Best hull size for 70/50?

[Cubman]

I have a 1983 Johnson 70hp with a jet foot. What would be a good size boat to pair with this motor? I was running it on an 1848, but the jet did not work well with the prop tunnel so I am selling it to build the right boat with a jet tunnel.

Typical load will be two people with fishing or hunting gear, with the occasional third.

I will have a jet tunnel, shallow water performance and being able to plane a load are much more important than top speed.

I really like how spacious it is fishing out of an 18' boat, but I think a 15-16' boat would be much easier to turn around in narrow creeks.

 

[willfishforfood]

I have a 30/50 Yamaha on a 16' semi V and it's a little under powered with more than two in it

 

[willfishforfood]

I have a 30/50 Yamaha on a 16' semi V and it's a little under powered with more than two in it

 

[Brian J]

I ran a 1985 70/50 Yamaha on our 1650AW Alumacraft for the first three years we owned it. It did fine. Got on plane easy and top speed was around 30 with two people, gear, and 12 gallons of fuel. I have no experience with tunnel hull boats.

 

[Ranchero50]

Might it not be simpler to just put a false floor in your prop tunnel so it'll feed a jet correctly?

 

[southhenry]

The perfomance of any jet is related to the amount of weight you intend to push with it. A 16' with four guys and a dog will weigh more than most 18' hulls with a single operator. Go to https://www.outboardjets.com/index.php and look at their web site. In one of the manuals they have a chart that relates overall weight to jet HP. It is a useful tool.

 

[Cubman]

Might it not be simpler to just put a false floor in your prop tunnel so it'll feed a jet correctly?

That certainly was an option. However I found a really good deal on a 40 mercury, so I hung it on the prop tunnel hull. I am going to sell the boat and use my profit to help purchase a better suited hull.