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Boat Help!!!!
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2003 1:34 am
by LGBASS20LB
OK. I have finally got some insurance on my 87 Chevy Silverado, so i can finally take out my 12 foot jon-boat on the waters of Central Florida. I already have a 5 speed Shakespeare trolling motor for it which could do most of the running, but MY QUESTION IS: How big of an outboard should i get?? Like 4-6 horse or smaller?? I know not much if any bigger than 4. Im just not quite sure, i think 3-4 will be good for my little boat, just wanted to ask the pros who already know. Thanks for the help guys, and soon ill be telling you about the lunker bass ill catch at the lakes around here. There is a lot of lakes i can go to that are known for trophy bass. ALL THE HELP IS APPRECIATED.
Boat Help!!!!
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2003 1:42 am
by johnnie crain outdoors
Cole,
If your jon boat is narrow and has shallow sides I'd go with a 2 or 3 horsepower, no larger. If it's a big jon, heavy duty, wide and deep then go for the six horse. All of these little motors perform well and require little maintenance. Just don't ever over-power any boat, go for safety and dependability, speed and power will come later. Looking forward to hearing about all those lunkers I'm sure you'll catch. You are blessed to live in big bass country. Keep in touch my friend, Johnnie
Boat Help!!!!
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2003 1:00 am
by BASSGUIDEPA
Cole,
I have to agree with Johnnie's answer. M y first boat was a 12 foot jon boat and all I used was a trolling motor--it got me where I needed to go..............
Boat Help!!!!
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2003 10:34 am
by Eric
Cole,
Look for a small metal plate on the boats hull. The plate is normaly located near the transom on the inside or where the outboard will be mounted. Thsi will give you the max horsepower that your boat can take as well as the total weight capacity. You need to take both of these into consideration before deciding what size outboard to buy. If you are planning on loading the boat with a lot of gear or multiple people, close to the max weight you will want to put an outboard on it that will handle the weight. If you underpower the craft it will wear on the engine, use more fuel and not handle well. On the other hand if you will be fishing alone with a smaller amount of tackle and gear, you can put a smaller outboard on the boat. Remeber to take into consideration fuel consumption, if you will be making long runs or a few trips each time before filling up, you may want a larger gas container.
Good luck, I'm sure those Florida bass wont know what hit them when you get that boat on the water.