Is 70hp enough?

[kingtut512]

I have a 1973 17' Bayliner Discovery. I bought it as a project boat for this coming summer so it's not in the best shape. It used to have a 1974 135hp Evinrude outboard on it (maximum rating is 140hp). Unfortunately the block was cracked so I had to scrap it.

I live in Nevada (a big barren dessert) so boat engines are kind of hard to come by. I did however manage to pick up a 1979 70hp Mercury that I want to put on it.

My question is will 70hp enough? I want to be able to put 5-6 people on the boat and maybe tow a tube. I don't know much about boats so any info would help.

[Submarine Tom]

Well, you've got the engine and you've got the boat, why don't you put it on and find out.

It will likely be okay but be sure to let us know.

-Tom

[Frosty]

No its not enough, but you've bought it now.

If you live in Nevada ( a big barren desert) what do you want a boat for?

[cthippo]

Originally Posted by kingtut512

My question is will 70hp enough? I want to be able to put 5-6 people on the boat and maybe tow a tube.

This maybe?

[Frosty]

Not a chance!!

[PAR]

I think at the bottom end, she was rated for was about 75 - 80 HP and with this it was a dog. Put 4 - 5 people in it and drag a tube in a healthy chop, a contrary current and a head wind, at half the HP it had previously? Pleeeeeease . . .

[ecflyer]

I have been a lifelong water skier and pulled toys of all sorts behind boats. 70hp will have all the other boaters laughing at you. If the boat bottom flattens out at the stern you can get by with a little less hp than if the boat has a deep/modified V all the way to the stern. In any case a minimum of 115hp is needed and much better with 130-140 hp. Excess hp is better. In the last 20 years Evenrude/Johnson have a very fuel efficient setting on their outboards when you throttle back approx 15%-25%. You cannot take advantage of this fuel savings if you must run the engine a max rpm all the time to even get the boat up on plane.

Happy Easter
Earl

[Easy Rider]

I have an 18' Winner very similar to your Bayliner except the Winner has a bit more deadrise. The boat performs well w 2 or 3 aboard and 12 to 18 gallons of fuel and a lower pitch prop but any more weight and it's clearly a bit under powered. You've got too many friends.

[cthippo]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

You've got too many friends.

I think that's known as having high class problems

[tunnels]

once you load up a 17 foot boat and want to pull as well you will need a healthy 140 to 150 hp outboard .
better to go up in hp and not have to use all of them horses !, then under power and end up flogging the day lights out of those wee gee gees that get tired very quickly and are very thirsty !!

i have 115 hp on a 14.6 boat , its exciting !!

[Ike]

Frosty, have you never heard of Lake Powell, or Lake Tahoe? Most of Nevada is a barren desert (and 65% is owned by the feds) But it has some great boating locations.

As for 70, probably with 2 or 3m, but 5? it may bog down a little, but as was said, try it.

[Frosty]

Nope--never heard of Lake Powell. Nevada to me cunjures hmmm desert, Indians, wagon train, Wyatt Earp,Tombstone, High noon, Wyomin, John Wayne, Piano players that stop when you walk in the saloon, what can I git yer stranger--spit -ting,-- gimme a whisky, we dont go fer strangers much down these here parts mister. etc etc.

[Ike]

Frosty, If you had you would have picked up on my mistake. I must have been half asleep last night when I wrote that. Lake Powell is mostly in Utah.

I should have said Lake Mead. It is on the Nevada, Arizona border, a short drive from Las Vegas and one of the largest impoundments in the US. It is over 100 miles long and I have been told has over 1500 miles of shoreline. It is a huge boating lake with thousands of boats on it year round and Lord knows how many trailerable boats brought in each year. Unfortunately the water level has been dropping steadily for several years which means the lake is shrinking. There are over 56,000 registered boats in Nevada.

Anyway I thought the same way you do. when I was first stationed in Utah. Nothing but desert. Then I found out there were 40,000 recreational boats in Utah........ Uh, where do they put them all?

There are a lot of lakes.

Whole lot of boating going on out in the great southwestern desert!