Merc 80 Jet Enough for my 1860??

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flex2win

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Currently running an Alumacraft MV 1860 w a 50hp Merc 4 stroke, Atlas Micro Jacker, Solas 11p Stainless. I see 32mph right now with this set up.
Things have really changed w water levels and I'm contemplating flipping to a Jet. Boat is 625, motor 250, I'm 230.
River where i run is rocky, sandy, and TONS of hidden logs waiting to eat up your lower unit.

But I have some questions.....

--Is the Merc 80 enough to move this boat?? Would it be enough to move a 2072 if I went that route?

--I've also considered moving my boat and jumping to a 2072 platform, putting a 90hp Merc on the back and just buying the kit to convert it over late summer if needed.

--Is this boats hull okay to run a jet, or is cavitation going to be an issue?

Sorry for long post, just have a lot of stuff to consider. I've read a ton on jets and trying to get as much info as possible to make a decision.

Thanks for the input.
 
I’m not an expert. My opinion only. I think the 80 would work on your 1860. Depends of course how much gear your going to have, and also how many other people. I’m saying this only if it’s the factory jetted 80. The factory 80 jets are 115 hp motors but are 80 at the Jet/pump. That would be the biggest boat I would put it on. Most folks where I live run the the 80 jets on 1856’s. They perform really well, in fact that will be my next setup. The 2072 would be to big in my opinion. Would be sluggish, slow to get on plane. If you put a 90 prop on your boat and added the jet later that would drop the the hp to right at 65 hp at the jet. You lose that much with jet conversion. The 90/65 would not be enough motor for a 2072 and might not be enough for the 1860. I run the current river in Missouri. Lots of folks running the merc 115/80. Parts of current river has hp restrictions of 40hp so I run a 60/40 merc 4 stroke on an 1852 .80 gauge Blazer SS with a tiller. By myself 34 downstream and 31or so upstream. Put my family and our crap in there it drops big time. My point is I have to watch where I put all our stuff and distribute the weight. They just don’t run like props. Hope this has helped.


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archery68 said:
I’m not an expert. My opinion only. I think the 80 would work on your 1860. Depends of course how much gear your going to have, and also how many other people. I’m saying this only if it’s the factory jetted 80. The factory 80 jets are 115 hp motors but are 80 at the Jet/pump. That would be the biggest boat I would put it on. Most folks where I live run the the 80 jets on 1856’s. They perform really well, in fact that will be my next setup. The 2072 would be to big in my opinion. Would be sluggish, slow to get on plane. If you put a 90 prop on your boat and added the jet later that would drop the the hp to right at 65 hp at the jet. You lose that much with jet conversion. The 90/65 would not be enough motor for a 2072 and might not be enough for the 1860. I run the current river in Missouri. Lots of folks running the merc 115/80. Parts of current river has hp restrictions of 40hp so I run a 60/40 merc 4 stroke on an 1852 .80 gauge Blazer SS with a tiller. By myself 34 downstream and 31or so upstream. Put my family and our crap in there it drops big time. My point is I have to watch where I put all our stuff and distribute the weight. They just don’t run like props. Hope this has helped.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Nope, your opinion matters. This is the kind of feedback I've been looking for to.
What kind of mileage(not that it is a deciding factor) are you seeing with your motor?

It sounds like I'm actually going to get to go with a guy that his this motor on his 18' Alweld
 
I'm running an Optimax 80 Jet on an 1860 G3 right now and have plenty of HP for running the shallow and rocky Susquehanna river in the Harrisburg/Liverpool area. I have it rigged with a 36V trolling motor so there are 4 batteries and I guide two clients on a regular basis. Top speed is 31 MPH on a lake. Mileage is great at 4 1/2 mpg. Weight of my rig with a full tank is right at 1400 lbs
 
flex2win said:
archery68 said:
I’m not an expert. My opinion only. I think the 80 would work on your 1860. Depends of course how much gear your going to have, and also how many other people. I’m saying this only if it’s the factory jetted 80. The factory 80 jets are 115 hp motors but are 80 at the Jet/pump. That would be the biggest boat I would put it on. Most folks where I live run the the 80 jets on 1856’s. They perform really well, in fact that will be my next setup. The 2072 would be to big in my opinion. Would be sluggish, slow to get on plane. If you put a 90 prop on your boat and added the jet later that would drop the the hp to right at 65 hp at the jet. You lose that much with jet conversion. The 90/65 would not be enough motor for a 2072 and might not be enough for the 1860. I run the current river in Missouri. Lots of folks running the merc 115/80. Parts of current river has hp restrictions of 40hp so I run a 60/40 merc 4 stroke on an 1852 .80 gauge Blazer SS with a tiller. By myself 34 downstream and 31or so upstream. Put my family and our crap in there it drops big time. My point is I have to watch where I put all our stuff and distribute the weight. They just don’t run like props. Hope this has helped.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Nope, your opinion matters. This is the kind of feedback I've been looking for to.
What kind of mileage(not that it is a deciding factor) are you seeing with your motor?

It sounds like I'm actually going to get to go with a guy that his this motor on his 18' Alweld
Sorry I do not know mileage. I used to run a two stroke years ago, it was a 40 but 28 at the jet. Speed wise probably not quite as fast as my 4 stroke 60/40. I would have 2 six gallon tanks with me in my old set up. It was a 2004 johnson. Would run where I do now and a lot of times would go through one tank and use part of the other. I can run the same now with the 4 stroke and use about 4 gallons or so. Much more quiet and powerful enough. My kids are getting bigger and with that friends come along. I want bigger motor to haul the weight. Not necessarily speed. I want the speed at the lake when fishing. My next setup will be a 1856 Blazer SS 100 gauge semi V with square front. Not sure yet on tiller or steering but it will be the 115/80. It should push that setup in the 40’s. Depending on weight of course. Would love to have a 150/105 but got to draw the line somewhere money wise.


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RiverBottomOutdoors said:
80 at the pump or 80 at the engine? 65 at the pump is the absolute lowest I would go for a 1860 coming in around 700-900lb dry weight.


115 powerhead, 80hp at the pump.
 
Had an opportunity to ride in a 1870 CC Weldbilt w the Merc 115/80 jet. I was kind of disappointed how long it took to plane out, took about 20-30yds. 24 gallons of fuel, 2 batteries in the back, not much in the front. That motor has been through hell, and I'm guessing there some wear in the impeller and the ring. Saw about 27mph. He's done ZERO maintenance to the motor, it's kind of sad actually.

I've decided to stay in the 1860 platform for the smaller river that i fish. The 80 and 65 jets are the same weight, I plan on moving batteries up front and possibly moving into a boat w a livewell. Can my transom handle the 378lbs vs the 250 that's on there now??

The 80hp is about $2500 more than the 65. Would the 65 be enough to power the boat or just go 80hp and be done? Tiller models, planning on the Big Tiller Handle.
 
I would go no less than a 115/80 and a 150/105 would be better for a 60" or bigger bottom.

A 115/80 will push it ok. If setup correctly, speeds should be around 34-36 on top end. It will do fine for 1 to 2 people if loaded light. It will struggle to get on plane as you have seen with more people and added weight. Weight distribution will be key. Should get around 5 mpg if you don't run wide open everywhere.

A 150/105 makes a big difference in weight carrying capacity and jumps on plane a lot better. It should run 35-40 depending on setup. It would give you plenty throttle to let off, so you don't have to keep it near wide open and get the same or better fuel mileage wise.

I have an 1860 flat bottom and ran a 115/80 four stroke on it for 11 years. It ran 36 with just me and a light load. I had a 24v trolling motor on the front with 2 batteries under front deck. Had to run a whaletail to keep the porpoiseing under control. Problems came with 3 to 4 people, felt like a football field to get on plane. The 250, which is around 175 at the pump makes an entirely different handling boat. Had I started with a 150 I would probably still have it on there, but the dealer I got it from said the 115 would do great. It was at first, but when it came time to take the family out, or really more than just me it was always a struggle. Always had to run till you could find a hole of water that was long enough to get a run at the riffle to get on plane.

Of course make sure your transom is designed to hold the extra weight. You will need 27" for a jet.
 
I agree with dhoganjr. I have zero experience with an 1860 but the times I have discussed going larger than my 1852 with my dealer he has told me more than once to stay with an 1856 if the motor I’m going to get/afford is the 115/80. I do think his word for the 1860 with the 115/80 is SLUGGISH. He suggested no smaller than 150/105 on an 1860. They don’t give those things away!! Take all my info with a grain of salt, I have never owned the motors or boats you are asking about. Just going by what others have told me from their experiences.


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Thank you for the responses. I did go meet w the dealer the other day, they will not hang anything bigger than what the boat is rated for(50hp)
 
I have a Crestliner 1860 that had a 60/40 on the back, top speed was around 23mph using a gps. Sold that motor, and I now have a 115/80 , I’ll Never go back to a 60/40, just the power alone is great to have.
 
jerseyjimk said:
I have a Crestliner 1860 that had a 60/40 on the back, top speed was around 23mph using a gps. Sold that motor, and I now have a 115/80 , I’ll Never go back to a 60/40, just the power alone is great to have.


Tiller or console?? What are you seeing for top end out of it??
 
Center console and my top speed is 32 with 3 people, so far haven’t ran alone for fastest speed. Im not concerned about speed, just the power to move when I need it to
 
That's where I'm at as well, but it appears that even putting the 80 jet on my 1860 is going to be somewhat of a chore. It's going to need to go to a dealer first.
 
flex2win said:
That's where I'm at as well, but it appears that even putting the 80 jet on my 1860 is going to be somewhat of a chore. It's going to need to go to a dealer first.

Why?
 
jerseyjimk said:
flex2win said:
That's where I'm at as well, but it appears that even putting the 80 jet on my 1860 is going to be somewhat of a chore. It's going to need to go to a dealer first.

Why?

They will not put anything larger than a 50hp on it bc of liability. I'm all ears if you have any ideas. The new Alumacrafts are rated for 70hp, same EXACT boat as mine, nothing different.
 
Most dealers won't install higher than the coast guard plate ratings due to liability as already mentioned. Most insurance companies won't insure it either.

I have read where people have had the transom reinforced and built up, then took the measurements and did the math to figure out the new hp ratings with the coast guard formula. I think you then get it inspected and send off for a new coast guard rating plate. If you really like the boat and want to stick with it, that is one route.

I know Alweld JC jet boats have a 150hp rating on the 1856 and 1860. I bought mine in 2002 and had it built as a commercial hull so there are no ratings. I had it built for a 250, but went with a 115 at the time due to $ and then upgraded later. They changed the regulations a few years ago and you have to get at least a 2060 now to get the commercial rating, but the 2060 JC already has a 250 hp rating.
 
An 1860 will be fine with a115/80 unless the boat is a pig weight wise, it won't scream, but it should plane out just fine. The funny thing a lot of people think the 2060 vs an 1860 will plan slower than the 1860 with the same engine, but you'd be surprised. The 2060 will draft less and actually plane out just as easy if not easier since it displaces so much water, the top speed will be a little lower. If you can afford it a 2060 with a 150/105 would be nice, you'd be amazed how nice the extra room is, and it's not in my opinion/experience any harder to launch or handle a 2060 over an 1860.

This is my personal experience I have a stout 1554 open hull tiller boat, it's heavy for a 1554 being a .125" hull, it shows it's scar having been used with a mud motor, a prop outboar, and now a jet outboard. I'm running an old evinrude two stroke 70 with jet so a hot 60/40 so to speek. It's perfect for that boat for all the more you can pack in it. I'm from Missouri originally easter weekend and snagging paddlefish on it is like religion to me. Couple years ago when I got married for my bachelor party we went snagging on easter weekend for it. Normally when I go back to snag that weekend it has been just me and buddy of mine maybe wife if she wanted to. My boat handles three pretty well, but that bachelor party weekend I for five guys, and couple big 40-60lb fish each I knew my boat wasn't gonna cut it. So I was going to borrow a buddies boat that I duck hunt with. His boat is a custom built uncle j flat bottom 2060, it's a tank 3/16" (.190") thick hull. He runs it with an old 1979 johnson 70hp prop with a tiller. Well of course about the time I was going to borrow he broke the plastic end of the tiller handle that the throttle twist grip goes on, the part wasn't going to make it in time for the snagging weekend. We could have pulled my tiller apart and swapped parts, but we had always been curious how my jet would push his barge since we were always impressed by how the little 70hp 3 cyl omc did with a prop on his boat.

So we swapped engines around he was running a jack plate that allowed us to raise up enough for the jet. Now my outboard jet was not ideal, but it did push that 2060 barge surprisingly well. With just two of us in the boat 12v troller up front with it's own battery, 12 gal of gas, starter battery, me 160lbs, buddy 190lbs, some fishing gear that boat did 27mph with my outboard jet, and planed out surprisingly well. Now when we went snagging the first day three of us went out, with cooler of drinks/food added, little more fishing gear, it still planed out surprisingly well, and did 24mph. Now once we got to snagging and we had a limit of paddlefish (two fish each so six total) which varied from 30-60lbs with that added weight planing out fully wasn't happening, but it still did 17mph, and because of how much water that hull displaces it was kind of planed out didn't really draft much water at all like 6" or so. I've launched that boat with my buddy while duck hunting when it's been just two of us plenty of times so that equates to one guy launching it really as the other just backs the truck in, and it's no more of chore to launch that boat or push it off a log than it is with an 1860. I have some experience with launching and getting an 1860 unstuck from mud/over logs. When I lived in Missouri while in college a friend of mine whose dad had an 1860 tracker grizzly with a 60hp yamaha prop which we duck hunted a a fair amount out of. Now that I've had a lot of experience with my buddies 2060 I'd go 2060 over 1860 the 2060 handles a load better with similar power in reality that newer 60hp yam was just as powerful as that none prop rated old 70hp my buddy runs. Granted these are props, but both flat bottom hulls that I've run with similar loads of 2-4 guys with decoys, and hard side duck blind and the 2060 wasn't much slower on top, but drafted less water, and planes out better, and is a lot thicker hull than that grizzly.

I'd imagine after having run my little 60/40 three cyl evinrude two stroke on my buddies 2060 I'd bet a 115/80 wouldn't be bad on it, and 150/105 would be awesome. If your planning on regular taking out four people with some gear, and cooler loaded down, and want a big trolling motor on it so you end up with 3-4 batteries, if you can afford it I'd go with a custom built 2060 and a 150/105hp. A 115/80 would work just fine, but a150/105 wouldn't give you some throttle to spare as already mentioned, a 250/180? or whatever it would work to at the pump would be if you just have the need for speed. This is just my two cents worth going off my experience sorry for the long post hopefully it helps in your decision. FYI if your willing to drive custom builders in Louisiana like uncle j, sportsman fab, along with a few others will build you a heck of hull that wouldn't cost anymore than the same size mass built hulls. But it will be a lot stouter. My buddies 2060 was really reasonable, but we wired it, rigged, and painted it ourselves.
 

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