Rib
New member
I've been reading here for a while, but this is my first post, great forum.
I have a 1972 Richline "Guide" 16' fishing boat. It's got a 1976 Merc 200 20HP outboard that I've been fighting for a couple of years and I'm just plain tired of it. I added a front deck, seats, and a bow mount trolling motor up front, the rest is pretty much stock, so not a lot of added weight. The old motor has an old set of "whale tails" and I always thought the performance was satisfactory with them, years ago I tried taking them off, but the boat would not get up on plain without them. I've always felt the boat was plenty fast enough with the old Merc 200.
Per the plate on the boat, it's rated to 40 HP. I'm thinking about buying a brand spanking new Mercury 4 stroke (tiller steer/manual start) motor. I just want the peace of mind of brand new...I'm tired of tinkering and worrying. I keep hesitating because I really prefer the lighter weight and portability of a 20 HP motor but I'm scared to death of buying it and finding it won't bring my boat up on plane. Going up to a 25 or 30 adds about 50 pounds that I don't want to add and, of course, quite a bit more money.
Anybody have a feel for whether a new 20 HP motor would be able to bring this size boat up on plane without adding a whale tail? I understand the HP measurement ratings changed over the years. The new motors look to have a 3 blade prop vs. the 2 blade prop on my old motor. Would a 20 HP be a HUGE mistake?
I have a 1972 Richline "Guide" 16' fishing boat. It's got a 1976 Merc 200 20HP outboard that I've been fighting for a couple of years and I'm just plain tired of it. I added a front deck, seats, and a bow mount trolling motor up front, the rest is pretty much stock, so not a lot of added weight. The old motor has an old set of "whale tails" and I always thought the performance was satisfactory with them, years ago I tried taking them off, but the boat would not get up on plain without them. I've always felt the boat was plenty fast enough with the old Merc 200.
Per the plate on the boat, it's rated to 40 HP. I'm thinking about buying a brand spanking new Mercury 4 stroke (tiller steer/manual start) motor. I just want the peace of mind of brand new...I'm tired of tinkering and worrying. I keep hesitating because I really prefer the lighter weight and portability of a 20 HP motor but I'm scared to death of buying it and finding it won't bring my boat up on plane. Going up to a 25 or 30 adds about 50 pounds that I don't want to add and, of course, quite a bit more money.
Anybody have a feel for whether a new 20 HP motor would be able to bring this size boat up on plane without adding a whale tail? I understand the HP measurement ratings changed over the years. The new motors look to have a 3 blade prop vs. the 2 blade prop on my old motor. Would a 20 HP be a HUGE mistake?