Dockside85
Well-known member
Hey all,
Rebuilding a 14' flat bottom aluminum jon and I'm starting to look for outboard motors. The Coast Guard plate on the back of my transom says that the boat is rated for an 8hp outboard. I looked at the sticky at the top of the "Motors" page and did the math for the maximum HP rating and got around 8hp also. My question is would the boat suffer if I went with a 9.9? Without modding the boat an 8hp outboard would do alright, but I'm going to have the extra weight of a large deep cycle battery, wood decking, bow mounted trolling motor, gear, cooler, and probably a fishing buddy. I'd like to at least have a 9.9 on it for as much push as I could give it and stay close to the rated HP limit, but I don't want anything too big that would damage the boat. Could I get away with that upgrade?
Rebuilding a 14' flat bottom aluminum jon and I'm starting to look for outboard motors. The Coast Guard plate on the back of my transom says that the boat is rated for an 8hp outboard. I looked at the sticky at the top of the "Motors" page and did the math for the maximum HP rating and got around 8hp also. My question is would the boat suffer if I went with a 9.9? Without modding the boat an 8hp outboard would do alright, but I'm going to have the extra weight of a large deep cycle battery, wood decking, bow mounted trolling motor, gear, cooler, and probably a fishing buddy. I'd like to at least have a 9.9 on it for as much push as I could give it and stay close to the rated HP limit, but I don't want anything too big that would damage the boat. Could I get away with that upgrade?