New 14' Cat with 20HP Honda. Transom HELP please.

Hi,
I am buying a 14' cat from a local manufacturer and intend to use my Honda BF20D with it as the engine has only 15.8 hours on it.

The problem I am facing is that the transom is only 14" at the center, but at the lowest it is 19".
I can raise by 1" easily using a wood block.

The gap between the two keels (cannot remember the right term here, sorry) is about 18".

Will this be fine to mount the engine or do I need to raise it?

Thank you.

 

I am curious, who makes it and what model? Do they specify any range of outboard powers?

How fast do you want to go? 20 Honda seems a bit on the small side if that is going to find traction in the tunnel. I ran a 20 Honda 4 stroke on a 13' boat, similar in width and layout to yours. I had a hard time getting on the plane while a 25hp Yamaha 2 stroke had no issues

 

Saqa,
They said it will take upto a 50-60 Hp.
But this thing weighs at about 120 kg and has 5' (1.5m) beam.

If you see the pics, the gap between the two hulls is not too much and is only 5" in the aft.

I am not getting the console and I weigh 72 kg and gear about 30 kg max. Sometimes wife may also join!

I really don't want to buy another engine after this...

 

Thats about the size of the old beaten up hull we had here. It weighed around the same. It wasnt a very nice boat anyway. A 40 got it going well but horrible in the chop we have here. The owner wanted to get it going and fix her up to sell. If you are considering buying and want to keep that outboard, I reckon you be worth considering just about anything else in that same size but with a regular hull shape. As an example, that 20 Honda pushed the 18' glass panga type boat it belonged on better then the tunnel boat and made a 15' aluminum jonboat with a vee nose fly

 

Saqa: I haven't bought it yet. But compared to my 12' RIB, which the BF20 takes to 41 kmph, this does look very roomy.

 

Interesting hull. I would be hesitant to call it a cat though!

 

I can't see that boat riding well in a chop, then you have the likelihood of prop ventilation, etc, etc. Better off with a monohull tinny.

 

traction?

RE: your comment about finding traction in the tunnel. I was thinking of putting a small outboard on a twin hull boat, do outboards lose power in tunnels
It would be nice to know before I spend money on this project