demon but it should plane Ok with a 25. Could you and your friend with the 13' Whaler get together before you buy the Tohatsu, and trial his 25 on the simiilar 14' McKee?.

Probably a good idea,should't be too much trouble to do. I had a McKee 14' years ago with a 55hp johnson years ago and it ran just fine until it got waterlogged. I would just guess that 25 hp might be a little underpowered. Good Luck!

From what I've been told, the Mckee's require a lot more HP than the whalers. Most of the 14's I see have 40's and 50's on them. I don't want to tell you it won't work, but I would have my doubts.

I've got an old 50 hp 2 cycle Rude on my 14' Mckee double console. Alone, with no gear, I can get it to plane about 35 knots in a heartbeat.

The reason we're advising you on a 2 stroke is that they're a lighter than a similar 4 cy. I agree with whoever said go with a slightly used 40 hp. Just have a mechanic check it out for you before you pull the trigger.

I would love a 2-stroke, but I dont know anything about outboard, and dont know any mechanics. I wouldnt know a real solid outboard deal if you put it infront of me. Thats why I was going to go with something new.

Also, I dont mind trotting around at 20mph, just getting up on a plane it what I am worried about. The top speed does not bother me, its mainly for inshore fishing and just cruising slow zone waters. I know there are a lot of you guys from SFL on here, maybe someone can point me in a good direction. I just figured I would go new and and be safe for the next 2-3 years with warranty.