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I have a 12 foot aluminum v hull boat and was wandering what the minimum and maximum size of an outboard motor would be.river ,lake ,pond, wherever.
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some lakes have a less than 10 hp limit, ie the 9.9'si too have a 12' and its got a 9.9 and is just fine for me and my 7 year old, but it has on occaission refused to plane if he was sitting in the back w me (and the trolling battery or into a strong wind.) my hummble opinion: a 15 might be better for two adults and gear,,,
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A lot of guys down here in South Florida put 10 and even 15hp 2 strokes on their 12' tinnys for long runs through skinny Everglades and 10K Islands waters - they are scary fast, hard to control and will rip a weak transom clean off sooner or later (sooner if you hit an oyster bar or gator)I'm too old for suicide runs anymore, so I use a Nissan 5hp 1 cyl/2 stroke on my old 12', planes at up to 12mph against most any combo of tide/wind. A 3hp on the same hull wouldn't get on a plane, plogged along at 7mph.USCG rating for a boat measuring 12' x 52" max beam is 6hp - note that the old formula is based on 2 stroke engine weights.
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To be on the safe and legal side, I would call your local coast guard station and ask them.
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