20 Horse Motor on a 14ft boat?

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lifesaball18

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Its a 14ft by 42in and is a vee hull. Its rated for up to a 15hp motor. Would a 20 horse work as long as its not opened up fully. How about on a thick hull of a 12' by 52 inch ? As long as I reinforce the transom boards?
 
Go for it.

Those ratings are many times based on a motor's weight as much as the actual hp it produces. It should be fine on the 14' and maybe even on the 12'.

I bet that 12 footer looks nearly as broad as it does long. :lol:
 
I say go for it. I have a 15 hp on my 1636 and I'm sure that we're over the weight limit, but it still works fine.

Just don't forget to wear your lifejacket when trying it out.
 
What is the bottom width on that 14 footer? I am thinking that beam width leans toward a 1432 bottom width. Not saying it can't be done, but the sides of those are low, and you will have a lot of weight in the back. I will be the first to put a motor that exceeds the rating on a boat, but only when I deem it safe to do so. I will err on the side of caution however in many cases, and in this one, I would test it quite a bit, and see how it feels.
 
They are both vee hulls, not flat jons. First is 12' by 52'' second is 14' by 42''
but they do make 1442 jons i do know that.
 
lifesaball18 said:
They are both vee hulls, not flat jons. First is 12' by 52'' second is 14' by 42''
but they do make 1442 jons i do know that.


Are you measuring the width of the inside of the floor or across the gunnels?The floor width is how jons are rated.
 
I am measuring the bottom of the transom for width and for lenght from tip of bow to top of transom and measuring straight. Am i not making myself clear on the dimensions?
 
I have a 1436 Crestliner that is rated for a 20HP motor you should be fine with a 20 on that boat just do a little testing with it first before you go tearing it up. :p
 
lifesaball18 said:
I am measuring the bottom of the transom for width and for lenght from tip of bow to top of transom and measuring straight. Am i not making myself clear on the dimensions?


Now I am up on things.A 1442 should have no problems running a 20HP as long as the weight is low.The other thing is how the boat is made.If it's a flimsy boat, like mine,it won't take much to bend the hull.
 
My Alumacraft 1442 is rated for a 25hp, but the transom is pretty seriously beefed up. I would think a 15hp would be fine as long as it feels sturdy once bolted on... but I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night so what do I know.
 
Probably ok, just be willing to accept the liability.
In our state, if you get stopped for some other reason or have an accident & your boat is over the HP rating, you are gonna get a ticket. And you insurance will not cover an accident either if your over hp you boat.
 

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