Outboard horsepower

B

bgreene

Banned
Not specific to the V’s .... just interesting to see the continual march in horsepower.
When I was a kid, I remember first the Evinride 135, then the tower of power Merc 150

Now I see Suzuki offers a 350 hp, Merc a 400hp and Seven Marine the 626 hp outboard.

Ok that’s too much for a V but how bout’ a nice little Etec G2 300 hp :)
 
But our boats are only rated for 250 HP and nothing will ever change that. Go too high and you lose your insurance. :cen:
 
Having to decide between doing or not doing something I love so some insurance company can make an extra dividend for their shareholders never really appealed to me.
 
bradford said:
Having to decide between doing or not doing something I love so some insurance company can make an extra dividend for their shareholders never really appealed to me.
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Bradford, I totally agree with you, but when I think of the $$$ that I could lose if I ever got into an accident without insurance...:bat:...well, I guess I can make do with my 200HP Merc and be happy. :head:
 
V-21's were 200HP, and I believe v-20's were 235HP for the later ones while earlier models were 200HP. Then there was I/O's which went to 250HP I believe.
 
I love this discussion, some are Libertarians and they dont know it

F the Insurance companies

Unlike a VIN tag on a car, pull the HP rating tag OFF your boat
There is NOTHING illegal about doing that, its the SUGGESTED rating
If your boat is in good nick, do you think the next owner will take issue?
If the coast guard boards your boat, what will they do?
You just tell them this is the way it was when I bought it

The liberal more government folks would LOVE to see annual boat inspection

All that said, if you shove more that 250 HP onto that transom, think it out
If you are not a tool, you can over-motor a boat wo ripping the transom off
Common sense should be the rule
1% of us cant, so we all have to drive slow, under motored boats?
 
Para said:
I love this discussion, some are Libertarians and they dont know it

F the Insurance companies

Unlike a VIN tag on a car, pull the HP rating tag OFF your boat
There is NOTHING illegal about doing that, its the SUGGESTED rating
If your boat is in good nick, do you think the next owner will take issue?
If the coast guard boards your boat, what will they do?
You just tell them this is the way it was when I bought it

The liberal more government folks would LOVE to see annual boat inspection

All that said, if you shove more that 250 HP onto that transom, think it out
If you are not a tool, you can over-motor a boat wo ripping the transom off
Common sense should be the rule
1% of us cant, so we all have to drive slow, under motored boats?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't see it that way. I see it more as a safety factor. These boats were never made for high speed runs over flat water like you see when looking at a fishing tournement on some lake someplace. Bass boats with 300+ hp doing 70+ mph is NOT what these hulls were designed for. These are robust hulls, designed to get you out onto rough water and get you back home again. They have an extra wide flared bow to give you a dry ride, and a deep V hull to knife thru the water. Trying to do high speeds through 2-4 foot chop is like asking for your boat to fail. (At the very least your dentist will love you)

And unfortunately, it's far more than 1% that can't drive. True, some idiots just can't drive, and then there's the total f__king idiots that are too drunk or too high to drive and shouldn't be driving anything more than a bicycle. The last thing I want is for one of them to be barreling down on me at 50_mph.
So if a max HP plate will keep them from making their boat into a lethal weapon I'm all for it. I hate the Gov telling me what I can and can't do... but you know,... sometimes it's just a really good idea.
 
I don't really consider what the government or the insurance company has to say about my boat, but I pay pretty close attention to what the guys who built the boat say about how much power she can handle.
 
F the insurance companies and the govt too. The water is the last place we have no speed regulations, I’m all for keeping it that way. Boating has some inherent risk, that’s a given. Manufacturers put the plate on the boat so they can sell them to the public and qualifies them to receive some product liability from insurance companies. However, if the boat is 20’ in length the hp rating is unlimited. Coast Guard can’t do a thing. Take the plate off the boat so they can’t make issue of it if your ever boarded.
 

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Ok not the same, but look, the gun doesn’t kill people by itself. A little self control goes a long ways. They sell cars that go three times the legal posted speed, it’s a risk. I’ll leave it there
 
I have a cousin that had a 60hp on a 13 ft whaler

Marine Patrol checked him for fishing license and ask him what HP his motor was. He told them,60.

Guy replied, “We’ve only got a 50 on our 13 Whaler.”

He replied, “That’s why I have a 60”
 
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I do agree that some overpowering makes boating dicey. Some hulls don’t react as well as others to major hp
 

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