The mother of all HP Questions

[Para]

Any V20 its a hull and it needs a motor to shove it through the water

1) How fast? We all get a bonah over the max speed over water. from a 150 hp 2 stroke to a 250 hp 4 stroke (maybe even a 300 ?)....and the HP to swing a various prop, etc.

2) How slow? If you like fishing, you need a dead-slow troll maybe 5 mph or even less. not so sure alot of 2 strokes can go that slow

3) Fuel consumption

4) Fresh water, water skiing, tubing....torque = 4 stroke?

The inboard engine ones of old SEEMED like a good option 10 yrs ago. Those old silver Honda 2 Strokes were only a few years old back then and they cost a Fortune. The only other option was a 4 stroke I/O...whats the hot setup now?

[Striper80]

Seems more like a rant, than a question. Not sure what you’re exact asking. My 22WA is rated for 300. If I had the money,that’s what would be on it. If that’s your question.

[Destroyer]

I'm going to presume that your last sentence is your question, so that's what I'll answer.

First, it's subjunctive... what's hot for me will probably not be hot for someone else. Having said that, I like anything from a 150 to a 200 hp on my V's. I don't need to going 70-80 MPH. Since most times I'm fishing in the ocean that's near impossible anyways for these boats... and even if you could do it it would probably be suicide. These boats were never meant for that speed. So my hot setup is a 175 hp engine with a 9.9 kicker for trolling. My trolling speed is anything from a drift to 2 mph usually. I like to use downriggers and sometimes I'll use planers. I don't have a need for outriggers, so I don't use them. When not fishing I like to cruise at around 25-30 mph listening to music and conversing with my friends aboard ship with me.

[bgreene]

Para - I've run my V21 with 150 hp and 200 and both are fine.

In fact, the current crop of 150's offer some fantastic fuel economy and lighter weight options that make this boat so economical to run.

Some guys have 140's and the boat also plans up and cruises fine.

Current outboard on my V is an Etec 200 HO and sure......it's fun to run fast once in a while.
I do just about all my fishing on the ocean where speeds of 20-30mph typical.
Just once last year....the ocean was so flat I ran many miles cruising at 40 mph without pushing the motor wide open.

Now if I had a 35' Deep V CC I'd want to have twin 7 Marine 626's.

[SkunkBoat]

My V20 had a Merc150 2 stroke when I bought it. Topped out in the mid 40s which is all you need for ocean running. As said before, its rare to be able to run faster than 30mph in these light boats with any kind of swell. For me there is a 1/4 mile stretch of the river on the way out&in where I can go balls to the walls.

Replaced it with a zuki 140 four stroke (there were no 150s until the next year...)
The 140 topped out in mid 30s, got great gas milage, trolled at 2mph at idle speed(Quietly...without fouling plugs and choking you to death!), towed tubes and kneeboarders.

I think a 150 four stroke is the perfect ocean motor for these hulls. Lake boats could make use of more HP more often so maybe a 175. I wouldn't pay up to get a 200.

Now my Grady265 is a lot heavier, Twin 225s and I can run 40mph in stuff that would slow the V20 down to a crawl.
I've run a 23cc SeaHunt with a 250 that had the weight to run hard too, but you got wet and you tended to bang your knees on things...

[Genie Aye]

First, I also run a 200HO Evinrude Etec like bgreene.
Speed capability in excess of 50knts.
Economy I do as well or better than any 4 stroke on the market. I average 2.4mpg to 3.0 mph depending on load and water conditions.
As for water play, skiing etc, 2 strokes just come out of the hole faster..period.
As for trolling, I have around 750 hrs trolling on her, around 2.4 knts at idle.

[BillTex]

Originally Posted by Genie Aye

...3.0 mph depending on load and water conditions.

I think I can paddle that fast.

[bradford]

Glad to see Genie Aye around again, been a while.

[Para]

Sorry, that did sound like a bit of a rant. I guess what this boils down to is that I need an engine that will do a couple of things:

1) I troll for striped bass with lead core line and a tube worm and if I remember I need to go REAL slow, like 1.8 mph or less....I mean just barely moving. I had an old 2 stroke (sample size of 1 I realize) and re-propped it and it still did not go slow enough. The old carbbed 2 stroke would load up and stall if I turned the idle too low.

2) I want above average water skiing performance. I realize that It will never be a Ski Nautique, but I think with the right choice I can get this to be pretty good too. Good water ski perf is all about torque, acceleration and getting up on plane quick

3) Good fuel economy. After a day of running around maybe have to put 10 -15 gallons back in.

Flat out speed does not matter one bit.

I think after reading these I may already have the answer: A 150 or a 200 hp modern 2-stroke with a much more sophisticated carb system. Are these newer 2 strokes EFI ? All things the same, a 150 hp 2 stroke probably pulls like a 200? Hp 4 stroke? Have they worked out all of that 'finicky-ness' innewer 2 strokes? Loading up, flooding, stalling, etc? How reliable are the 2 stroke oil pumps systems?

[spareparts]

you need a fuel injected four stroke with troll control. Some had it with mechanical controls, but most newer engines are going to fly by wire. You could get what you want out of n Optimax, or another direct injected two stroke, but ease of use will always favor the fourstroke. Keep in mind, parts are starting to get obsolete on many direct injected motors, so do some homework before you buy a used DI motor