predator 22hp for inboard application with electric reverse

ok i asked about the fnr gearboxy cuz i was looking for a marine engine to mate to it. But after a visit to harbour freight i saw the 22hp predator vtwin not gona lie its pretty. Now the boat I am building is not a speed boat nor do i need to go fast. Now question....boat is 17ft long 7.5ft wide built of 2x4 and plywood sheets(all treated) so it is heavy...now idea is will this engine be able to handle that boat at a decent cruising speed"thinkin 10-15 mph" and be able to go up river. idea is instead of the gearbox im just gona put a driveshaft to engine then out transom ,between shaft and engine il use an electric clutch i can engage/disengage easily(drive/neutral) then im eyeing the idea of using a small electic motor maybe chain driven to shaft to use as reverse as reverse isnt used that much,engine neutral turn on electic boom a somewhat complicated mess of fnr lol.maybe off that chain il also run a mini alternator to charge batteries run lights equipment ect. so please be honest does this good..or am i just losing my mind.....

 

Seems overly complex... why not put an outboard on the transom and call it a day?

 

No offense I love how thats always the reply people give..easy way to explain it is its to easy everybody can do that...I'm not lazy and I don't like easy this more of a therapy for me I like difficult and like thinking outside the box..cuz honestly I could have just bought a boat and been done with it lol but that way would be easy and yes I have an outboard if I need it..in the meantime I'll take the complex way since easy and lazy is no fun;p

 

That's fine if that's what you're in to. It's a matter of practicality, not laziness. 17 foot plywood boat is going to offer you some serious space limitations for your proposed battery reverse solution. How are you planning on mounting the Predator 22HP motor? I know those are used in shallow draft swamp type applications. What's your installation going to be? This is an air cooled motor correct?

 

The answers you are looking for are yes and maybe. Can you run without a transmission? Yes you can and you would not be the first. Can you do electric reverse? Yes but why, you only need a paddle. Will the boat make 10-15mph with that motor? Maybe. If the boat is designed for it then yes. If you have no ideea how to match hull form, boat weight, motor power and propeller then no.

If you want to do it the hard way you need to educate yourself about powerboat design. A boat is not just a funny shaped cabinet made out of ply and dimensional lumber. Buy some books and start reading.

 

Yes true a funny looking cabinet does have any real hydro performance....so more or less I'm pushing a brick...hence not worried about speed...efficiency I could have done better honestly but this design will suffice hull speed not sure I'm going for a displacement design flat bottom(not efficient I know) but hope it keeps its balance well. It's only a river boat..guess I should a tried a different forum that instead of scrutinizing actually gave me some good opinions or solutions

 

1st

 

Back like said it's a brick lol

 

Length back to front,width,and height or beam cant remeber

 

And like said the easy...boring way...just in case

 

Going for this look just smaller

 

Is the engine going to be contained within the hull of the boat and possibly covered in an enclosure? If so, you should make sure you are familiar with marine safety standards for inboard engines. The Predator 22 HP would certainly not meet the standards for gasoline fume and spark suppression safety.

 

Hmm that is a good point I completely forgot about