In Reply to: Powering Lowe Jon Boat posted by Coastman on November 29, 2001 at 15:54:45:
Coastman,What horsepower outboard do you presently have on your Lowe Jon Boat? Of course, in the interest of boat safety, its tough to add more than 25 hp if that is the manufactures recommendation and you already have this on the transom... As stated in the post "More zip for the little Whaler..." one could add up the weight of the boat, motor, gear, and riders onboard to get a horsepower to weight ratio. 17 to 20 Lbs. per horsepower puts you in the optimum range of efficiency. Check out the distance the anti-cavitation plate on the engine is from the bottom of the boat. More than an inch? Maybe raising the motor--vertically--would give more zip.
On the matter of newer outboards being lighter, the new 4-strokes are heavier horsepower for horsepower. A 2-stroke 25 hp.Tohatsu is a 101lbs. A 4 stroke Mercury 25 hp.--175lbs. Like you suggested, keeping the balance may be the key. A little fine tuning may help, after that its a different hull able to take a bigger motor...
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