I live in layton, UT and I have an 25 hp envenrude outboard on my 14' mirror craft boat. I am experiencing a big loss of power when i add people to my boat. I have added a few items to my boat. I added a minkota trolling motor on the bow, and a deck up front. Made the deck out of tin and some plywood, took out the front seat to accommodate deck. If i had to guess the deck weighs 80-100 lbs. If my friend comes with me, i get about two thirds the power vs. when am alone. I still don't think that I am getting 100% when i am by myself. I have had my motor looked at by dicks boats in clearfield. They went through the carb, and replaced the contacts. I have had it for two years and have only used ethanol free gas.
I am wondering two main things. Do i need a bigger motor? If so does anyone have a 35 Hp that they are not using, or looking to get rid of? And the second thing, is there anyone that does great work with motors that is not super expensive. What I really need is someone that knows outboards to meet at a lake and see what i am dealing with regarding the load in the boat. It seems to work fine in a tank but not on the water. Obviously if we are at the lake we can take a few to catch a few.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
p.s. i emailed danzilla and he never reached back out to me.
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If you indeed feel that the motor is not performing 100%, I would take it to Lee's in Hyrum. A few years back, I had motor problems with a 200hp motor. Took it to Dicks 4 times over the summer. After $3000 in parts and labor, the problem was never solved. Just my experience with Dicks in Clearfield.
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First off lees is a great place to take your boat if it needs work. From the sounds of things . To me i think your experiencing normal symptoms with weight issues. I say this from my experience with my duck boat i had a 14 foot greagor with a johnson 25 hp. Me by my self it would go 22mph when i put my brother in there it would go close to the same but take longer to get out of the hole and on plane! If i added my 2 dozen goose decoys and my dog it would really take longer to get on plane some times it wouldnt even get on plane! I change the prop to a 4 blade with a different pitch and that helped! So maybe you could do two simple thing first! #1 get a different prop for more out of the hole power. #2 add whale tail on your outboard those two things should help out alot. And easy to do. Also try adding some seafoam to help clean the carbs alittle. Hope that helps. Also just some more info. Rejetting your out boat will help also but thats more indepth! And just fyi i also have a 16foot tracker with a 50hp honda and if i get 3 guys in it it goes just fin but if a 4th guy is with is it is super hard to get on plane! Hope that helps
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i think your expecting to much from a 25 hp motor that at this altitude is about 15 hp
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A few years back I had a 16' tracker with a 40hp merc. My wife and I could do 14-16 mph up at Willard on a good day but up at Strawberry 8mph was top speed. When others would go with us we could never come close to those speeds. I did add the whale tail and it helped to plane out immensely.
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Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.
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A few of you have mentioned a Whale Tale.
Is that what the item is called. Are they expensive?
Where do you get one? I would be interested in seeing what she will do.
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I got a trolling plate from cabela's that helped...kinda works like a whale tail but you can drop it down to help slow the boat when trolling. about $60?
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Whale tail is a hydrofoil. Depending on the set up it's a band aid for not getting on plane but for your boat it's not going to help (IMO). My boat will porpoise at slow speeds so I have one but haven't installed it. I'll show you a pic when I get home.
I think you need a smaller pitch prop. An aluminum one shouldn't cost that much and it's always good to have a spare anyway.
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A lot of good information above, some of it I think is wrong, but without seeing your boat, and experiencing it myself, a lot of possibilities exist.
The attached link will get you to your correct prop.
[url "https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/propellers/selector/#!/step-one"]https://www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/propellers/selector/#!/step-one[/url]
You may need to take your boat and trailer to a weigh station, then deduct the weight of the trailer, but you can follow the directions and get the exact prop for your boat, motor, elevation, etc.
Had whaletails, on boats from 14 to 18 feet, and they smooth out the ride and get you on plane a little quicker, but unless you are right on the edge of getting on plane, then it won't increase speed. In fact, it can reduce it a mph or two. On bigger boats, like my 18 footer, I use to break my hydrofoils/whaletails about once every 2 years. Hopping waves at 30 mph is hard on them.
What you are experiencing is why I always tell people to buy the biggest motor a boat is rated for when they buy. The dealers try to sell a smaller motor, telling you it goes faster then it really will. It cuts the overall cost, sells more boats, and they get a bigger mark-up.
In short, NO BOAT DEALER is your friend. They are no better, even worse, then a car salesman. A car salesman thinks he might get you back in the future but most boat dealers expect only one sell per customer, ever.
Good luck on your efforts, but, I suggest you look at the nameplate on the boat and see what the max motor size is. Use the link I gave you, look for the best prop, at the expected elevation, and it will tell you your max speed. I have found the link to be extremely accurate.
[fishin]
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I have a whaletail on my 16ft alumacraft and it has helped my boat quite a bit
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Not enough HP, especially at altitude. Whats the boat's max HP rating? That's what you need, no less. If its a motor issue, another vote for Lee's. No, not a vote, a demand! Go nowhere else. But it sounds like you have a full load with passenger, trolling motor, battery for trolling motor, etc. That's a lot for 25 HP at 4,000-5,000 feet, or higher.
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I love all the information that you all are giving.
I have looked at the plate on my boat and it says that the MAX HP is a 35HP.
This brinks me to my next request. I would love to see what my boat would do with a 35Hp Motor. Does anyone have a 35 in good running condition that they don't want or is willing to sell? Or do you know anybody that has one that they are not using.
I will but that question on another board and see what comes of it.
Thanks
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Get two props 9" and 11" pitch. One is for solo. The other is for passengers.
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The prop on their now is 9x10. It is set the “normal” tilt.
If I get a 9x9 and 9x11, wilt realy make all the difference?
That’s a 200.00 purchase, props are 100.00 each.
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