15hp for a 14' boat?

[Uncle Krusty]

I just bought a 14' Western rated for 25hp, with a 6hp '07 Tohatsu, (which I will sell) so a repower is in order. Used 20-25 hp 4 stroke motors are scarce, but there is a '99 15hp Honda available. Whaddaya think, not enough motor? Would it at least plane the boat?

 

[GYPSY400]

I have a 15hp 2 stroke mercury on a 14ft deep and wide crestliner.. it does ok and still planes out with 2 guys in it.. the bonus is that a smaller motor will troll better than a larger 25hp

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[onthewater102]

Hondas run on the heavy side, the 15hp from that year weighs as much as my 25hp mercury, though I believe the Hondas were 4 strokes whereas I'm making the comparison to a 2 stroke.

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

"I wish I had put a smaller motor on my boat" said no guy ever!

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[Uncle Krusty]

Thanks, guys! Motors are super scarce these days. The Honda is on the old side, so I dunno, got to think about that.

 

[onthewater102]

Hondas are fantastic motors.

The age of that would not be a concern to me, but small boats are finicky with additional weight. It won't amount to much difference vs. another 15, but knowing you could have held out for a 25 you would have missed out on a noticeable amount of speed.

 

[silentbravo]

Yep the Honda 8HP 4 stroke I bought/traded from my neighbor must have 100's of hours on it and still starts right up on like the 2nd pull. It's a 1998 model. I see them on craigslist occasionally, and they keep their value too.

 

[GYPSY400]

I'd say buy the 15 Honda if its a decent deal.. you can always trade up in a few years once the prices become normal again. And you won't loose a dime on selling the 15.

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[Uncle Krusty]

Right, Gypsy, I think that's a good plan. I just never see bigger 4 strokes that are affordable, so I think the 15 will do.

 

[turbotodd]

I'd own a honda

they're "usually" heavy though, even for a 4 stroke. On a 14' boat (if it's a 1432 or 1436), that might be an issue. Look at the specs, I haven't looked at a 15hp Honda, for all I know it might be 75 lbs?

My dad's 1436 Weldcraft handles a 20hp yamaha (4 stroke) ok, but it IS on the heavy side. Rated for 25hp. F20 weighs I think 130lbs, which is ironically exactly the same as my EFI Yamaha F25, well within a pound. With that, I like his 20 better than my 25. Runs a little smoother and slightly quieter but it is not efi. If I didn't already have this 25, I'd probably trade him.

 

[Uncle Krusty]

I'm not sure what a 1432 or 1436 is. Does that mean the beam? This boat has a 66' beam.

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

14 is how long the boat is. 32 or 36 is the width of the floor at the chine. These designations are for flat and mod v jonboats. I'm guessing the beam of a 1436 would be roughly 52-54 inches

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[wmk0002]

I bought an old 1440 flatbottom last summer and put my 15hp Johnson 2stroke on it. Runs 25-26mph which is a little too fast to be comfortable imo for that little boat....but it cruises at 20mph or so awesome.

I have a 2020 Yamaha F25 on my 1648. Would like to try it on that 14 footer, but I don't trust it lol. It has a bad hook in the front and leaks and I bet the factory foam under the seats is toast.

 

[Uncle Krusty]

Mine has no flotation at all. A previous owner converted the bench spaces to storage. I'll be putting some sheet foam. It has a 17" transom, right between short and long shaft. Would you know which would work best? I'd prefer not to raise the transom.

 

[wmk0002]

Mine has no flotation at all. A previous owner converted the bench spaces to storage. I'll be putting some sheet foam. It has a 17" transom, right between short and long shaft. Would you know which would work best? I'd prefer not to raise the transom.

If you are measuring 17" parallel/along to the transom surface, it is actually probably closer to 16" straight/vertically... as in perpendicular from the bottom of the hull to the top of the transom. Most short shaft outboards are actually longer than 15" from the cav plate to the top of the transom brackets. Between 16-17" seems to be normal. You should be fine with about any shortshaft motor.

 

[turbotodd]

Outta see what the local boat racers are doing. Well they call themselves "duck hunters" but racing is about what it amounts to. 90hp motors on 15' aluminum boats. High $$$ modified stuff. Some of these guys are approaching 90mph now. 60s are the norm. Set up correctly the hull is not in the water at all, just the motor or more specifically the bottom HALF of the prop and the skeg. The hull is no longer hydrodynamic, it is aerodynamic-basically it is flying and will once in a while catch a wave. Neat to watch but at the same time, these guys are "different"--not my type of crowd. I'll stick with my little 25.