The Boating Forum - 17ft whaler, 50hp honda? HELP

Hey guys, i just picked up a score of a boat, a old blue inside 7ft whaler that is in decent shape for a great price on a trailer. The boat has been out of water for 6 years a and seems pretty dry ( not water logged) I was wondering if you think a 2002 honda BF50 wolld push the boat effectivly. Im not looking for speed more of reliabilty and fuel eco.
I am thinking that this motor with the right prop will do 24-28 mph? Am i dreaming?

I have a 9' bw with a 9.9 on the back and on flat water it is DANGEROUS!

17' whaler? 90 is the right motor but 50 might get you on the water with a light load.

IMO, youll be fine. Probably 25mph max.

Several people like that exact set up. Go to Whalercentral.com and ask about it. I think its like a 32 or 34 mph WOT speed. 35hp was the minimum hp for that hull as per manufacturer.

I had an older 17' Whaler, it was rated for 100 HP max. I had a 90 2 stroke, I've seen some with 70's on them but never a 50. I would think it would be severely under powered with a 50 4 stroke.

You must mean 17'....a 50 hp on a 7' boat.....that thing would take flight.

50 hp on a lake might be ok. if your dealing with any kind of current you will have problems

Run it.

i would stay away from inlets for sure. my 2010 bw 170 had a 90 on it and one time coming into the mouth of the merrimack river the conditions got ugly real fast and i had problems with a strong outgoing tide and an offshore swell coming in. it didnt end well......montauks float nicely upside down though!

The 50 will push it along and I don't believe there will be any danger. Severely underpowered to many THT posters is a boat that cruises below 30MPH. I think with your power you are looking at maybe a comfortable 20MPH cruise or so. If you are ok with that kind of speed, go for it.

You do need to be careful with any boat in a nasty inlet with a wind against strong tide situation, folks shouldn't be complacent even with an overpowered cruiser.

The 50 will push it along and I don't believe there will be any danger. Severely underpowered to many THT posters is a boat that cruises below 30MPH. I think with your power you are looking at maybe a comfortable 20MPH cruise or so. If you are ok with that kind of speed, go for it.

You do need to be careful with any boat in a nasty inlet with a wind against strong tide situation, folks shouldn't be complacent even with an overpowered cruiser.

Read this over and over again.

We used to have a 40 Johnson on the 17' Montauk we use as a work boat here at the marina...it was a dog but would plane off with 4 people-- in a good swell it wouldn't get out of its own way though.

Are you buying a 50hp, or do you already have one? If it's a case of make-do with what you've got, a 50hp MIGHT be ok. If you're buying, go atleast a 70hp. I had an old 17' with a 70hp and it was fine. I sold it to my son-in-law, who repowered with a 90hp. And 90hp is >70hp.

I have a 16' mckee with an old 50 which is ok but I'd rather have more. Planes with 4ppl one being 300 lbs though.

I have a 50hp Merc 2 stroke on my 14' Maritime Skiff. Great with 2 adults onboard. A struggle with 4 adults but it does get up & run.

IMO the 17' Whaler would be worse with a 50hp. May be OK with 1 adult. 70hp would be a minimum. 90hp needed for heavier loads like 4 adults

so as was pointed out, if you understand the shortcomings of being underpowered, then you'll be fine. I side on the "you'll be fine", but just be aware that Murphy's law applies to boating. Needing to overcome a standing wave at an inlet might require more ponies than you brought. If you decide to go w/ the Honda, just be careful, that's all.

If you haven't bought the Honda yet, I'd keep looking. IMHO, I'd rather have it (HP) and not need it, than not have it when needed (wow, deep, huh?)

As KRB found out (the hard way), power isn't always about speed, it's about being able to overpower mother nature, in a given circumstance. I have personally "did" the Merrimack, on a day where the rollers were coming into the mouth. If you couldn't power up and stay on top of the wave, you might be destine to be in the troughs, which can lend itself to a pitch-pull situation.....not good!!

Just my .02

He has an old classic hull before the smirk if it is the original blue inside.

I have the same hull, 1965 Whaler 17 with a 2 Stroke, 3 cylinder carbed Nissan 50.

With two people, Bimini Top, fishing gear/bait/ice, dive gear, etc there is absolutely no problem with lack of power.

Best Cruise is 24.5 MPH at 4600 RPM with the crappy Nissan factory 13" pitch prop.

You can cruise as low as 19.5 at 3800RPM

WOT gets 30.5-31.5mph.

Also, my motor is mounted about 1 inch to low, and I could use a better prop. I dont know my MPG or GPH at a cruise, but I bet a 50HP running at 4600RPM doesn't use much.

The older, unsmirked hulls are very different then the heavier, smirked hulls after 1974 or 1975.

If you are routinely going to go out with more then 3 or 4 people, a 70-90HP would be ideal.

Weren't they sold new with 55hp bearcat four strokes? Local sailing program uses ancient waterlogged 17s with 50 or 60 2 strokes. They load they up with little kids and tow 9 or 10 opti sailboats with them. Marty D

I had a 50 Honda on my BW Dauntless 15, which I believe is about the same weight as the old Montauks. Nice ride, not fast, 20 cruise, 30 max. Pulled me on a wakeboard just fine. Very efficient too - 7-8mpg easy. My new BF60 does it all just a little better... Even better economy.

I have a late 60's whaler nauset with a 50 hp 4 stroke suzuki on it. With a light load it'll do upper 20's no problem, loaded with 24g of gas, 3 people and crab/fishing gear low 20's. I'm in northern ca though and rare is the day that you get to drop the throttle and run full bore in any 17' boats, so just over plane speed most of the time anyways.

A couple things to consider; weight and ride. The bigger engines weigh a ton more, especially in a 4 stroke. Whalers already have a low freeboard, with an extra hundred lbs hanging off the transom it'll just squat lower and be more at risk of taking water over the transom. The ride.....well lets be honest, small whalers aren't known for riding like a caddilac, especially the older hulls. Slamming over wind 2' wind chop at 30knots isn't exactly appealing. The 50hp works fine for my boating needs.

Weren't they sold new with 55hp bearcat four strokes? Local sailing program uses ancient waterlogged 17s with 50 or 60 2 strokes. They load they up with little kids and tow 9 or 10 opti sailboats with them. Marty D

Im in one of those programs probably the one your talking about, Ocean Gate Yacht Club. My dad helps take care of those whalers. Most of them are severely waterlogged. Those 60s get abused but one of them has a 40. the boat has a 40 merc 2 stroke it will cruise about 20 but tow 9 sunfish but the operators run those engines hard and know only two speeds idle and wide open. the boats with the 60s aren't too bad but like I said they are always run wide open so I wouldnt know how they do at cruise. Im rebuilding a 15 foot garvey and just picked up a johnson 60. Do you guys think that will be enough power once its propped right?

Had a 17ft. standard with 90HP and it was perfect. Go big or go home :grin: You won't be sorry We could tow 2 skiers no problem. Good luck with your new ride.