# is my motor too big?



## ajrackley86 (Jan 25, 2014)

So I am new to the forum but from what I can see the people here seem to be very knowledgeable and I could use some help. So i backed into a stump in my buddy's yard about a month ago and messed my boat up pretty good. The prop hit the stump and bent the hell out of the transom broke the support that goes to the rear bench and ripped a hole in the metal where the motor attaches. The motor is fine but my hull is trashed. So for my question I looking at a tracker topper 1542 which is rated for 25 hp. I have a mid 80's evinrude 35. The boat I had was a 14 ft duroboat and it worked fine on that will work on the tracker?


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## Pappy (Jan 25, 2014)

Oh Hell and I thought you were going for at least double the rated horsepower!


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## RustyGoat (Jan 26, 2014)

I don't know where you use the boat at but here it's not unusual to have watercraft officers at the ramps checking boats for registration and required safety gear. Having a motor with the hp over the rating on the boats tag is a big no no. I know a guy that got busted with a motor that was too big on his pontoon boat. The watercraft officer didn't give him a ticket but told him he needed to change the motor and that having an overpowered boat is technically a felony. Don't know if thats true or not but would make me cautious.


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## crazymanme2 (Jan 27, 2014)

Drive with common sense & you'll not be bothered. :roll:


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## crazymanme2 (Jan 27, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=339885#p339885 said:


> crazymanme2 » less than a minute ago[/url]"]Drive with common sense & you'll not be bothered. :roll:



Should update your profile so people might be better to help you knowing your locatrion.


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## Charger25 (Jan 27, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=339757#p339757 said:


> Pappy » 25 Jan 2014, 21:06[/url]"]Oh Hell and I thought you were going for at least double the rated horsepower!


:LOL2: :LOL2:


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## RiverBottomOutdoors (Jan 27, 2014)

I don't think you will have an issue. Not sure about the legality of it....I don't think overpowering is an issue in Virginia. But, it could increase liability.


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## Boat2fast (Jan 27, 2014)

I looked into this in CT a while back. It appears, from reading all the laws, that it is not illegal to overpower a boat. It can result in your being removed from the waterway if an officer determines that you are a danger. Also, if there is an accident with property damage or personal injury, and you are involved, and your boat is overpowered, you will bear responsibility. In CT we all have "boating safety certificates". These are official documents that serve to allow blame to be placed in the event lawyers get involved. The course isn't that in-depth, and the fee is small. The main function for the certificate is legal responsibility.


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## ajrackley86 (Jan 27, 2014)

Thanks for the info guys. I live in North Carolina and I do most of my boating on the Rivers. I'm not as much concerned about the legality of the motor but whether or not the boat will handle its power. Just wondering if any of y'all have done something similar to this?


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## Pappy (Jan 28, 2014)

I currently have (7) boats now. Some with engines and some without. The ones that do not have engines on them are run with whatever engine I want to put on it. 
I cannot remember the last time I ran a boat with legal horsepower on it because I wanted to. Usually only because I needed to run that engine to verify it was ready to be sold. 
The one I run most often is rated for 15hp yet I currently have a 3-cylinder 25hp on it and soon going to a 3-cylinder 35hp just for fun. Another one is rated for 25hp and I am currently running a 60 cu.in. 4-cylinder opposed 50hp engine on it. Runs great. 
You are only going up 10 horsepower!
I will routinely go double the rated horsepower and sometimes a little more when I want to have fun with the little boats. This is in no way a recommendation that you do it because I don't know you or your capabilities from Adam....jus' sayin'
Also...I have never ever heard of anyone ever being hassled for having overpowered a boat and I have been on or around the water my entire life in both play time and in two careers plus what I do now. 
As far as the law goes....you are always responsible for damage you and your boat cause including wake damage.


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## Boat2fast (Jan 28, 2014)

The OMC 25 and 35hp engines are all the same size and weight. So we're just talking about a little extra kick in the transom here. If legalities are not a factor then I wouldn't hesitate to give it a try. I wouldn't put a longshaft engine on a shortshaft boat however. Just making sure of that...
If your boat is in good shape you're not likely to have a problem. Happy motoring.


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## Charger25 (Feb 4, 2014)

In all seriousness , alot will depend on the mood of the Game Warden / Law Official who checks you. At one time I had a 17' Lowe rated for a 85 hp but had a 88 Evinrude SPL . I was fishing on the Pamunkey River and got checked by the VDGIF Warden and he stated that he "could " give me a ticket but that he wouldn't because the boat was a "package deal" from the dealer. However, he did give me a ticket for not having a " throw-able devise " aka boat cushion. Seeing as how I was not going to get out of getting a ticket, I asked ,If I'm in the boat alone (which I was) Who the hell is going to throw it to me ? [-X Well............. he was not happy .....and I still got the 75.00 fine :LOL2:


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## speckledtrout (Feb 14, 2014)

For my own $0.02 cents, I recommend you sell the motor and get a smaller newer motor. I've had several tin boats over the years, 14-16ft and all had either a 9.9 2 stroke or 4 stroke. That's plenty of power to put it on a plane for my use. My current Nymph 14R came with an older 25hp Nissan. Good gravy, the boat would scream like a scalded cat when wide open; I saw no need for that kind of power for my own needs and I sold it to fellow who had a big wide body jon. He valued the HP. I used the proceeds towards a new 4 stroke 9.9. So far no complaints. Boat planes and gets a 21mph top end which is plenty fast to me.


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## ray55classic (Jul 29, 2014)

I was really hoping you were putting 250 hp on an rebuilt Grumman canoe . Now that would be interesting! I'd put the 35hp on, change it to 25hp decals if that really worries you although I wouldn't worry about it where I am , It's NBD, they're close enough in size , not much extra weight , it's not gonna gain more than 8/10mph max. Besides you're the one controlling the throttle . Just because you have a truck that'll run well over a 100 pulling a boat Doesn't mean you have too drive it that fast.


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## turbotodd (Jul 31, 2014)

Don't know where you are at, but public duck hunting lands out here are 25 hp max (well some of those lands are 25 max). Lots of speed freaks run 40's with 25 stickers. A few 50's and 60's with 25 stickers. Fish and game people have gotten smart about it, though. I was out testing a customer's boat (50 hp on a boat that was rated for 40). Just pulled into the launch area, boat still on the trailer. Fish and wildlife guy walks over and says howdy, wants to know if I have a boat registration and insurance. I said no, it's not mine, belongs to a customer...so he checks it out to make sure it's "safe" and "legal". Mind you all I was going to do was dunk it in the water, still on the trailer to test run it-and nothing more. He looked at the capacity tag and noticed it said 40 max hp. He looks at me and says this boat is over powered and technically is a felony, and advises that I not test it. So I left and went up the road to a creek that nobody knows about, dunked it and went back to the shop. 5 minute deal.

Then-one of the VERY few times I went to the public waterfowl hunting areas, took a friend's boat. 1542 DuraCraft with a 40 hp Tohatsu with 25 stickers. Hunted from daylight until about 8:30, headed back to the ramp and got checked. All licenses were good but he mentioned that the 40 hp motor was not "legal" on a boat that is rated for 25hp. My buddy mentioned that it was a 25 hp motor. Guy looked at the tag on the clamp and knew it was a 40. Then my buddy said that the clamp was replaced with one from a 40, and the guy's response was that he knew it was a 40 by looking at it. Said he knows guys are doing that and in doing so, is a felony and punishable by jail and or prison time. But he let us off with a verbal warning.

2 times it's happened...didn't get a ticket but I would probably be mindful of what the officers are looking for. 99.9% of the time you'll be fine. There is the ONE officer who wants to go by the book and he's the 0.1% that you have to worry about!


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## Boat2fast (Aug 1, 2014)

Felony?!?...I can see it being a misdemeaner if it is actually illegal at all. But a felony? Someone should look at the actual wording of the laws that apply. Sometimes that is valuable knowledge at the ramp. Showing the officer a printed copy, of the actual law, might save everyone some court time. Knowledge is power here.


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## onthewater102 (Aug 1, 2014)

Exactly - I just got done searching the CT statutes concerning safe boating and there isn't a single mention of overpowering a boat or motor sizes outside the marine dealers section which has no bearing on end users.

Not sure where to start a federal search, I saw on the coast guard's website there are limits to what manufacturers can recommend, but those statutory limits are much higher than the values on the tags placed on the manufactured vessels (probably to give the manufacturer a legal CYA fudge-factor.)

People need to realize the limited training law enforcement agents have on the actual laws they're enforcing and quit being afraid to ask questions - if nothing else to get a citation of the law/statute/reg to which the officer is referring. Some arrogant cop starts throwing his/her bureaucratic weight around just to bully people needs to be reigned in - and someone who claims something as mundane as an overpowered engine is felony stinks to me of being such a twit. Having not searched I'm not going to say that for sure, but it sure doesn't sound right.


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## Johnny (Aug 1, 2014)

I want to upgrade from a 25hp to a 35hp for my 14' deep V aluminum boat.
Problem is, there is not a manufactures plate of weight and HP limits.

In Florida, the Fish and Wildlife Office has jurisdiction on public waterways 
along with USCG. The Florida Boating Regulations page says ........

*"Maximum Loading and Horsepower"
No person may operate a monohull boat of less than 20 feet in length 
while exceeding the maximum weight, persons, or horsepower capacity as 
displayed on the manufacturer's capacity plate.*

I will send them an email now asking what is their "recommendation" for my boat.

or, if anyone has a similar 14' V-hull, what does your plate say ??? and I will go with that.


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## PatinIdaho (Aug 1, 2014)

My 1957 14ft Crestliner is rated for 60hp with remote steering like yours.
Check out some old catalogs and you will find the info you need.


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## Johnny (Aug 1, 2014)

whoaaaa DUDE !! S I X T Y hp ??
my brother had the boat for awhile up in VA and he had a 55 hp on it for tubing.
He said it was like flying and skipping on light chop on the lake with just two people.

Thanks for the info - now just to find a windshield like the original !!

Johnny




There is nothing more grand than
to be just simply messing around
in an old boat . . . . POGO, 1960


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## PatinIdaho (Aug 1, 2014)

See if this is readable.
I have a 35hp Johnson on mine converted to tiller. Only gets to 28mph (gps) I want to change to remote with a 50hp


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## onthewater102 (Aug 4, 2014)

Well, in CT it is apparently illegal - 

https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_268.htm#sec_15-140m Reckless operation of a vessel in the second degree.

(a) A person commits the offense of reckless operation of a vessel in the second degree when he (1) operates a vessel at such speed or maneuvers a vessel in such a manner as to endanger the life, limb or property of another person, (2) operates or, as owner, permits the operation of a vessel loaded with passengers or cargo beyond its safe carrying capacity, having regard for weather and other operating conditions,* (3) operates or, as owner, permits the operation of a vessel loaded or powered in excess of the maximum capacity information stated on the United States Coast Guard capacity information label or the capacity information label of the manufacturer affixed to such vessel*, or (4) operates or, as owner, permits the operation of a vessel the capacity information label of which has been altered, defaced or removed. (b) Any person guilty of reckless operation of a vessel in the second degree shall be fined not less than fifty dollars nor more than two hundred dollars. (P.A. 89-388, S. 13, 27.)


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Aug 4, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=362271#p362271 said:


> onthewater102 » Mon Aug 04, 2014 2:15 pm[/url]"]Well, in CT it is apparently illegal -
> 
> https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_268.htm#sec_15-140m Reckless operation of a vessel in the second degree.
> 
> (a) A person commits the offense of reckless operation of a vessel in the second degree when he (1) operates a vessel at such speed or maneuvers a vessel in such a manner as to endanger the life, limb or property of another person, (2) operates or, as owner, permits the operation of a vessel loaded with passengers or cargo beyond its safe carrying capacity, having regard for weather and other operating conditions,* (3) operates or, as owner, permits the operation of a vessel loaded or powered in excess of the maximum capacity information stated on the United States Coast Guard capacity information label or the capacity information label of the manufacturer affixed to such vessel*, or (4) operates or, as owner, permits the operation of a vessel the capacity information label of which has been altered, defaced or removed. (b) Any person guilty of reckless operation of a vessel in the second degree shall be fined not less than fifty dollars nor more than two hundred dollars. (P.A. 89-388, S. 13, 27.)


Doesn't sound like a felony.


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## New River Rat (Aug 4, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=340719#p340719 said:


> Charger25 » 04 Feb 2014, 07:46[/url]"]Seeing as how I was not going to get out of getting a ticket, I asked ,If I'm in the boat alone (which I was) Who the hell is going to throw it to me ? [-X Well............. he was not happy .....and I still got the 75.00 fine :LOL2:



The constabulary wants you to offer assistance to other boaters in distress. Here in VA you can be fined for not helping in an emergency situation.


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## onthewater102 (Aug 5, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=362278#p362278 said:


> lckstckn2smknbrls » 04 Aug 2014, 15:57[/url]"]Doesn't sound like a felony.



Certainly not - but as it was contrary to my earlier post I thought it was worth mentioning...

Actually, the really s#!tty part about it is in a later section where the officer is allowed to impound your boat and has no liability for damages - without any requisite to exercise due care or something to that effect. I know most people have electronics on their boats, it would be really easy for an @$$ hole cop to bust up your gear and just laugh it off.

The whole thing really pisses me off - I understand overloading creating an unsafe condition, but there is no limit on HP in a car on the road, or a motorcycle - just a speed limit. If your motor isn't so heavy as to create a flotation safety issue why the hell is the nanny-state coming in to say how much power it can produce??? What does it matter if I'm obeying the speed limit? I can ride a motorcycle with no-helmet on but can't strap a 15hp to a 1236 jon boat?


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## jethro (Aug 5, 2014)

Here in NH it's one of those often unenforced/overlooked laws. It's very similar to overloading your GVWR of your truck, but it is a law. Technically every boat needs to display a HP rating and GVWR plate. Those plates are mandated by the US Coast Guard- a Federal agency. And similar to your vehicle, it almost certainly wouldn't be an issue unless something happens, but let's say it does... Say you are out minding your own business and then some drunk in a 5000lb fiberglass wake boarding boat crashes into you and people get hurt or God forbid, worse... you are going to unfortunately be scrutinized by default, and having a motor over the US Coast Guard GVWR is not ideal in that situation.

So, like a lot of things in life, it's probably not going to be an issue, until it becomes an issue.


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## jethro (Aug 5, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=362338#p362338 said:


> onthewater102 » 05 Aug 2014, 08:36[/url]"]
> 
> 
> [url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=362278#p362278 said:
> ...



Cars do have GWVR just like boats and believe me, they sure have tried to limit hp on cars and bikes. The HP ratings on boats are generated by the structural integrity of the boat. You can put a 300hp on a 17' boat, just has to be the right boat built the right way.


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## MrSimon (Aug 5, 2014)

Overpowering boats comes up a lot.

Its usually illegal, voids warranties, nullifies insurance coverage, and can potentially result in hefty fines or worse.

However, its also usually relatively safe and won't cause anyone any problems.

You have to decide for yourself how much you want the extra power. Are you willing to take the risk?


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## Kismet (Aug 5, 2014)

My experience with DNR officers, and Fish and Game folks is that they are pretty professional and mostly, courteous, unless some "client" is deliberately belligerent.

I've never encountered a malicious LEO, so I think suggesting *



" it would be really easy for an @$$ hole cop to bust up your gear and just laugh it off."

Click to expand...

* is way off base, and an undeserved generality. I think these folks deserve my respect.

But this is my experience only, and heck, I'm only in my 70th year. 

:roll:


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## onthewater102 (Aug 5, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=362355#p362355 said:


> jethro » 05 Aug 2014, 09:46[/url]"]... The HP ratings on boats are generated by the structural integrity of the boat...



Absolutely wrong - the coast guard rating system is a function of length and width adjusted for the bottom design of the boat, the height of the transom and/or the steering layout (remote vs. tiller)

You could have a rotted log for a transom by design that wouldn't support an electric trolling motor and so long as the boat was long and wide enough it could be rated for 300hp.


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## onthewater102 (Aug 5, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=362362#p362362 said:


> Kismet » 05 Aug 2014, 09:59[/url]"]My experience with DNR officers, and Fish and Game folks is that they are pretty professional and mostly, courteous, unless some "client" is deliberately belligerent.
> 
> I've never encountered a malicious LEO, so I think suggesting *
> 
> ...



I've never been anything but polite to the pricks around here, never gotten a ticket but been been harassed on numerous instances having my boat examined by the same cop two days in a row for a fire extinguisher, pfd's and the contents of my livewell while he ignores the boat load of local yokals who are clearly drunk (and likely his friends.) But my experiences aside, even within both the state and local police they're known as a bunch of self-righteous tards.


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